Every warrior, every child of God, indeed, every human, has something in common with each other. He, or she, will face temptations in life. In fact, temptations will come more than once.
No temptation has overtaken you
1 Corinthians 10:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
but such as is common to man; and God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it.
Escape Temptation
Sometimes, this scripture has been slightly twisted to make people believe God has promised to never send you something you could not bear; but this is actually talking about temptation.
He is promising you there will always be a way to keep you from giving in to temptation; but you must take that way of escape.
Escape Certain Places
Often it is that still, small voice that whispers in your spirit:
“Don’t go there.”
“It’s not safe to be alone with that person.”
“Remember what happened the last time you got together with that group?”
The Holy Spirit is warning you before you put yourself in a certain situation.
Escape Outside Influences
Other times He is telling you:
“Don’t look at that.”
“It’s not a good idea to listen to what is being said. It only leads to heartache.”
“Don’t dwell on those thoughts. Remember where it led you last time.”
He knows the things you see, hear and think can very quickly lead you down a path you never wanted to go.
Escape By Fleeing
Then, there are times when the Holy Spirit shouts inside your spirit, “Get out of there.”
Your way of escape is to RUN. Don’t hesitate, and don’t make excuses, just leave.
Fight Like Jesus Did
As a warrior, there is something else you can do besides escape when temptation comes your way. You can do as Jesus did when he was tempted.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit
Matthew 4:1-4 NASB 1995
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights,
He then became hungry.
And the tempter came and said to Him,
“If You are the Son of God,
command that these stones become bread.”
But He answered and said, “It is written,
‘Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Go on and read Matthew 4 up to verse 11 and you will see the devil came two more times to tempt Jesus. Each time, Jesus used scripture and said, “It is written.”
It is powerful to use scripture in battle. It wins every time. There is a reason the Apostle Paul used the analogy of the Sword of the Spirit as the Armor of God’s only means of defense. Because it is all you need.
Hide God’s Word in your heart. It will keep you from sinning against God; it will keep you from temptation.
Summing It Up
When it comes to temptation, the believer has two strategies: take the way of escape as soon as you see it, and tell the tempter, “It is written,” using words of scripture to insure victory.
This is day 23 of my Transformation: Becoming an Effective Prayer Warrior series. The goal is to write 28 posts discussing spiritual armor, the prayer of agreement and other prayer strategies.
I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I’m going to be thinking with my fingers, so to speak, as I process what is in my heart about these topics after reading the word and praying for discernment.
You can go here to see each post I will be making on this topic.
Today’s question for your consideration: How can you be a saver?
Previous Post – Transformation: Avoiding Danger
Sharing at Anita Ojeda’s Write 28 Day Challenge and Grace At Home
All photos created in PicMonkey by Jerralea using personal, family and stock photos. Please do not copy.