Scripture Text: John 17:15
People of God, when you are in the midst of the people of the world, you are in a da;;nger zone where falsehood, unfaithfulness, greed, etc. are in practice. That is why Jesus prayed for His followers in the book of John 17:15 saying: "keep them in the world but keep the world out of them”.
We are called to God's kind of lifestyle. This is not in terms of unfaithfulness, of injustice, of corrup-tion, not in terms of embez-zlement, but of steadfastness, faithfulness and love.
The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do but the relationship we maintain. When you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you change and become a man who is directed by your heavenly father, not by the influence of others. In this life, you are either influential or influenced.
Remember, satan uses our situation to tempt us. Don’t allow your situation to mislead you.
Ask Samson and he will tell you that a single night of pleasure was not worth a life time of blindness.
Ask Judas Iscariot and he will tell you that a bag of silver was not worth his utter destruction.
In our Christian work and warfare, we should stir up ourselves to resist temptation in relying upon God's sufficiency and the omnipotence of His might.
When Jesus was tempted by satan in the desert (Matthew 4:1-4), He simply quoted the written words of God and satan was demoralized and paralyzed. Jesus’ temptation shows that He was not out for material and political gain but for the work of His heavenly Father. Jesus' temptation also provides an example of how His followers should handle temptation.
If you are not out for material and political gain but to do God's work, you will overcome your temptation. If you go out of God’s way because of the problem you have, you forfeit the promise and put yourself out of God's protection.
Remember, the tempter came to Jesus; Jesus did not go to the tempter. After the declaration exp0sing our Lord Jesus Christ, as Son of God and Saviour of the world, He was tempted. After all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him, He was still tempted. This means, no matter how close you are to God, you can still be tempted. Temptations to sin are the most grievous thorns. They are messengers of satan.
When we tempt satan to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to our own power, we provoke God to withdraw His power and leave us to our own power. We should pray against poverty not because it is an affli;ction and reproach but because it is a temptation.
When you are poor and anxiously in need of blessing, you will not mind the source of your supply. Jesus was not anxious. Jesus said to satan, “I may be hungry but I am not anxious for food, I am not desperate for food”. A man may be s!ck or poor and yet be a friend of God. Outward affli;ction, wants and burdens are the great arguments satan uses to make people of God question their Son-ship.
In the world, there is what we call the dev!l's sacr!fice. When satan gives you something that gives you apparent / temporal peace with his right hand, he will take from you something your life depends on with the left hand. Satan’s greatest interest is to overthrow your relationship with God as your Father. If prayer and watchfulness are not employed, the pain which comes as a result of lack of food soon produces impatience, worry, anxiety and desperation.
HOW TO RESIST THE DEV!L
If we resist the dev!l by a true and lively faith, satan will flee from us but if we think to resist him by chanting the name Jesus as a spell or charm, satan will prevail. In the natural, we are no march for satan.
Resist satan the oppressor, staying steadfastly in faith. Claim your healing, blessing and victory. When you give your life to Jesus Christ, and make Him the boss, the CEO, the director of all you do, you become connected to the one who made you. Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil.
Remember Joseph was a free moral agent. He had the right to sacrifice his future for the present by conceding to Potiphar’s wife's request. He said Joseph said, ‘No’, (Gen. 39:7) because he knew life was too short to waste time on things that have no lasting significance. When you have a relationship with JESUS, you change and become a man who is directed by your heavenly Father. God has promised that you will not be tempted beyond what you can bear.
Today, the Holy Spirit knows the level your tempter can go. We, servants of God, ought to always be under the check and conduct of the Holy Spirit because all our victories over satan are obtained by the power derived from Jesus Christ.
THE THREE LEVELS OF FAITH
In a practicing Christian, faith exists at three levels:
1. Knowledge of the truth; you are no longer ignorant because someone has preached to you.
2. Acceptance of the truth; accept the message in the midst of your heart.
3. Commitment to the truth; you used to be a sinner before - now you have accepted the truth, you should remain an agent of the truth even in the face of temptation.
People will challenge you, question you, and try to get you off track. Be strong in challenges because with God's help, you can overcome.
💬 Let us reflect: In a world full of compromises, are you being the influencer or are you being influenced? Let us pray for the grace to stay committed to the truth, no matter the temptation.
👇 Drop an "Amen" in the comments if you are standing strong in faith today!
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