Victory Over Temptation ( 4)

ANOTHER way the devil tempt men is through pride or sensationalism. In our Bible text, he did this by putting God to test. He asked Jesus to jump down from the pinnacle of the temple if he is truly the Son of God. Many people, today, would fall for that just to prove their identity and what they are capable of doing. Such acts draw glory and attention to the individual, rather than directing the praise to God.

We often hear people say things like: “If not for me, Mr. ABC will not be in that position. “It was I that prayed for

Bro XYZ to get his healing.” All of these are features of pride. Pro. 16: 18 says: “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Men are after glory, they are hungry for God’s glory and that is one thing God will never share with any man ( Isaiah 42: 8). If God has done something for you then learn to give the glory to God. When sharing your testimony of what God has done for you, make it known that it can only be God and not by the power of any man. God can use men to help you, but understand that he is the controller of all things and without him no man can do anything. Satan often wants people to get attention to themselves and this is sensationalism, you must avoid it. Learn to give praise to God in all things and at all times.

There are steps we can take to get victory over temptation. The first step is to get knowledge. 2Cor 2: 11 tells us that if we are ignorant, Satan will take advantage of us. Ignorance is, therefore, not an excuse to be found guilty of any law or to fall into temptation. You need to get knowledge of who you are in Christ, what sin is all about, the precepts of God, the devil’s manipulative schemesand how to counter him with the right word at the right time. Knowledge is power. Col 3: 16 says: “Let the word of God dwell richly in you in all wisdom.’’ The word of God is an endless source of wisdom; meditate on it daily.

The second step to victory over temptation is by the renewal of your mind. Temptation is a battle of the mind so stop feed

ing your mind with garbage. The Internet is filled with terrible and embarrassing sites that can pollute the mind so be mindful of the sites that you visit. Men have become endangered species. See no evil, hear no evil and do no evil. What you see or hear is what you conceive and they become your actions. Your mind keeps ruminating on such thoughts until it becomes a blueprint for your actions. Col 3: 1- 2 says you should set your heart on things above, things of the kingdom of God, which are of eternal relevance. Romans 12: 2 also says that, we should not be conformed to the things of this world, rather, we should be transformed by renewing our mind.

• Divine Touch Int’l Ministries, Warri, Delta State. dtimchurch@ gmail. com. Prayerline: + 2348135952623