As soon as temptation comes
These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:11-14
As soon as you place your life in Christ by trusting Him to be your Lord and Savior, you also changed sides. You will be facing an opposition that will try to render you ineffective in your spiritual life. Satan’s goal is to weaken those who follow Christ and he will do everything in his power to have you defeated spiritually. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan uses several tactics and the most powerful weapon he uses to defeat Christ’s followers is temptation. In Matthew 4, the Lord Jesus Christ after He fasted for forty days and forty nights Satan appeared to tempt Him. Having a relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior provides a strong sensitivity to be in tune with God’s will. This includes the desire to be obedient to God’s word and violation of such could lead to strong conviction to repent and to be once again have a desire to be right with God. There are practices that seemed to be harmless for those who do not believe in Christ but for those that are indwelt by His Spirit, there is a constant awareness of living one’s life for the glory of God. There will be a constant desire to obey God rather than displease Him. We need to be aware of the areas of our weaknesses and let God help us to find strength to overcome them. From the text, the Apostle Paul’s admonition for Christ’s followers was to learn from the experiences of people written from God’s word and study how they dealt with temptations. Since temptation is very real and poses a great threat to spiritual life, it is important that we should be alert and on guard. As Paul said, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” You are by no means alone in your struggles with temptations. God promised to provide a way out. As soon as you are faced with temptation, turn to God and ask for strength. Listen to God’s command: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Yield yourself daily to the leading of the Holy Spirit. “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (Galatians 5:16).
Blessings.
