Tempted and Unarmed: Why We Need the Armor of God

Article by Garrett Kell

It was the boy’s first day of junior high. All was going well until three older kids took his lunch, ruffled his hair, and stuffed him in a locker. They snarled at his squeals and high-fived one another as they walked away. What the bullies didn’t know, though, was that the kid in the locker was the little brother of the football team’s starting middle linebacker.

After lunch, the boy told his brother what happened. His brother looked him in the eyes. “Let’s go.” As the boy came to his locker, the bullies were waiting for him, grinning. But he hadn’t come alone this time. He came in the strength of his older brother. That was the last day they messed with him.

As Christians, we have a dangerous adversary. We face something far scarier than getting stuffed in a locker. Our enemy wants to devour our faith and drag us to hell.

“Spiritual warfare is about God’s people joining their Lord in his warfare.”

So, when the apostle Paul instructs the Ephesian church about spiritual warfare, he begins by exhorting them not to go into the battle in their own strength. He reminds them of their Elder Brother. He says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10–11).

Marching into War

Jesus is on a mission to rescue captive souls from a strong enemy (Mark 3:23; Luke 19:10). Through his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus delivered a mortal wound to our formidable foe (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8). He now calls sinners to flee from Satan’s captivity, and align with his everlasting kingdom (Acts 17:30). He commissions his church to join him in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18–20). This means that, when we follow Jesus, we follow him into a war zone.

Though Satan has been decisively defeated, and his future is doomed, he lives for the present. He still schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11), stalks (1 Peter 5:8), deceives (Revelation 12:9), ensnares (2 Timothy 2:26), hinders (1 Thessalonians 2:18), harasses (2 Corinthians 12:7), and attacks us with fiery darts of temptation (Ephesians 6:16). We wage war against his dark forces, but not with physical artillery (2 Corinthians 10:3–4). Rather, we are commanded to “be strong in the Lord and . . . put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10–11). When we come to the battle, we do not fight alone. We fight in the strength of our Lord.

What Is the Armor of God?

On the wall of my childhood Sunday school classroom hung a poster of a Roman soldier’s armor. It explained that God’s armor corresponded to what those first-century soldiers wore. While there are similarities, Paul desires our imaginations to be captured by something far greater than a Roman soldier. He wants us to see our warrior God, who powerfully fights “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The focus of spiritual warfare isn’t Satan or an imaginary Roman soldier; it’s our Savior.

Paul wasn’t using a contemporary illustration to explain spiritual warfare; he was reminding the Ephesians of the prophet Isaiah’s presentation of our warrior King. The afflicted take courage because a Spirit-filled Savior girds himself with a belt of truth to speak on their behalf (Isaiah 11:1–5). God’s people erupt with singing because the Lord is coming with shoes to pronounce gospel peace (Isaiah 52:1–10). This Savior enters evil’s darkness with a breastplate of righteousness and a helmet of salvation to deliver his people from oppression (Isaiah 59:17). The Lord’s servant speaks words like a sharp sword, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:1–6). It is to this Savior that King David flees to be shielded by faith during his enemy’s attacks (Psalm 18:29–42).

“When we follow Jesus, we follow him into a war zone.”

Too often, spiritual warfare is seen as an individual believer’s call to put on armor and fight demonic forces alone, as if this is a test to prove his faith. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Spiritual warfare is about God’s people joining their Lord in his warfare. He equips (Ephesians 4:7–16) and empowers us (1 Corinthians 12:11) to accompany him into enemy territory and further his kingdom purposes (Matthew 28:20).

Whole Armor of God

Putting on God’s armor isn’t like dressing with clothes from your closet. There’s no mixing and matching, no switching out for whatever the season may require. Spiritual armor is applied by faith, daily — and the entire letter of Ephesians teaches us how to put it on.

BELT OF TRUTH

Satan labors to make you a liar like him. But we put on the Lord’s belt of truth by “[putting] away falsehood” and “[speaking] the truth” to one another (Ephesians 4:25). We don’t hatefully deceive like the devil, but “[speak] the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We don’t cover our sins but confess them. We don’t slander but speak honest words about others. Putting on the belt of truth is an act of faith that resists Satan’s call to be a liar like him (John 8:44).

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, HELMET OF SALVATION

Satan wants you to join him in rebelling against God. But we resist him by putting on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. We “put off [our] old self . . . [and] put on the new self . . . in true righteousness” (Ephesians 4:22–24). We stand confidently in Christ’s imputed righteousness rather than adopt worldly identities (Ephesians 1–3).

We step courageously in Christlike practical righteousness rather than follow worldly ways (Ephesians 4–6). We resist sexual immorality in order to show true love (Ephesians 5:1–6). We resist corrupting talk and crude joking by speaking grace-filled words of edification (Ephesians 4:29) We do not get drunk with worldly indulgence but serve others in the power of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18–21).

SHOES OF GOSPEL PEACE

Satan hates the good news about Christ’s blood and the forgiveness it purchases. He hates to see sinners reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:1–10) and to one another in the church (Ephesians 2:11–22). He wars to hinder evangelism among unbelievers (Luke 8:12) and strives to stoke angry division among the redeemed (Ephesians 4:26–27).

But hell’s gates will not prevail against Jesus’s church (Matthew 16:18). So, we lace up shoes of gospel peace and sow gospel seed (Romans 10:15). Inspired by his grace, we “[bear] with one another in love” and are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3).

SHIELD OF FAITH

Satan stokes fear in hopes that we will retreat. He threatens us with social rejection, persecution, pain, and death (Hebrews 2:14). But rather than retreat, we take up the shield of faith. We draw near to Jesus, and hide without shame under his cover. We embrace his words to the persecuted church in Smyrna: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). We “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28). We rest knowing that, even if we die for Christ, we shall forever live with Christ (John 11:25–26).

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

Satan seduces and accuses us with lies. But we take up the sword of the Spirit and strike down his lofty arguments (2 Corinthians 10:5). When he promises fleeting pleasures, we emulate Jesus by striking them down with God’s word (Matthew 4:1–11). When he heaps shame and condemnation upon us, we slash them with scriptural assurances (Romans 8:1). When we are threatened by Satan’s requests to sift us, we pray, knowing that Jesus ever lives to intercede for us (Luke 22:31; Hebrews 7:25).

“Spiritual warfare most often takes place in the mundane details of life.”

