Tempted or Tormented?

(1 Corinthians 10:13) “No temptation has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.”

(Matthew 4:1) “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

(Hebrews 2:18) “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

(1 John 2:16) “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

If you are not tempted on a daily basis then you are probably already dead. However, temptation can never be a reason for sin as God promises that He will always give you a way out of it. He is true to His promises and our victory is guaranteed as long as we believe that it is possible for us. The more you resist temptation, the less desirable that action will become.

These temptations can be in the form of lust, food, sweets, smoking or drinking, having a short temper, watching too much TV, constantly lying in business for a profit, laziness, or even being hooked to social media. These might be not that critical to you, but they can pave the way for more serious addictions.

If you are constantly being tempted, and falling into sin, then you are probably tormented by a demon, and your heart’s desires are still fixed on the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The only way out of that is to acknowledge you have a problem, repent and ask Christ to help you.

Temptation is something that even Christ faced, even while on the cross. Satan tempted Jesus in the desert with materialism, physical satisfaction, and power or fame. He, later on, continued to tempt Jesus by having people mock Him challenging Him to get down from the cross to prove that He actually was God in the flesh.

But Christ, instead of calling on the army of angels at his command, held on to the promises of God and the plan to save the world. Because of His suffering and victory over temptations, we have a God that understands our struggles and can give us the strategy needed to overcome them. There is nothing that we are being tempted with that Jesus did not already overcome, this is the beauty of following Christ.

Stop hiding with guilt and fighting on your own and ask Christ to hold your hand and get you out of this mess. There is no excuse for your sins that will appease God, as He is no stranger to temptation.

Prayers

• Heavenly Father, You are the God of my salvation, God our savior, who is the health of my countenance, God of my exceeding joy, blessed God.
• We thank You that You watch over us and are with us through every struggle and temptation. Thank You for the promise that You will not allow us to be tempted without giving a way of escape.
• We confess we have been weak and have given in to temptation because of our selfish desires.
• Help us to become strong in the knowledge of Your promises so that we can stand against the attacks of Satan.
• We cover ourselves under the saving blood of Jesus and we command these demons that are tormenting us to flee.
• We declare that from this day forth we will not be tormented anymore, but merely tempted, and that we will overcome because of the power of the one who lives in us.
• Thank You Jesus for setting us free once more today.

• We ask in Jesus’ Mighty name. Amen