Devotion: Defending Against Temptation

 You will win! Amen!!!!!!

Daily Bible Verse

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. ~Jude 1:4

Daily Inspiration

We are forgiven and made new by the grace of God. But grace doesn’t give us a license to continue in our sin. To cheapen God’s grace is to deny not only what Jesus has done, but His lordship when we choose not to live according to what we say we believe. The heart that is saved by grace is also a heart that is changed by grace.

Daily Prayer

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to cleanse me of my sin and give me new life in You. I surrender my life to Jesus’ lordship, and I reject the power and control of sin in my life. Please empower me by Your Spirit to walk in obedience to Your Truth and live in Your Grace, so that ALL who see me may know that I am changed and that I am Yours. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Defending Against Temptation

By David Jacobs

Defending Against Temptation: We become trapped, unable to spend time with God because we are focused on something else. ~1 Corinthians 10:12-13

What is our defense against temptation? Most of us have been in a time of our life where we have just had enough, and end up giving into every enticing urge, every hint of desire. Getting out of this mindset requires an understanding of the process of temptation. Though it may not always seem like it when temptation strikes, it is a gradual process. This is a good thing! It means that if we become aware of it, we can cut it off at any stage.

Typically, temptation starts in our minds. The tempted person sets up imagined scenarios. God has blessed us with the ability to create entire experiences out of nothing using just our mind, but like so many of God’s gifts, we must be careful not to abuse it. Fantasies may seem harmless if we keep them in our minds and don’t bring them out into the real world, but they can lead us down a winding path, eventually enslaving our minds. We become trapped, unable to spend time with God because we are focused on something else.

However, there is good news! God is faithful, and when we ask for His help, He can show us how to escape our imprisonment. Temptation begins and ends in the mind, so that is where, with God as our general, we wage war on it. Instead of fantasy, we fill our mind with the Word of God and feed on it daily so that our sin will be uprooted and our thought transformed. In this way, we are set free.

Prayer

Father, keep my mind steady. I look to Your Word for sustenance and I am filled, I need nothing else. Keep my mind clear so that I can continue my prayers to You. Keep my thoughts pure so that I will be a righteous servant in your eyes. Amen!

When You Feel No One Is On Your Side

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. ~Romans 8:34