Some of these descriptions may not seem like spiritual warfare because they seem so normal, so everyday. But while spiritual warfare can involve demonic possession and exorcisms, it most often takes place in the mundane details of life. Why do you think confessing your sin is so difficult? Why is obedience so challenging? Why are you so afraid to evangelize? Why is forgiveness so daunting? Why is prayer so marred by distraction?

It is because the world, the flesh, and the devil are continually working against what our Lord is warring for. Yet we do not lose heart, because we face them in our Lord’s strength, knowing that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We go into battle with Christ who strengthens us.

When Satan Strikes

At times, we fail to put on the armor. We get busy with our own pursuits, and when the struggle sneaks up on us, we try to fight in our own strength. We step out from under our Lord’s strength and are overcome by temptation. We lie instead of speaking truth. We harbor bitterness instead of forgiving. We slander instead of pursuing peace. We justify sin instead of repenting of it. We indulge our lust instead of loving God. We grieve the Spirit and sap our joy (Ephesians 4:30).

When these fiery darts strike us, we are left wounded and wearied. Our spiritual strength is sapped, desire for prayer dissipates, singing is silenced, shame is stoked, fellowship is avoided, and our taste for temptation increases.

When this happens, we must not lose heart, but rather cry to our warrior God, our great Savior, who leaves none of his fellow soldiers behind. He will not allow us to be snatched from his grasp (John 10:28). Rather, he will throw us over his shoulder, and take us to green pastures and still waters, where he will restore our souls (Psalm 23:1–3). In him we are strengthened to go back into battle, knowing that our warrior God “will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20).

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/tempted-and-unarmed?utm_campaign=Daily+Email&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=105715159&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9-lt78fCTKbayuxMNBhT_59-9zxJMOEMX0bUNtyCyfpSJ3uoYz_26Q0qGZ71KjAiTxibR_ejVMQoB6g8UvZwpOY5KBDw&utm_content=105715159&utm_source=hs_email

Temptation Is No Simple Enemy

Article by Marshall Segal

Temptation often prevails against us because of our simple and naive assumptions about temptation.

We expect temptation will march through the front door, dressed like a wolf, announcing itself loudly as it comes. But temptation often prefers the back door, and the bedroom window, and that crack between the floorboards. Temptation relies on subtlety and nuance, on deception and surprise, on ignorance and naivete. To begin to taste victory, we have to start treating the war like a war. We have to study the enemy of our souls.

We remember the story of Samson and Delilah because she overpowered the strongest man alive. But have we ever stopped to really ask how? How did Delilah subdue a man who had just killed a thousand men? When we unravel the secrets of her seduction, they can become weapons for us against whatever temptation we face.

The Ambition of Temptation

The first step in taking temptation more seriously is to remember that temptation has a mission: to ruin your soul and rob you of God. No temptation is innocent or trivial. All temptation schemes and plots for this one end: your never-ending misery. Temptation will please you to abuse you, seduce you to undo you, distract you to destroy you.

“Temptation will please you to abuse you, seduce you to undo you, distract you to destroy you.”

Delilah may have been motivated by money rather than hatred, but she was still every bit as determined to destroy Samson. The Philistines, his murderous enemies, said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him” (Judges 16:5). Just verses earlier, Samson had killed a thousand of them with only a jawbone (Judges 15:16). These men were thirsty for blood, his blood, and Delilah was all too willing to prepare the slaughter.

Like the forbidden woman, the lips of temptation drip honey, “but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (Proverbs 5:4). Temptation robs us of honor and squanders our lives (Proverbs 5:9); it spoils our strength and ruins our work (Proverbs 5:10); it ends only in futility and regret (Proverbs 5:11). “The thief,” Jesus says, “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). That is the mission of temptation, however sweet and pleasant it may seem for the moment.

So, how did Delilah seek to destroy Samson? How did temptation overcome even the strongest man?

Temptation Leads with Pleasure

The first lesson may seem obvious: temptation seduces us by holding out pleasure. “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him” (Judges 16:5). Before temptation can betray us to destruction, it must woo us with some promise of satisfaction.

“Please tell me where your great strength lies,” Delilah says to Samson, “and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you” (Judges 16:6). We might expect her to flatter or flirt, but instead she asks him directly for his secret. In black and white on the page, it may not even sound like seduction. But this kind of knowledge is intimacy. To ask was to test his love, and to invite him deeper into love with her.

Clearly, Samson didn’t fully trust her (he lied to her), but he also clearly enjoyed her attention and affection. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had a second hearing. He entertained her games because he had tasted her love — an empty love, to be sure, but one that pleased him all the same. All sin hangs on such love. As John Piper says, “The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier. No one sins out of a sense of duty.” What sins have beset you, and what happiness have they promised?

“The power of temptation relies on us believing that sin is better than full and forever.”

Sinful pleasure will always be appealing if we have not set our hearts on a superior pleasure. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Fullness of joy, not the fractions we often settle for with sin. Pleasures forevermore, not the short-lived thrills of lust, or greed, or laziness, or envy. The power of temptation relies on us believing that sin is better than full and forever. It rests on us being tired or bored of God, the deepest, strongest pleasure in the universe.

Temptation Heaps on Shame

If sin cannot lure us with pleasure, it will assault us with shame. Delilah wasn’t making progress through seduction, so she started questioning Samson’s integrity instead. She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies” (Judges 16:15). Do you hear the irony in her strategy? “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?” All while her heart is in the pockets of the dangerous men outside.

Like Delilah, temptation hides its own murderous motives in order to shame its target. Temptation may not say, with Delilah, “How can you say you love me?” but it may ask, “How can you say you love God?”

One reason some give in so often is because they have believed that sin is who they are. Satan is an accuser. And he does not accuse occasionally, but day and night (Revelation 12:10). If he can convince you that you’re still that same old person — enslaved to pornography, consumed with envy, enraged with anger, defenseless before sloth — he can convince you to do almost anything. Our shame and self-pity are Satan’s food. Without them he, and all his schemes, will starve and expire.

When Satan comes to accuse you — “How can you say you love God?” — know beforehand how you will answer. “I am not who I was (2 Corinthians 5:17). I have been crucified with my King (Galatians 2:20). My sin has been canceled (Colossians 2:14), and it no longer rules over me (Romans 6:14). In Christ, there is now no condemnation for me (Romans 8:1). God has given me all I need to resist temptation (2 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Therefore, I will not be put to shame (Romans 10:11).”

Temptation Wears You Out

Delilah seduced Samson, then she shamed him, and eventually she exhausted him. “When she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death” (Judges 16:16). What began as playful flirtation ended in fatigue and despair. She pressed and pleaded, pressed and pleaded, until he (even he!) could not bear the weight of her advances. Has temptation ever felt like that for you?

