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Temptations
Temptations, where do they come from? Why do they come? How can I avoid them? Temptations come from only one place,
Satan, some will say they come from the desires of the flesh or that they are a part of nature but no matter how you say it,
it is still the work of Satan. Temptations come because of the spiritual war between God and Satan, and Satan already knows
he has lost the war but he wants to take as many as possible into defeat with him. We avoid temptations by staying in the
will of God, living a life pleasing to God staying focused on God, putting him first.
I have had my share of temptations; I have even been trapped by some of them. Work and money were one of my weaknesses
and Satan used it to turn me away from God when I was younger. Each time God would open my eyes to what was happening I would
turn back to God. Well after a couple of defeats Satan began to use something else to tempt me and sometimes it would work
well enough to cause me to sin against God. Now I have learned to trust God and to pray before acting.
No one is exempt from temptation, even Jesus was tempted by Satan. Jesus saw Satan for the deceiver he is and defeated
him by using the word of God against him. And just like with Jesus, Satan will use bits and pieces of scriptures to tempt
us. He will twist it and make it sound so good that it is hard to resist. But through faith and prayer we can defeat Satan
and not be deceived. We can not do it alone, we need the help of the Spirit, the worst mistake you can make is to try and
overcome temptation by yourself, you are only asking for failure.
Luke 22:40
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Jesus told the disciples to pray and that is the only way to avoid temptation. He also told not to sleep or they could
be tempted. In other words when we are not living in Gods will then we are sleeping and open to temptation.
Luke 22:46
46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Stay alert and avoid temptations by praying, we all need a strong prayer life, and by depending on God to lead us.
Testimony of a Believer
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