In Times of Quitting Page 5
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.
James 1:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:14
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
If we’re not careful, at some time or another, we’ll fall into our weaknesses. That is why it is so important to stay in God’s word, walk in His spirit in fellowship with Him, stay prayed up and on guard at all times because at any time we could fall into the weaknesses of our temptations. We need to know our weaknesses and recognize how the devil, the enemy, gets to us so we can be stronger against him. If we don’t know whom we are fighting and how they are getting to us then how can we win the battle? The devil is full of tricks, snares and traps. His main goal is to kill and destroy us. He may be patting us on the back one minute and we may think everything is alright. But, give him half a chance and he will send us to hell with him. The devil is not to be taken lightly or for granted. He knows us better than we know our self and he knows what he is doing. But, greater is he (Jesus Christ) and (the Holy Ghost of God) that is in me than he that is in the world. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are greater than the devil. Being strong in our moments of weakness does not come by physical exercise but by many trials, troubles and temptations during our walk of life. Time and time again, we will suffer through many things. Each time, we’ll get stronger against our weaknesses. There is nothing better than dealing with them head on. Our weaknesses will grow stronger and stronger through the battles, as time goes on. God does not tempt us with evil. However, He allows it to help us become what we should be; a powerhouse for God. We become stronger when we go through the fire. We will be more pure and true when we, through the Lord, conquer the victory of our tribulations.
James 1:14
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust. Notice, there is the weakness and problem (when he is drawn away by his own lust). To be able to overcome it, we must face it and deal with it God’s way through His son, His spirit and His word. What draws us? Why does it draw us? It is our love or desire for it. When the love of God is greater in our heart, not just in our mind, we will overcome our weaknesses and become a stronger and victorious person. We will never be free, on our part, if we don’t fully understand our problems. Not understanding will always leave a place for the devil to still get to us.
Adam and Eve – God told Adam to leave the tree of knowledge alone. So, the devil went to Eve and used her by deceiving her. She gave unto Adam and Adam took of it too. Adam had the choice to take it or leave it. What did he do? He became weak in the moment of his weakness. Would Adam have taken of it and then given it to Eve if the devil had gone to him first?
Samson and Delilah – Samson fell in love and let his emotions cloud his mind. After Delilah found the source of his strength, with his head in her lap, she cut off his seven locks of hair and he became weak. Samson became weak because of a moment of weakness. It cost him his strength, his eyes and his life. If Samson could have seen through the tricks and snares of Delilah would he have told her all his heart?
Peter – Peter sat outside the palace and denied the Lord three times before the cock crowed. Because he was worried and afraid, he denied the Lord; the cock crowed and he went out and wept bitterly. If Peter had been stronger in his moment of weakness, stood bold in the Lord, trusted in Him and believed with all his heart, would the cock have crowed?
Finding the weaknesses in the weakness is the way to one’s recovery.
James 1:14
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Although we may, at times along the way, fall into our weaknesses, we do have a way out. The way out is by repenting unto Christ, unto forgiveness and going on. We learn through Christ to overcome, press forward and not continue in the weakness. Some things are easy for some of us to overcome while some things will bother some of us more than others. We all have our problems. Addictions, habits and desires can disappear in the twinkle of an eye with the Lord’s help if we completely give it to the Lord and don’t hold any of it back. However, those of us who are too weak to let go, the Lord will gradually step us off, little by little, by slowly winging us off of it. He will strengthen us along the way and replace the problems with something else (the Lord). But, that is only if we will submit to Him. Maybe today we are falling off into our moments of weakness. We may struggle with it time and time again. Search it out; we have to soul search it to find its root. Once we find its root and its source of power, we have to let the Lord uproot it out of our heart unto a total and complete victory through Him. If something is giving us a problem, the best thing for us to do is get to the bottom of it. Go to its source, its root, and let the Lord set us free to overcome our weakness completely.
James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
James 1:4
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Staying in a day-to-day relationship with the Lord, drawing closer to Him daily and resisting the devil will assure us from making a fatal fall into temptation.
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinner; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
When we do fall, which way do we look – up or down?
James 1:2-5
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
When we are overtaken by our weaknesses, we give up and quit. What we have to do is repent and continue on.
I John 1:5-10
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Remember these key words – repentance, forgiving our self and getting in control with God’s help.
We are human; but, we are to strive daily to be Christ-like.