Maybe you resisted blowing up in anger at your spouse at first, but he would not relent. Maybe you refused to click on that website at first, but a couple of hours later you were more tired and vulnerable. Maybe you worked hard all week and didn’t give in to laziness, only to crumble into more weekend binge-watching. Maybe you ate with self-control for several weeks, but the cravings slowly overwhelmed you. Temptation is rarely a single arrow to be avoided, but far more often a wide and prolonged wave of warfare meant to wear us down until we surrender.

“Temptation is not a simple enemy, so ours will not be a simple victory, but in Christ it will be sure.”

If temptation depends on exhaustion, the battle against temptation must be more than dos and don’ts in the moment. Alongside the weapons most of us are familiar with — the word of God, prayer and fasting, fellowship and accountability — our ability to withstand temptation’s attacks rests, at least in part, on the health and vitality of our bodies. Good sleep, a healthy diet, and regular exercise are far more effective weapons against our besetting sins than we may realize or expect. If we neglect or despise them, we invite Satan to wreak his havoc.

So, if we want to overcome temptation, we must study temptation — its seducing, its shaming, its exhausting — and prepare our souls for warfare. Immerse yourself in a superior Joy, anchor your identity and security in who God says you are, and then get some sleep. Temptation is not a simple enemy, so ours will not be a simple victory. But in Christ it will be sure.

Marshall Segal (@marshallsegal) is a writer and managing editor at desiringGod.org. He’s the author of Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness & Dating. He graduated from Bethlehem College & Seminary. He and his wife, Faye, have two children and live in Minneapolis.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/temptation-is-no-simple-enemy

How Satan’s Involvement in Temptation Works

 Paul Tautges

In a recent sermon in our series in the Gospel of Mark, we took time to redirect to the Gospel of Luke, where we find a fuller account of Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In Luke 4:1-13, we see five important truths about Satan’s involvement in temptation.

Satan attacks when we are most vulnerable (vv. 1-3).

It’s important to note that Jesus was attacked after forty days of fasting in the wilderness. He was hungry. He was starving. Even then, however, Jesus resisted. The devil’s first temptation appealed to a legitimate physical appetite—the body’s desire to be fed. He struck at the point of greatest need—of greatest weakness—where Jesus was most vulnerable. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread.

Satan will often do the same to you; that is, he will take advantage of your weaknesses. He will tease his lies into the crevices of your heart, where fears and doubts exist, and tempt you to live out your natural tendency toward self-will and self-government—living for yourself, instead of for the Lord.

Now, it’s very important that you understand one major difference between our temptation to sin, and Jesus’ temptation. When Satan tempts us, it is often because we have already given him something to work with, something to use in his favor. Our temptation begins in our sinful heart (James 1:13-16). Jesus, the sinless Son of God, did not have a sinful heart and, therefore, did not have sinful desires. Nevertheless, the temptations that Satan threw at Him were not any less powerful. Jesus, in the fullness of His humanity, was hit full-force by the devil. Yet Jesus resisted.

Satan casts doubt on God’s Word (vv. 3, 9).

“If You are the Son of God” was a subtle attack on the integrity of God’s Word, since God had just declared Jesus to be His Son. Now the devil was challenging God’s statement. Satan has not changed. He is the same sneaky serpent who did the very same thing in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). The Spirit’s goal in driving Jesus into the wilderness was to affirm who He is, while Satan’s goal was to disqualify Jesus from being the Messiah. Satan knew the promise of God’s curse, that one day a man would crush the devil’s head (Genesis 3:15).

In all of Satan’s temptations to get Jesus to act out in self-will, he twisted Scripture or cast doubt upon its authority. Satan does the same thing to you and me. He tries to get us to doubt the sufficiency or authority of Scripture over our lives. Through various forms of media and art, we have been led to believe that Satan’s chief mode of operation is in the weird, demonic stuff: séances, Ouija boards, witchcraft, horoscopes, and the like. Sure, he’s involved in all that stuff. But his chief mode of operation is in the realm of ideas and beliefs (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

The stronghold of the mind is Satan’s primary battleground. Spiritual warfare happens in the mundane, day-to-day decisions of life. Who will you live for? Yourself or the Lord? When you give in to the devil’s temptations and lies, Scripture becomes a mere suggestion—instead of the final authority for what you believe and the foundation for your life decisions.

Satan feeds our fleshly pride (vv. 6-8).

The devil’s attack came to Jesus in the form of appealing to man’s innate desire to have position and power. This desire is not evil in and of itself, since God did give man dominion over the rest of creation. But Satan often tempts men and women to act out their fleshly desire for power and position, by creating a position of prominence for themselves, rather than waiting until they have been approved by God. Satan tempted Jesus to grab hold of all power and authority before it was God’s time for Him to exercise it.

The devil tempted Jesus to break the very first commandment, to worship God, alone. What really was the temptation here? It was the temptation for Jesus was to grab hold of the power and authority that rightfully would belong to Him, someday, without having to suffer for it. The devil was essentially saying to Jesus, “You can have all of this apart from the pain and suffering of Mount Calvary. All Jesus had to do was bow one knee to the devil and it would all be His! But that was not God’s will. God’s plan for the exaltation of Jesus included—required—the cross. No cross, no crown. No humiliation, no exaltation. It’s because Jesus was obedient to the cross that He will one-day be exalted and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:8-11).

See, the second temptation was an issue of worship. The devil offered Jesus power and authority over earthly kingdoms if He would only bow before him. Such is the temptation that many world leaders cave under. But Jesus responded to the temptation for power differently. Jesus understood that the devil was tempting Him to submit His own agenda—not to God’s. He was tempting him to become a servant of the devil. And God was testing the obedience of His Son. He was testing His heart as the source and center of worship. “Jesus, what do you worship?” “Jesus, who do you worship?” Those are the questions He was being asked.

And we are being asked the same questions. Every time we are tempted to sin—to act out in self-will—we are being asked, “What will you worship the most?”; “Who will we love the most?” That is always the question.

Satan encourages us to test God.

The third temptation of Jesus was essentially a test of whether or not He would put God to the test, a sin that Israel did repeatedly while in their wilderness (Psalm 78:17-18). God is to be trusted, not tested. To tempt Jesus, the devil took him to the “pinnacle of the temple.” From here Jesus could see the entire Kidron Valley.

