STEEMCHURCH: Did he come out victorious in the midst of temptation?
The Scripture says that everyone faces temptations. (1 Corinthians 10:13) says, "No temptation has overtaken you other than human." Perhaps this provides a bit of encouragement when you often feel that the world is imposing on you only, and that others are immune to temptation. We are told that Christ was also tempted: "For we do not have a high priest who can not sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in all things according to our likeness, but without sin."
Where do these temptations come from? In the first place, they do not come from God, although He allows them. (James 1:13) says, "God can not be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." In the first chapter of Job, we see that God allowed Satan to tempt Job, but with restrictions. Satan walks on the earth as a lion, seeking people to devour (1 Peter 5: 8). Verse 9 tells us to resist it, knowing that other Christians are also experiencing their attacks.
Through these passages we can know that the temptations come from Satan. We see in (James 1:14) that temptation originates in us as well. We are tempted when we are "taken and seduced by our own lust" (verse 14). You allow yourself to think certain thoughts, go places where you should not go and make decisions based on your desires that lead you to temptation.
The word temptation has a different meaning for each person, some have problems controlling their language, while others struggle with the impulse to use drugs or consume too much alcohol. Many fight a secret war with their sexual appetites.
No matter what you are struggling with, know that you are not alone, that you are not the only person who has difficulty making the right decisions. Temptation has been defined as "the attraction to commit a reckless or immoral act, especially for a reward offered (or perceived)." That is what makes the process of making a decision very stressful. The good option may seem superficially unattractive, while the negative has a special appeal.
In some moments you must feel tension when you are deciding between what you should and what you should not do. This struggle is not imaginary; The question "should or should not" is not an isolated intellectual exercise. A real war inside you is being fought.
The root of this conflict is called sin. By nature we are all born sinners and separated from God; that is, we have a natural desire to live as we want instead of doing it as God prescribes. The only solution for this separation from God is in His Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin and reconcile us to God (Romans 6:23); (John 3:16).
So, how to resist the temptations? First, you must return to the example of Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness by satan in (Matthew 4: 1-11). Each of the temptations of satan was received with the same answer: "It is written," followed by the Scriptures. If the Son of God used the Word of God to effectively put an end to temptations, which we know works, because after three failed efforts, "the devil then left him" (v. 11).
How much more do we need to use it to resist our own temptations? All our efforts to resist will be weak and ineffective unless driven by the Holy Spirit through constant reading, study and meditation on the Word. In this way, we will be transformed "by the renewing of your understanding" (Romans 12: 2).
There is no other weapon against temptation except the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). (Colossians 3: 2) says: "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things of the earth." If our minds are full of the latest television programs, music and everything that culture has to offer, we will be bombarded with messages and images that inevitably lead to sinful desires.
If your mind is filled with the majesty and holiness of God, the love and compassion of Christ and the brightness of both reflected in his perfect Word, you will find that your interest in the lusts of this world will diminish and disappear. But without the influence of the Word in our minds, we are open to whatever Satan wants to use to attack us.