"Resist"

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Resist:

to resist infection; to resist temptation.

to refrain or abstain from, especially with difficulty or reluctance:

to make a stand or make efforts in opposition; act in opposition; 

We have to take a stand to oppose. To Abstain from whatever is in our path as temptation.

This might sound like it is no big deal. But, let’s be real for a moment.

When the enemy attacks and we try to resist. Let’s look at the truth of what that feels like.

Everyone has their own issue of what he or she fights to resist, but the feelings that accompany the attack, makes it hard to resist. 

The “want” or “desire” of whatever it is we want to do are strong and often feel consuming, like you can’t resist. This is an experience that we all have experienced who fight temptation.

The thing, person A, fights to resist is different than person B. 

Person A, may not have a problem with alcohol so that isn’t a temptation for Him. 

Person B, may have an issue with drugs. 

Person C may have a problem with food, 

person D may have a problem with sexual immorality 

Whatever the case is, the problem for that individual. He or she will battle emotions, physical feelings, but may not struggle from the spiritual aspect in the battle they fight against temptation. 

The Lord will give a way of escape that has to do with the person turning and walking away.  

The plan of escape may be not going with a certain person to start with or not going in a certain place.

Whatever the “trigger” is a person can help themselves by avoiding them.

Because the Lord will provide a way of escape, it is up to us to call out, walk out, turn away from. 

When you take the first step toward the exit provided for you, he will lift the burden. What gets us into trouble is, we don’t walk away, or we walk away successful, but we keep cradling what we walked away from in our minds.

Keep thinking about it, you can look at it as “ lusting over it. If you refuse to let go of it in your mind, you are going to find your way back to it.

We want to hear that God will do it all for us and we don’t have to take responsibility for ourselves by saying -No,

-Walking Away and praying for ourselves 

-pushing the thing that tempts us out of our minds willfully.

We have to do our part, but when it comes to looking at situations from a spiritual standpoint we expect God  to wipe everything away with his hand, like we wipe dust from a table.

He gave us free will, a brain and a spirit. It is for us to pray for ourselves, speak honestly with him about our struggles.

The Lord will give a way of escape. The attack of the enemy will present itself strong, it will take a person through -why you should, versus why you  shouldn’t. 

We are not the Lord, but he will give us a way of escape. The scripture;

👇🏽KJV

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Reminder 

Attacks of the enemy 

attacks- flashbacks 

Scenario-fantasy - get it out of your mind.

Be it person, place or thing, the temptation of thought- will press upon you. It is up to us to put forth the effort and the Lord will see what we are willing to be rid of.

NLT

1 Corinthians 10:13 

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.

To resist is to abstain from, to resist temptation. When temptation is strong and pulling at us, and it does pull at us and tries to get us to give in.

How do we gain the strength to resist, to take the escape route the Lord opens for us?

The feeling can be overpowering when we have the desire to give in. How do we fight this strong urge?

As stated earlier, we have to do our part. There comes a time when, despite the hardships, we have to take a stand and do what needs to be done to gain victory over temptation, whatever that temptation may be.

If you know there is a trigger that leads to the door of temptation being open, avoid it.

There are times when an attack will hit us out of nowhere. Pray and ask God to help you get through it.

Don’t entertain it. Whatever it is. Not everyone is off work with idle time. But that doesn’t mean when you get time to yourself. That the enemy won’t slip up on you.

When we condition ourselves to prayer and focus on him to keep doors shut that would normally be a problem, we are more successful with combating temptation.

The more we entertain stuff, the longer it stays around and the deeper it sinks into our spirit.

Part of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:13 says👇🏽

✨And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

✨Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Jesus tells us in scripture tells us to watch and pray.

The Lord knows our spirit is willing to do right, but our flesh is weak.

✨1 Timothy 6:9

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

2Timothy mentions falling into temptation and a snare. Do you realize how hard it is for a lot of people to get free from a snare?

A snare: anything serving to entrap or entangle unawares; trap.

It not only small animals that get caught. People get caught when it captures at unawares.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

It seems as though most people only want to focus on the love of God. Think of it like this, because he loves us, he will deal with the unpleasant things we go through, but he won’t do that without you. 

It would defeat the purpose if he fixed everything in our lives without discipline, teaching, and understanding. 

He gives us mercy that we don’t deserve when he provides a way of escape from temptation. For all of the unpleasant things we may face with our Lord, it may s because he doesn’t want to turn us over to a reprobate mind. 

Which would mean because of numerous times of disobedience, he eases his hands of us.

Please note, when we fall to temptation, he is watching before, during and after.  How bad do we want him in our lives? How much do we truly want to walk righteous? How much do we want to make it into his kingdom?

Revelation 3:10 Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.

There will always be attacks in an effort to pull us away from the Lord. For all that of the persuasion and strong feeling we experience facing temptation, it is at this point when we choose to call on him to get us through, or we entertain the desire we are facing. It is your call.

My closing prayer:

Lord, for each of us facing temptation that pulls us from your grave, I pray wisdom and clear thoughts. 

Let us call on you as we fight our way through the thorns and traps we face in temptation. I pray for diligence and perseverance as we fall out the name of Jesus and gain the victory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.