This would have been a 500-foot “leap of faith,” which would have been equivalent to putting God to the test. But, again, Jesus again quoted Scripture. He answered the devil with another text from Deuteronomy, where Israel put God to the test by demanding that Moses produce water for them to drink. To give in to the devil’s temptation would be to test God to protect Him in a moment of great foolishness.

Do you sometimes give in to temptation in this way? Do you act irresponsibly and then expect God to protect you? Do you put God to the test?

Satan never gives up (Luke 4:13).

Finally, you need to recognize that Satan will never stop tempting you until you cave in. Verse thirteen says, “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” Satan’s attacks upon Jesus did not end when Jesus successfully resisted them. Satan just left Jesus alone for a bit, until another ideal opportunity arose. The same is true for you and me. Satan might leave us alone for a time, but he is simply waiting—waiting for another moment when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable. Therefore,

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Listen to “Obedient in the Face of Tempation.”

Posted at: https://counselingoneanother.com/2020/07/30/how-satans-involvement-in-temptation-works/

Gaining Victory over Temptation

by H.B. Charles, Jr. 

How can Christians experience victory over temptations to sin?

Here are ten dynamic steps you can take to gain victory over temptation…

Think clearly and correctly about temptation. Paul writes, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). You are not immune to temptation. You are not unique when tempted. You are not alone in your temptations. James writes, “Let no say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death” (James 1:13-15). You cannot gain victory over temptation fighting the wrong battles. Do not blame God. Do not trust yourself. Do not be deceived about temptation.

Renew your mind. Temptation is a battle of the mind. We often lose when temptation comes, because we give up too much territory before the battle ever begins. Paul admonishes, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). You can easily fall, if you have faulty thinking about yourself, temptation, and sin. You must renew your mind: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Victory over temptation the spiritual power of a renewed mind: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Fight. Temptation is spiritual warfare. To gain victory over temptation, you must fight! James gives a crash course in spiritual warfare in one verse: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). This is a remarkable promise. The devil will flee from you, like a defeated army in full retreat. But Satan does not withdraw automatically. You must first submit to God. In a real sense, you cannot win over Satan until you learn to lose to God. Then the submissive believer must resist the devil. Victory over temptation requires that you stand your ground and fight. This spiritual battle may require extreme measures. You may have to tear out your right eye or cut off your right hand to resist temptation (Matthew 5:29-30). But it is worth whatever it costs you to win the battle against temptation and live in obedience to God.

Avoid Temptation. Warning against sinful temptations, Solomon asked, “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?” (Proverbs 6:27-28) These rhetorical questions assume a negative answer. Likewise, they teach us that the best way to gain victory over temptation is to avoid it altogether. It is foolish to stick your hand into a fire and then pray for strength, protection, or intervention. If you do not want to be burned, stay away from the fire! And if you want to resist temptation, stay away from places, practices, and, yes, people, that feed your temptations. Paul exhorts, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14). Avoid temptation. Don’t trust yourself. Don’t stick your hand into the fire. Don’t give your flesh any opportunity to gratify its desires.

Make Yourself Accountable to Godly People. When fallen leaders are surveyed, the same responses emerge. First, they did not think it would happen to them. Second, they did not have people in their lives who told them the truth. The fact that spiritual leaders fall when they do have healthy relationships should be a stern warning to us all. You cannot overcome temptation on your own. You need godly people in your life. And these godly people need to be free to hold you accountable. That is, they should be free to ask you personal questions, challenge the answers you give, and follow up to see if you are keeping your word. I know this seems inconvenient, if not invasive. But if you do not have people who will speak the truth in love to you, you will succumb to the lies your flesh tell you. “Two are better than one,” wrote Solomon (Ecclesiastes 4:9a). He explains: “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

Put the Past Behind You. As we deal with temptation, we must forget the failures of the past. Indeed, we should remember the lessons of the past. But must not let yesterday’s failure’s control our past and determine our future. We must put the past behind us. There is only one way to do that: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If you are honest with God about your sin, he promises to blessings. First, the Lord will forgive your sin through the finished work of our Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous (1 John 2:1). But that’s not all! The Lord will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The God who forgives sin also cleanses sin. God can create within you a clean heart (Psalm 51:10) that puts the past behinds you and gives you a new start.

Set Your Desires on Godly Satisfaction. “Just follow your heart,” may seem like good advice. But it is actually the worst advice anyone can give you. Our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). And left to their natural devices, our hearts will inevitably lead us astray. Victory over temptation requires that we set our hearts on something above and beyond us (Colossians 3:1-2). We must set our affections on God. David wrote, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). If you delight in the Lord, he will teach your heart what to desire and fulfill those godly desires. Temptation cannot lead you astray when your delight is in God, not the things of this world. Moses prays, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). True joy is only found in the satisfaction of living in the loyal love of God in Christ.

Remember the Lord. Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. He resisted. But she insisted that he go to bed with her. Firmly refusing to give in to temptation, Joseph asked, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) Joseph fully understand it would betray Potiphar’s trust to sleep with his wife. But Joseph stated that it would be a great act of wickedness against God, not Potiphar. Temptation seduces the mind and causes us to forget about God. We overcome temptation by remembering the Lord. When sin solicits you, ask yourself questions that will force you to remember the Lord. Can I thank God for what I am tempted to do? (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Can I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? (Colossians 3:17) Can I do this to the glory of God? (1 Corinthians 10:31) Remembering the Lord weakens the power of temptation and gives strengthens your resolve to please him.

Commit Yourself to Good Works. You go into the field and pull up weeds. But your work is not done. You must plant seed that will be fruit to replace the weeds. If you allow the ground to lay fallow, uprooted weeds will grow again. So it is in dealing with temptation. Paul wrote, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). The old saying is true, “The idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” The more you consume your life with the fruit of righteousness the less room you give for the seeds of temptation to grow. 1 Corinthians 15:58 reads, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Always be at work for the Lord. In fact, abound in the work of the Lord. Your labor in the Lord will not be in vain. Faithful service will have a sanctifying effect in you as you serve others for Christ’s sake.

Depend on the Power of the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot gain victory over temptation in your own wisdom, strength, or resources. You need divine help that only comes through Jesus Christ. Paul calls the saints to arms: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11). The power of Satan is deceit. He schemes against believers to undermine and overthrow our faith in Christ. But God has given you the armor you need to stand firm. The whole armor of God is effectively by the strength and might of the Lord. You can only wear and work the armor by the power of Christ. This is the believer’s only hope for gaining victory over temptation. I can state it in five words: Jesus only. And only Jesus. Trust Jesus can clear your guilt. Trust Jesus can change your habits. Trust Jesus can conquer your problems.

