"Overcoming Temptation"
"So I say live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of
the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are
in conflict with each other...Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live
by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:16,17,24,25
The Apostle Paul warns, "If you think you are standing firm, be careful
that you don't fall!" Many of us fall prey to sin simply because we
allow ourselves to be placed in situations we cannot handle. In short,
we are overconfident. To defeat temptation we must operate from a
position of strength, not weakness.
Temptation is a fact of
life; it's inescapable. We can minimize it by practicing spiritual
disciplines and avoiding obviously tempting situations, but we cannot
escape it. Here are five spiritual disciplines which have proved
effective for generations of believers.
1. Recognize your limitations
2. Develop an early warning system
3. Hide the Word of God in your heart
4. Confess your temptations to someone you can trust
5. Flee
(Richard Exley - 1993)
Now ask God to help you put these principles into practice day by day.
No comments:
Post a Comment