Victory over temptation / Every christian's battle
The battle is real, terrible and spiritual (Ephesians 6:12) satan knows there is not much time left so he is running wild. One must know that the enemy is defeated and his fate has already been decided (Revelation 20:10) The devil does not attack like most people think, for he is so crafty (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:11) He wants everybody under his dominion. The problem is we belong to Christ and he is not well pleased. Although you are saved, he tries to make you believe that you are not. As children of God victory is guaranteed (Philippians 4:13) Who strengthens us ? it is Christ by his Spirit who dwells in us. In spite of the attacks and the plans of the enemy, Christ will not let us down as long as we abide by him.
What then is the battle we now face - which will continue until he returns ? It is true that we have victory, that God will not let us down, that we are saved by grace, justified, called out of darkness into his wonderful light. If that is the case, what then is the battle ? The nature of this battle is to remain connected to God, to remain pure in a chaotic world. The battle is against sin and our flesh. This is what prevents every person from coming to Christ. Sin has distorted human nature; it is the source of all the problems in this world (sickness, war, stress, crime, envy, jealousy, sexual immorality, etc...)
How then must we fight ? Since the battle is real, how than must we go to it ? This battle is spiritual; it is flesh versus spirit. An unbeliever cannot understand this aspect because he has one nature which is carnal, held captive by satan. He is an enemy of God (Romans 8:8) He must recognize he is a sinner, then he must repent, accept Christ's invitation to come and live in him, keep his commandments and maintain a personal relationship with Him. This must be settled before going to the next step which consists of living holy before God. By faith in Jesus Christ, he gives us the Holy Spirit so we can remain in the narrow way until his return. Without faith in Him, no one can receive the spirit of God, for it is reserved only for his children (Romans 8:14) The apostles proved it well. They had to believe in the words spoken by the Master (Acts 1:8) persevere (Acts 1:14) prior to being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)
Before explaining how to fight sin, one must remember two points :
1) Because of sin, we cannot see God face to face in our present state or we would die as the result of it. This is how much it has distorted mankind
2) SIN IS A LIE. We must understand this aspect if we want to beat satan and have victory over his schemes. If you forget this principle, you will lose the battle, guaranteed (Ephesians 7:17-24). Everything we have done, everything we do, everything we will do that is contrary to the word of God, we do so because we believe a lie. How then should a Christian fight daily ? How do we fight sin ? How do we obtain victory ? With the Word of God ! If sin is a lie and we cannot please God by believing a lie, we must know the truth (John 17:17). Adam and Eve were caught in the serpent's trap not only because they ate the forbidden fruit, but also they believed his lie even though they received the word of truth straight from the Creator's mouth. Notice that every lie comes from the devil for satan is and always has been a liar (John 8:44).
Let us examine Ephesians 6 verses 10 through 18
Verse 10 : Be strong in the Lord. Why ? Because it can be discouraging at times. Remaining holy in an unholy world requires a supernatural power available only in Christ.
Verse 11 : In plain English, it means that one must be armed to the teeth and also we must learn to manipulate our weapons. They must be readily available the moment temptation comes, otherwise satan will not hesitate to devour us. This means that we must know the Word of God for it is truth. We know that our enemy, satan, is a liar. The worst part of it is that he knows the Bible and he can manipulate it as he pleases. It is with the Word of God and by keeping our eyes on Christ by faith that we can remain holy otherwise the devil will get us. Our strength does not suffice.
Verse 12 : Remember that this is a spiritual battle. We do not fight against people. To fight spirits, we need spiritual weapons. Only the children of God filled with the Holy Spirit are capable of fighting in this war. An unbeliever cannot even understand this reality. To battle the temptations which are lies, we need the truth, we need the word of God.
Verse 13 : Same as verse 11. One must be armed to the teeth, therefore we must know the word of God very well and some verses.