Editor's Note: This originally published at HBCharlesJr.com

Posted at: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/gaining-victory-over-temptation

Ten Truths about a Liar

by Sam Bierig

Editor's Note: The following article is adapted from the latest issue of the Midwestern Magazine. The full issue can be viewed free online.

Is Satan capable of inception? Does he whisper temptations in our ear? Is Satan’s authority, power, and relationship to unbelievers the same or different from Christians? These are all valid and, frankly, somewhat haunting questions. I am not left emotionally unmoved by the many destroyed marriages and ministries around me Satan has devoured. I trust your experience is comparable. It is vital that you and I rightly discern and evaluate Satan. He is not to be trifled with nor buffooned, but in Christ, his back was utterly broken on Calvary’s hill. Therefore, it is important we establish a few implications that help us to discern the person and activity of Satan:

1.) Satan is not omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, nor eternal.

There was a time when Satan was not. In contrast, there was never a ‘time’ when the Son of God was not (i.e., The Son is eternal). Satan is created and contingent just as humans are (Col 1:16-17). In Job 1:6, the Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” to which he responded, “From roaming through the earth.” He is physically positioned in the universe. He is not omnipresent and thus is unlikely to be personally tempting individual Christians. In Matthew 4 and Job 1-2, he fails to know the future and his potency is shown to be limited by God. 

2.) Satan exercises his otherworldly dominion by way of a hierarchical, geographical, and militaristic strategy.

In Matthew 4, Satan legitimately offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world. These kingdoms seem to have a geographical and governmental nature. This offer is textually grounded in Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82. But through the cross, Jesus took back the authority forfeited in Adam (Col 2:14-15). Therefore, in Matthew 28:18, Jesus states that all authority has been given to Him. In John 12:31 we’re told Satan is the “ruler of this world,” which rings of realm and region. Then, there is that peculiar reference to the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” in Daniel 10:13, 20. This dark prince opposes the angel Gabriel and the angelic prince Michael. It’s hierarchical. Experientially, this rings true. The nature of spiritual warfare varies depending on the continent and culture (North America, Asia, Africa, etc.). Satan leads a hierarchy of demons (Mt 12:24), a divergent and highly capable army, which implies he is leading an otherworldly ‘outfit’ that personally tempts persons (Col 2:15, 1 Pt 5:8-9) depending on the sinful sensibilities of a given culture.

3.) Satan can manipulate matter, weather systems, and bacterial life.

We see in Job 1 that Satan is able to manipulate matter and weather patterns and, in Job 2:8, he infects Job with a skin disease. His purpose is to afflict Job, and for our machinations, we note he is capable of feats not afforded to humans. 

4.) Satan can influence and sway legal proceedings and governmental structures.

In Revelation 2:10, Jesus states that Satan is in the process of influencing Smyrna’s legal proceedings by throwing a collection of Christians into prison. Likewise, in Job 1:17, he manipulates the Chaldeans, encouraging them to steal Job’s livestock. Though we are not told how he exerts his influence, we surmise he is the agent of these activities. 

5.) Satan aggressively seeks to trap individual Christians.

1 Timothy 3:7 says he seeks to trap elders. He is spoken of as a federal head type of figure. His minions study individuals and then seek to tempt and twist them in accordance with particularized patterns of sin. They cater and concoct a seemingly irresistible elixir of poison just for you. Television, social media, fast food, biology, age, and gender are all thrown into the recipe.

6.) Satan is more skilled at deception than any other created being. 

John 8:44 says his nature is to lie. If his mouth is moving, he is lying. He is the original liar and, therefore, the father of lies. Every lie was and is birthed in him. However, deception is all he has in his arsenal against Christians. As Colossians 2:15 teaches, this side of Calvary, Satan can accuse, but he knows—and his rebel realm know—that he has been reduced to utter fragility at the cross.

7.) Satan is able to kill Christians.

He is able to kill you physically (Job 1-2), but not eternally (Rom 8). In Job 2, when Satan goes a second time to the LORDin the divine courtroom, he asks permission to kill Job, but God denies his request. I take that to mean Satan could have killed him, but God would not allow it. Everything Satan does comes crashing down on his own head, eventually crushing his skull (Gn 3:15) unto the glory of the Son of God and for the Christian’s good. 

8.) Satan is the Lord’s lackey for the Christian’s holiness.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says his thorn is “a messenger of Satan,” and yet the Lord kindly uses the thorn (against Paul’s will!) to produce sanctification and spiritual power in Paul’s ministry. How kind of the Lord to give Paul his thorn! Satan plays the pawn in God’s economy, and the thorn stays against Paul’s will. Thus, Satan is ever regulated by Romans 8 and, therefore, is providentially powerless to wound Christians in any resurrected or eternal sense. Neither Satan nor death, neither “angels nor rulers … nor powers … will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rm 8:38).

9.) Satan will be thrown into hell in the end.

Satan can and surely has read Matthew 25:41, which states he will ultimately be thrown into hell. That is what I mean by “Satan is so smart he’s stupid.” This is his end, yet he rages against all “born of God” (1 Jn 3:9). He lies. He accuses the brethren (Rv 12:10). But he cannot succeed in bringing a guilty sentence upon the Christian anymore (Col 2:14). 

10.) Satan is resistible.

James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” He will flee from you, Christian. Resist him. If Christians resist temptation, hold firm the promise of resurrection, and do not give in, do not accept the enemy’s lies, and do not give into his accusations—Satan will eventually depart. He is limited. He is finite. He will eventually move on to easier prey. 

Conclusion

 In the final analysis, we are not told precisely how or why Satan does certain things, but when we analyze the pertinent texts and take into account all of the data, we see what he does and what he is capable of. The Christian, then, is broken over the plight of the unregenerate, properly sobered, and bolstered that Jesus so decisively routed Satan at Calvary. 

Sam Bierig

Sam Bierig serves as Dean of Spurgeon College. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from Ouachita Baptist University and received his Masters of Divinity from Southern Seminary. Sam pastored in Arkansas for six years and now serves as an elder at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri. Sam is married to Mallory and they have one daughter, Abby Mae, and two sons, Levi and Owen. You can follow him on Twitter @ecclesiologian.

Posted at: https://ftc.co/resource-library/1/5039

How to Fight When You Fail

Article by David Sunday

I’m not writing for those who think they’ve got little sin problems. If you imagine you’re getting an A-, or at least a C+, in self-sanctification, you probably won’t resonate with what I’m saying.

