At
a point in the Ministry of Jesus Christ, His disciples asked Him to teach them
to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples. What then followed became the
model prayers should be patterned in. One of the points in the prayer for the
discussion is: “And do not bring us into
temptation but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13a). This point is
very important because we live in a world that is ruled by the forces of
darkness with the sole aim of making every human being live defeated lives.
That is why on a daily basis humans face temptations, which are actually brought
on through suggestions by the evil one. However, our responses to these
suggestions form the basis of our character. As humans, we are created with all
kinds of desires and they jostle for gratification. Since these desires are
inborn, they are awakened by suggestions, which cause them to burn within, and combined
with flesh, seek gratification at all cost. The devil since creation has
perfected his art on how to make the right suggestion for the targeted desire
to be gratified. In Genesis 3, when he went to the woman, his questioning and
suggestion aroused a desire in the woman that in itself was not wrong but the
manner of gratification was terribly wrong. The devil suggested that after
eating the fruit, she and Adam will be like God. The couple would have reminded
him that they already bore the image of God, and bearing His likeness was on track.
Unfortunately, they listened to the enemy and disobeyed God, which led to their
expulsion from a habitat that was specifically and perfectly designed for them.
The initial aim of the enemy is not for man to hate God but: To make man forget
God, forget His word, and lose the power of discernment and discrimination.
Going
through Scriptures, one would find that temptations come in (but not limited)
two particular phases of life: On the way to success for a godly and respected
soul in order to discredit and destroy the testimony, and at the height of one’s
success to cause a fall. Joseph at the age of seventeen faced this formidable
enemy and was able to overcome him. This made Joseph a discerning and wise
young man: which were the bedrock of his character and equally set him above
his peers and elders (Genesis 39 and 41). Four particular lessons we can draw from
the life of Joseph to help form or correct our character and help us live above
temptation by the help of the Holy Spirit are:
1. Do
not be weakened by your circumstances. The enemy puts out baits (suggestions)
on a daily basis to make us turn our backs on God. For example, Esau is
described as an immoral and godless man because when faced with hunger, he sold
his birthright without batting an eyelid to assuage a momentary setback
(Hebrews 12:16-17).
2. Do
not be deceived by persuasions and flattering from ‘well meaning’ friends,
family and colleagues. All ‘well meaning’ suggestions must be weighed by God’s
word to determine if it is true or false. A half truth is false as we saw with
the enemy’s suggestion to the woman (Genesis 3). Remember, the road to hell is
littered with ‘well meaning’ suggestions and intentions.
3. Do
not be gentle with your emotions. Deal with them decisively until they bow to
the principles of God: “Instead, I
discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching
to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1Corinthians 9:27). You may
argue that the ‘heart wants what the heart wants’. But be quick to remember
that this same heart is very deceitful and its wants are false (Jeremiah 17:9).
We must learn from Grace to say ‘NO’ like Joseph to every appearance of evil no
matter what. If not we will be in danger of denying the existence of God.
4. Do
not get confused with the immediate results of standing your ground. The
immediate results do not show the whole picture as we saw with Joseph saying ‘NO’
and landing in prison. Remain faithful in the face of the heat and God will be
with you just as He was with Joseph. After all, you only see a segment of the
picture you are in, but God sees the whole picture!
May the mercy of
God keep you from every form of temptation and may His victorious right arm
deliver you from the evil one in Jesus Christ name. Also, may God bless you as
you stop your ears against the suggestions of the enemy and determine like
Joseph, Daniel and countless others, to stand your ground in Christ Jesus.
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