Verse 14 : Same as verse 11. Read some verses referring to your problem and your sin and find the truth contradicting that same problem and that same sin. Here is an example:
Problem Truth
Bad language Ephesians 4:29
Lust Matthew 5:28
Bad Company Ephesians 5:11
Verse 15 : When we abide by the word of God and we constantly meditate it, He provides us with peace beyond our understanding. Read the Bible, either one verse, two verses, ten or more if you wish. Discipline yourself to read and meditate the word of God every day. By following God's commands and not the world's commands, you will be renewed and transformed (Romans 12:2)
Verse 16 : Do what God says without asking questions. This is the demonstration of faith in God.
Verse 17 : Very important. The helmet protects the head. Faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:17). This verse means that we must guard our thoughts with the word of God. We must read some good Christian books. Having close fellowships with other believers is vital. Guarding our thoughts means also that we should not listen to everyone or believe everything. You will meditate on the Word better and by doing so, you will think differently because Christ by his spirit who dwells in us helps us to live and think like him. Listen to sermons regularly on the internet, on the Christian radio. Download them on your mp3 player. Do not depend solely on one sermon per week preached by your pastor.
Verse 18 : Do not stop praying, pray for everyone, pray for whomever comes to mind, pray at all times and for all things, pray for as long as it takes. You may keep it short or extend it for a great length of time depending on how the spirit guides you. Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Here is an incredible trick that works wonders every time you use it because it destabilize satan : pray for the salvation of someone who is not saved the moment temptation comes. You can also pray for anyone during that same temptation. The worst thing that can happen to satan is to see an unbeliever coming to Christ; that is one less person in his camp.
Here is another principle that will help you the moment temptation comes. According to Philippians 2:10, every knee shall bow in the name of Jesus in heaven, on earth and under the earth. This includes also sin. So when temptation comes, quote these verses:
1 John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's works.
Luke 10:18 He replied : "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"
Why these two verses ? Remember that satan was cast out of heaven, therefore he is filled with fury (Revelation 12: 7-12). Also, the Lord made a spectacle of him (Ezekiel 28:17). By proclaiming the word of God taken from these two verses, you remind him on every moment of his defeat and you take advantage of his weakness just like a boxer does his opponent to dominate him and knock him out. Beware : The enemy will surely retaliate if you understand and apply this principle, so if you constantly living in sin without regard for God's commandments, the Lord will not protect you (Proverbs 13:6,21)
When the devil tempts you, remind him of his future as stated in Revelation 20:10. Remember that before Jesus healed the man possed with many demons, they begged him not to send them to the abyss (Luke 8:30-31). It is obvious that he is scared to go there because he is well aware of his final destination.
Since you do not wrestle against flesh and blood, you will never win this battle by your own strength (Romans 8:13). You must learn to deny all the passions of the flesh and all its deceitful desires (Heb 3:12-13, Eph 4:20-22, Romans 6:12) Therefore, fasting is essential. This will keep you focused on the Lord. The idea behind fasting is to strive for holiness, not to get something from God. In fact if you do not seek after holiness as a style of life, you will never go to heaven (Heb 12:14). How can you expect to go to a holy place if you do not live a holy life ? How can you attend the marriage supper of the Lamb without a wedding garment ? It's all about ruling over the flesh rather than letting the flesh rule over you.
Do not neglect attending your local church in this battle (Hebrews 10:25) because you will find there all the necessary support for the christian walk. Do not fight alone. If you cannot grow spiritually in your local church, it is your responsability to ask God to lead you to another church. Associate with brothers and sisters in Christ. Isolation is a place where satan hits a lot of people. Talk to others, share your experiences, exchange your ideas and your knowledge. Pray for one another. You must be filled every day with the Holy Spirit for Jesus taught to ask for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11) and every day brings a new battle.
CONCLUSION: Temptation comes every day and it will be so until the end. However in the battle God provides us with weapons (1 Corinthians 10:13) He is there for us, he wants what is best for us because he loves us. He wants to glorify himself through us, but we must obey him and it is only by faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit that we can make it. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we bear good fruit. How do you recognize a tree ? By its fruit ! How do you recognize a Christian ? By his life, for he bears good fruit (Matthew 7:17) When you truly become a Christian, it shows; everything changes when Jesus Christ takes control of your life and people notice it because we reflect Christ. This is his biggest desire. May God help us.