I’m writing for the Christian who’s reading this a few hours after you’ve fallen sexually. I’m thinking of the deacon who has just exploded in anger at his children. Or the campus ministry leader who went to college with every intention of following Jesus, but is now waking up with a hangover and can’t remember what she did the night before. I’m writing for the pastor who told a lie in last night’s elder meeting. Or the Bible study leader who became Peter-the-Denier when her upper-class neighbor asked her if she really thinks that everyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ will go to hell.

For all who are weary of struggling with sin, I want you to be able to face your most disappointing failures without drowning in despair.

Gutsy Guilt

Let me tell you about gutsy guilt. John Piper first introduced me to this idea — and his teaching on this has sustained and strengthened me for over a quarter of a century of being “tempted, tried, and sometimes failing.” Piper found an example of “gutsy guilt, bold brokenness, confident contrition, rugged remorse” in the words of the prophet Micah, who teaches us how to fight when we have fallen.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
     I will wait for the God of my salvation;
     my God will hear me.
Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
     when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
     the Lord will be a light to me.
I will bear the indignation of the Lord
     because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
     and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
     I shall look upon his vindication.
Then my enemy will see,
     and shame will cover her who said to me,
     “Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look upon her;
     now she will be trampled down
     like the mire of the streets. (Micah 7:7–10)

Do Not Delay

It seems counterintuitive to sin and then immediately to fall on your knees and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” We harbor in our hearts the false belief that, somehow, we have to pay for our sins — just a little.

But repentance isn’t groveling. You repent when you agree with God that your sin is wicked and flee to the only one who can do helpless sinners any good. So, what if after you’ve sinned you didn’t grovel for a week, but instead ran immediately to the Savior who “came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15)?

Micah shows us that even at our very worst, there remains a God in heaven who will not reject repentant sinners. “Look to him,” Micah says — “the sooner, the better!”

Satan loves to tempt you, trap you, and then taunt you with your guilt. He loves to watch you wallow in the mire of your misery. He wants you to embrace failure as your identity. Micah says, “Don’t listen to those lies. Call on the Lord. Do not delay. Fight when you fail.” And he shows us how in verses 8–10.

Talk Back to the Enemy

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
     when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
     the Lord will be a light to me. (Micah 7:8)

Here is a vivid and dramatic rebuttal to Satan’s prosecution — a complete reversal of his accusatory strategy. The heart of faith defies despair. Faith refuses to believe that our sin is the end of God’s story for our life.

The tempter is a cruel tyrant who wants to terrify you with the greatness of your sins. Learn to turn his own weapon back on himself, like Martin Luther did:

When you say I am a sinner, you give me armor and weapons against yourself, so that with your own sword I may cut your throat and tread you under my feet, for Christ died for sinners. As often as you object that I am a sinner, so often you remind me of the benefit of Christ my Redeemer on whose shoulders and not on mine lie all my sins. So when you say I’m a sinner, you do not terrify me, but comfort me immeasurably.

Submit to God’s Discipline

I will bear the indignation of the Lord
     because I have sinned against him,
until he pleads my cause
     and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
     I shall look upon his vindication. (Micah 7:9)

Gutsy guilt doesn’t shrink from the real-life consequences of sin. The fiery wrath of God’s holy condemnation of our sin has been extinguished at the cross, but the fatherly anger of God’s displeasure at our sin is a sign of our adoption into his family. When God disciplines us, he treats us as his sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:7). His anger is bathed in love, aimed at restoration, and results in what is good for us.

God’s discipline is also temporary. Notice the hope-filled word until in Micah 7:9: “until he pleads my cause.” Here’s where Satan’s theology and the gospel collide. Satan says, “See how God is disciplining you? That’s proof he’s against you.” But the gospel says, “He will champion my cause and establish justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation.”

Yes, God is able to keep you from stumbling when you look to him for strength in the face of temptation. But when you do stumble, he is able to keep your stumbling from destroying you. He will “present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24).

In the end, the enemy is going to witness the vindication of God’s blood-bought children. By grace, through faith, we will be righteous and shine like the sun in our Father’s kingdom (Matthew 13:43). And we will look upon the enemies of our soul, and see them trampled down like dirt and mud on the streets — it doesn’t get any lower than that. That’s Satan’s destiny (Micah 7:10).

Fuel for Our Fight

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
     and passing over transgression
     for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
     because he delights in steadfast love.
He will again have compassion on us;
     he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
     into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18–19)

When you fail, fall on him. He won’t resent your repeated returns to his throne of mercy. He’s not sighing or sulking when he sees you trembling at his feet. He delights to show mercy. As Richard Sibbes writes, “He is more ready . . . to forgive than you to sin; as there is a continual spring of wickedness in you, so there is a greater spring of mercy in God.”

Imagine being with Moses and the children of Israel on the far shore of the Red Sea. You’ve just watched Pharaoh and his army disappear into the depths of the sea, never to torment you again. Someday that’s what’s going to happen to your sin.

Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore,
Our sins they are many, his mercy is more. (“His Mercy Is More”)

Many a preacher has repeated this memorable saying — but when you’ve failed, it will do you great good to preach it to yourself: When God throws your sin into the sea of forgetfulness, he puts up a sign that says, “No fishing allowed.”

David Sunday is the senior pastor of New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, Illinois.

When Sin Looks Delicious

Tim Challies

Do you ever have those days where you just want to sin? Sin looks delicious while righteousness looks distasteful. Sin looks satisfying and holiness looks frustrating. You wake up in the morning with a desire to do what you know you should not desire to do. Your heart echoes with what God said to Cain: “Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you.” And your desire is for it.

What do you do on a day like that?

Take the Blame

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:13-15). Sin takes advantage of your sinful desires by promising satisfaction in the expression and fulfillment of those desires. Take the blame for wanting to sin. You want to sin because you are a sinner!

Look for Satan

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Satan knows you are prone to sin and knows you well enough to know your specific temptations to sin. In the days you are being tempted to sin, you may well be facing his attacks. When sin feels extrinsic, like it is coming from outside as much as inside, prepare yourself to resist the devil.

Talk to God

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. … praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:11, 18a). When tempted to sin, you are told to put on the whole armor of God—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and so on. Each of these pieces of armor is donned and deployed through prayer. You resist sin and withstand temptation through humbling yourself in prayer and by crying out to God for his strength.

Talk to Someone Else

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Tell your husband or wife, your colleague, your friend, your accountability partner. Confess your desire. Make it as simple as it really is: “I want to sin today. Sin looks desirable; holiness looks boring.” Ask for their prayer in the moment and ask them to talk to you later to ask if and how you withstood the temptation. Just as they can pray with you now to plead God’s help, they can pray with you later to rejoice in his deliverance.

