-WALK AWAY: I once read a book written by Randy Alcorn, ‘The Purity Principle’. He shared a story of a man whose occupation required lodging in hotel rooms because he moved from place to place. He was a devoted man of God. The man said whenever he was in the hotel room, all what they used to show on TV were immoral movies. He said ‘after so many trials i.e. getting filled with the immoral movies, I finally made decision to do something. Whenever I check into a hotel room, I ask them to remove the TV from my room. Invariably, they look at me like I’m crazy’. ‘But sir, you don’t have to turn it on’, but I used to insist. This is how I overcame that temptation’. This man was filled with a particular wisdom. That was ‘It’s always easier to avoid temptation than to resist it’. ‘Flee the evil desire of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith…. of a pure heart’. 2 Timothy 2:22. Walk away now!
-OPTIMISM: God never pushes us beyond our current limit of endurance. The word ‘able’ in 1 Corinthians 10:3 exist so as to know our ability. The word ‘ability’ explains the difference between the phrase ‘I can’ and the phrase ‘I may’. The confidence in the latter phrase experiences staggering but the former phrase experiences confidence. Now, God has let us realise that overcoming the gluey temptation is what we are able to do. This is not a matter of ‘I may’ but a matter of ‘I can’. According to 1 Corinthians 10:3, therefore, the temptation is prescribed by the ingredient that our strength reveals because God says ‘I will not permit you to be tempted above which ye are able…’. In other words, the altitude of our strength is gauged before the synthesis of temptation by the devil. Did you get my point?
-GET YOUR MIND BUSY WITH PURITY: ‘An idle hand is the workshop of the devil’. Devil keeps on looking for a space-hearted man so as to fill up the space with wrong thoughts. So when there is no vacancy in your heart, devil turns back and goes farther to a space-hearted man. Loneliness is also the root of evil. When you are lonely, get your mind busy with purity. When devil sees that your mind is too pure for him to stay, he goes away. So let your heart flaunts no vacant board when the devil comes with the aim of filling your heart with wrong thoughts.
-AFFIRMATION: ‘…and take the helmet of salvation the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God’ Ephesians 6:17 Jesus Christ overcame his first temptation through the word of his father (GOD). A soldier can never go to war front with bible likewise Christians are not expected to go to war front with ammunition. The word of God is our sword, when we fling it, devil flees from our vicinity.
Meditate on the word of God.
-SCREEN YOUR FRIENDS: ‘as iron sharpens iron, so as one man sharpens another’ Proverbs 27:17. Friends are like soil, wherever you go, you see them, but farmers never hesitate on which soil to plant. They know it’s loamy soil that brings out the glory of their seeds’ Author William says ‘A true friend knows your weakness but shows you your strength. Feels your fear but fortifies your faith. Sees your anxiety but frees your spirit. Recognises your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.’
You don’t keep friends for company’s sake. You walk with people who bring the best in you in the way of God. Choose God’s favorite people as your mentor and friends.
FINALLY: ‘Therefore let him who thinks he stands well take heed lest he fall.’ (1 Cor. 10:12).
You are blessed!
A.O.D. Oluwafemi
| Temptation never comes out of our dislikes. My own definition for temptation is ‘desired but unrighteous’. You can never be tempted by what you dislike. The Devil makes a usual visit to view the zeal we place on the things of the world before he sets before us temptation. Temptation doesn’t just come, it comes when we place our interest on the things desired but unrighteous. He entices us with the things he knows we hardly do away with.
I have come across so many Christians who are said to have repented but still find themselves doing that which is desired but unrighteous within a wink of an eye. The fact that we are tired of sin doesn’t grant us an exit from the sinful world. Although we can be tired westill find ourselves doing it. Overcoming the gluey temptation requires strategies that negate the wishes of the flesh. ‘…make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof’ (Romans 13:14) We can’t place the mirror before the sun and expect it to reflect the moon. And in the same cline, we can’t live in the dome of impurity and expect our thoughts to portray purity. There are gatherings meant for sinners and there are gatherings meant for saints. If not, the Psalmist won’t tell us to ‘walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of the sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful’. The nature of our body is being synthesized in a way that is sensitive to whatever we are surrounded with, that’s why we need to be very careful when it comes to people we commune with. The scripture says ‘as iron sharpeneth iron, so as man sharpeneth another’. The shape of our thoughts is sometimes distorted by the things fed into our sight, ear and to our feelings. ‘do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits’ 1 Corinthians 15:33 Perhaps you are still confused about falling into the same temptation over and over again after so much counseling and deliverance. Overcoming the gluey temptation is not only the effort of counseling and deliverance but it is the accomplishment of strategies crowned and governed by divine grace. GRACE can be simply defined as the ACQUISITION of a POSITION that even your QUALIFICATION does not meet in all RAMIFICATION. So when your strategies are seasoned with divine grace, then the gluey temptation becomes history. Martin Luther said ‘you can’t keep the birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair’ YES! You can’t shut your eyes while walking in town but you can shut your mind from cogitating on what your eyes see. It’s all about principle! It’s a principle sprung up by a heart that truly hates sin. LOOK AT THESE: ‘a man who is truly tired of masturbating is not expected to keep the record of porn sites’ what for? ‘a just-repented harlot doesn’t have any excuse for exposing her cleavage’ what for? ‘a man who is truly tired of adultery is not expected to fill ‘single’ in any form’ what for? It’s all about principle crowned and governed by divine grace. ‘Temptation ceases to be overcome except our zeal reflects nil’. Now the question is ‘are you truly tired of that sin’? If yes ‘are you ready to negate the wishes of your flesh’? If yes ‘stay tunned till next week’ BOTTOM LINE: Ask God to make you a spirit-driven soul and not a flesh- driven soul. You are blessed! -A.O.D. Oluwafemi |