…those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him.
That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should
live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6. These words caution the children of God to I.M.I.T.A.T.E Christ’s
life and habits if they truly belong to, and genuinely love the Father.
Impulsiveness – Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew
5:9. There is no place in the gospels where the Lord Jesus Christ is
impulsive – He considers every question and insult before He giving a response,
prays about every move and heals at the request of the ailing or their relations,
and not by His own initiative.
- One area where impulsiveness can be detrimental to holy living is in our inclination to believe in gossip and act on tale bearing with haste and little thought.
- Human beings are prone to evil and ill-speaking is one way evil expresses itself. The majority of gossip we hear is idle talk with no basis for truth.
- If we are the subject of tale bearing, we must act with wisdom and discretion – take the information we receive with the proverbial “grain of salt” and pray for guidance before taking the matter further. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6. We must also seek advice from trusted friends, church leaders etc. before following our own inclinations. Where there is no guidance, a people falls; but in an abundance of counselors there is safety Proverbs 11:14.
- A child of God who desires to pattern his/her life after Jesus’ does not readily believe gossip and is never a talebearer. Jesus warns that, “…on the Day of Judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37. Additionally, the Apostle Paul tell us to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. Titus 3:2
Temptation –
Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8. As long as we
are alive we will be plagued by temptation – Jesus Himself was tempted in every way, just as we are; yet he did not sin Hebrews 4:15
- We aggressively guard against succumbing to temptation. First and foremost, we pray about our weaknesses. The devil will use them against us and cause us to yield to sin. The Bible gives us sound warning about this “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9.
- There are positive aspects to temptation – although these are troublesome they are also useful in keeping us humble and bringing us closer to the Father. We are purified and our faith is strengthened by our resistance to temptation. Our Father knows we will be tempted and He prepared a way of escape for us so that we can endure every instance and overcome – The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Temptation begins with an idea, the germ of a thought, followed by a strong imagination of the pleasures to come, and if we let it our minds will continue to work through a scenario to the point where we are too enticed by our own lusts to resist, and so we consent.Someone has said about temptation: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” By not taking the initial thought captive, we give Satan full entry and permission to doom us to sin. We must capture (our) rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5.
As we have life we will have temptations but by persistence, fervent prayer
and yielding to the WORD of God we gain strength with every trial and are better
able to overcome each new new attack.
Jesus did not try to escape from or evade Satan’s temptation
in the desert. He faced each assault head-on and engaged His tempter using
the WORD of God as His weapon..
We too have what we
need to experience abundant living and for holiness; the battle is not ours, it’s the LORD’s – He won it for us at Calvary.
Therefore, put on
every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time
of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your
ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For
shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully
prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the
fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians
6: 13-17
To be continued…
Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, you are the One Eternal and Living King
and we adore YOU!. Thank you for preparing a way of escape before we give in to
temptation and giving us your strength to endure those challenges we face in
our journey here on earth. Thank you for being always at our side to ensure
that we do not fail. Thank you for teaching us how to humble ourselves before YOU,
how to resist the devil so he will flee from us and how to seek closeness with
you our Father who always responds by drawing even closer to us. To you
belong all dominion and power for ever and ever. We pray
and ask all things in the Name of Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen.
Always by God’s Word and prayer,
Cecile
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