Preach the Gospel

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Preach this great gospel truth to yourself. As a Christian, you have been purchased by Christ. You belong to him. You are his. You have been given everything you need to resist—the ability and the desire. You are a new creation and both can and should behave as such. Preach the gospel to yourself and remember whose you are.

Resist the Temptation

Resolve that you will not sin and then follow resolve with stubborn obedience.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). God promises that he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, but that he will always provide a way of escape. He will provide a way, but you still need to take advantage of that way. Talk to God, ask him to make the way clear, and ask that he will give you grace to take it. Often resisting temptation is as simple as this: Don’t sin! Resolve that you will not sin and then follow resolve with stubborn obedience.

Rely on Patterns of Godliness

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you … Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience … And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called…” (Colossians 3:5-15). The Christian life is a lifelong obedience of replacing ungodly patterns and habits with godly ones. We continually put off the old man and put on the new. When facing temptation you will be tempted to fall back into old tendencies and habits. Instead, reject the old patterns of ungodliness and rely upon and follow the patterns of godliness you have developed.

Give Thanks

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). If temptation is born out of sinful desire and false promises of satisfaction through what God forbids, the solution is to give thanks. Where temptation focuses on all you do not have, thanksgiving focuses on all you have graciously been given. When you are tempted to sin, thank God for his good gifts. When you have been delivered from the temptation to sin, give thanks for his enabling grace.

Posted at: https://www.challies.com/christian-living/when-sin-looks-delicious/?fbclid=IwAR0hAau-b3eElPQZfznJaQNBopkzgHFfYtqBj9TTM8MGAmdYju5cHUq71Ds

Four Lessons for Same-Sex-Attracted Christians

Satisfied in the Arms of Another

Article by Christopher Asmus

When I began sharing my story, I had no idea how many people like me would come running for help. I am a married man, and a pastor, who experiences same-sex attraction.

Since the first time I wrote about my journey and struggle, I have received hundreds of emails from men and women from all over the world asking essentially the same question: How? How do I practically live — as a follower of Jesus Christ — who experiences homosexual longings for intimacy? How do I deal with the nearly crippling loneliness and hopelessness I feel every day surrounding my sexuality?

As I considered whether to say more, afraid of another wave of messages, my wife, seeing the fear on my face, looked over at me from across the living room, and in a beautiful moment of togetherness, we rehearsed a verse we had remembered for moments like these,

“I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)

So, if you are a Christian experiencing same-sex attractions, here are four truths I believe will help you fight well and flourish in your faith in Jesus.

1. The Earth Is Flat

When it comes to sexuality, everyone has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Or you could say, none is truly “straight,” no not one (Romans 3:10). The Enemy loves to tell Christians who experience SSA that they are uniquely depraved. That God, being cruel, has placed you in a sin struggle that is more difficult than those around you.

As hard as your predicament may seem, you must know that Christ is not calling you to give up or sacrifice any more than anyone else. Sam Allberry reminds us,

Ever since I have been open about my own experiences with homosexuality, a number of Christians have said something like this: “The gospel must be harder for you than it is for me,” as though I have more to give up than they do. But the fact is that the gospel demands everything out of all of us. If someone thinks the gospel has somehow slotted into their life quite easily, without causing any major adjustments to their lifestyle or aspirations, it is likely that they have not really started following Jesus at all. (Is God Anti-Gay?, 10)

As a pastor, I have a front-row view into the sexual brokenness of everyone. Daily, I am reminded that loneliness is not solved by marriage, intimacy is not fulfilled by intercourse, and desire is not satisfied in the arms of another.

Whether gay or straight, married or unmarried, single or dating, everyone lives in some state of sexual and emotional dissatisfaction and unfulfillment. We all are sexually broken. When it comes to sexuality, the earth is flat.

2. It Takes a Village

If you are going to put your SSA to death (Colossians 3:5), then you must know it’s going to take a life-giving, truth-speaking, Christ-seeking community. As Paul Tripp says, “Your walk with God is a community project.”

God has made no lasting provision for your fight against homosexual desires outside of, or apart from, the local church. We reorient our lives around the gospel by gathering regularly with Christian brothers and sisters (Hebrews 10:23–25). The bullets of grace you need to put same-sex attractions to death will come to you through Christ-centered community.

One of the primary ways God will provide the grace you need will be through exercising your gifts (1 Peter 4:10). Personally, I am most prone to fall into sin when I’m bored and have too much energy to pursue lesser things. My temptations are most powerless when I am enlisted and energetically engaged in what God has called me to do.

As you lay your head on the pillow every night as one who has been wrung out in service to Christ, your affections will begin to be transformed until you find life, peace, and identity apart from SSA (Romans 8:5–6). When it comes to putting to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13), it takes a village.

3. Call in the Cavalry

If you really want to launch an all-out assault on your SSA, call in the cavalry. God’s most potent weapons are harbored in the hearts of those around you. Confess your sins to trusted believers (James 5:16). Confession is like picking up the radio and telling those around you the precise location that needs to be bombed with grace.

Sure, some people may not respond well to your vulnerable confession, but as Spurgeon said, “If any man think low of you, take heart; he does not think low enough.” It’s better to reveal yourself to some, and not be fully embraced by everyone, than to never reveal yourself fully to anyone, and thus never be truly embraced at all.

I suggest you begin by telling a trusted, gospel-soaked friend. If you are too afraid to do it in person, then write a letter. But loved one, we often are much weaker than we suspect. You may be only five minutes away from falling. It’s time to call in the cavalry.

4. Finally Fulfill Your Desires

Fighting your SSA desires is only the beginning. The true work of the Christian is fulfilling them, ultimately and completely.

Our longings, by nature, will not give us peace until after they are fulfilled, and so it’s our duty and delight to see them fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Psalm 107:9). Give yourself completely to satisfying your longings for intimacy, but not in mortal men (for any practicing homosexual can testify their relationship is not ultimately satisfying), but in the immortal man: Christ himself.

John Piper has said, “Theology can conquer biology.” Therefore, roll out of bed for one main purpose: to fall madly in love with Jesus Christ. Read such bright, beautiful, brilliant books on God that your same-sex attractions fade into a shadow of boring irrelevance. Listen to sermons that open your eyes to such grace and gravity that you see God (Matthew 5:8) and the thought of looking anywhere else would be like staring at your shoelaces when you’re at the summit of Everest. Be a grace hound, always hot on a fresh scent of God.

If you are a Christian experiencing same-sex attractions, continually remind yourself that loneliness is solved only in God (Psalm 63:1–2), intimacy is fulfilled only in God (Psalm 63:3–5), and desire is, indeed, satisfied only in the arms of Another (Psalm 63:6–8).

Step Out and Share

Still, you may be thinking, I can never share my struggles with anyone. I am far too familiar with that feeling. It took me twenty years to finally begin sharing my struggle with other believers.

Jesus told us to count the cost before following him (Luke 14:28–33), and opening up about your same-sex attractions may come at a significant cost to you. Bringing your SSA to light will affect you in a thousand different ways, and some of those will be incredibly painful.

But it’s worth it. Christ will be most powerfully displayed in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Christian walk hits its stride when we actively seek to be seen as less in order that Christ may be seen as more (John 3:30).

To the Christian who experiences same-sex attractions, it is my eager expectation and hope that, as you invite others into this struggle, you will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in your body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20).

Christopher Asmus (@ChrisAsmus) is lead pastor at Vertical Church St. Paul, a new church plant in St. Paul, MN. Christopher and his wife, Alexandria, are happy parents to their two sons, Haddon and McRae.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/satisfied-in-the-arms-of-another?utm_campaign=Daily+Email&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=66878388&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--XoH1NyKlquh46zZMS3Mk44PQnf4Nx5hNJJjFmU9FLKfWL5jquqoHDzZbjnVNYdme0nK1XL3CE7O8i1FxTE35EjFlUjQ&_hsmi=66878388

Do You Pray Against Temptation?

Article by David Mathis

“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus kneels in the garden of his agony and directs his men to pray, not just against sin, but against temptation.

On the front-end of the greatest temptation of his life, he charges his disciples — not once but twice (Luke 22:40, 46) — to pray against temptation. Forty long days of fasting in the wilderness must now feel like child’s play compared to the test he’s about to endure. His hour has come.

He faces the single greatest test in the history of the world: Will the sinless God-man suffer torture-to-death for the sins of the rebels he loves? And yet, as his own great temptation begins, bringing such agony that sweat falls from his head like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), he turns to his men twice to say, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40, 46).

Emphatic in His Famous Prayer

This is not the first (and second) time he has instructed his disciples to pray against temptation.

When they came to him and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), he answered with the memorably powerful and brief “Lord’s Prayer,” which in Luke is a mere 36 words in our English! In such a tight, focused prayer, he not only mentions but concludes with the petition “lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4).

“The Christian most prepared to conquer temptation is the one who prays and plans against it.”

Praying against temptation is no fleeting aside, as if any words from God himself may be overlooked. Here in the garden, and in the very moment Jesus taught us to pray, he says to pray not only against sin (that’s implied), but explicitly to pray against temptation.

For those of us who heed his words, we find at least three implications of Jesus’s (perhaps surprising) command.

Pray Against Temptation

First, God really does keep us from some temptations in response to our prayers. God and his Son do not charge us to play at prayer. Prayer matters. The sovereign God chooses to rule the universe in such a way that prayer plays a role. Under his hand, some events transpire (or not) because his people prayed; others do not transpire (or do) because they did not.

When we pray not only against our sin, but against temptation to sin, we display a maturing humility. We acknowledge our weakness and the power of sin. And we remember our Father’s heart for holiness and for our good. God “himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). The blame for sin falls squarely on the sinner. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). And yet God, in his grace and mercy, delights to keep us from many temptations — countless times perhaps even when we fail to ask, and how many precious instances in direct response to our asking?

If we take seriously the depths of sin in us, and the depths of mercy in our Father, we will heed the words of Jesus, and the commentary of John Owen: “Let no man pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation also! These two are too closely united to be separated. He does not truly hate the fruit who delights in the root.” For the sake of truth and good conscience, we distinguish temptation from sin, and for the sake of holiness and joy, we do not separate them. And so we pray not only against our sins, but our temptations.

Plan Against Temptation

Secondly, when we pray against temptation, we begin the process of seeking to avoid it and, in doing so, we become a means to God answering our prayer. God not only often keeps us from temptation because of our prayers, but in the very act of praying, we engage more deeply in the fight. We fortify our souls against sin. We become more deeply invested. We resolve, by the Spirit, to hold to the truth and not “be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). We remind our hearts that the pleasures of sin are shallow and fleeting (Hebrews 11:25), while pleasure in God is deep and enduring (Psalm 16:11).

“God really does keep us from some temptations in response to our prayers.”

Praying against temptation leads us, then, to plan against temptation in tangible ways. Knowing our patterns and proclivities to particular sins, we avoid unwise contexts. We “flee youthful passions” (2 Timothy 2:22) and “make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14). We heed the wisdom of a loving father to his son (Proverbs 5:1) about the “forbidden woman” (Proverbs 5:3): not just to stay out of her bed but to “keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house” (Proverbs 5:8).

It is grace not only to be kept from sin but also from temptation (Revelation 3:10). Our spirit indeed may be willing to say no to sin, but the flesh can be weak (Matthew 26:41). And praying against temptation sets us on the path of planning against it as well.

Prepare for Temptation Still

Finally, when we do enter into temptation, if we have prayed against it, then we should be least taken off guard by it, and most ready for battle. God loves a heart that prays against temptation, and he often answers our plea. And yet his ways are higher than ours. He knows, in love, when to allow temptation to come. In fact, Jesus says, temptations are sure to come (Luke 17:1). Pray as we may against them, God has not promised to always answer this prayer the way we want. Not yet.

So as we pray against temptation, we prepare ourselves to not be surprised when they do come (1 Peter 4:12). And when we’ve prayed against temptation, we can feel all the more clearheaded that God has lovingly allowed this test into my life. And he has not left me without his promises for these very moments. “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Like Joseph, it may mean running (Genesis 39:11–12). Like Jesus, it often will mean rehearsing the very words of God (Matthew 4:1–11) or staying silent before fools (Matthew 26:63; Mark 14:61; Acts 8:32).

“The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9), not just guard them from trials. And the Christian most prepared to conquer temptation is the one who prays and plans against it.

Kept by God in the Test

Pray against your specific besetting sins, and as you do, go a step further and pray against specific temptations as well.

“It is grace not only to be kept from sin but also from temptation.”

When we pray against temptation, we can expect two outcomes: (1) in real and tangible ways, God will be pleased to keep us from temptations we otherwise would have encountered had we not prayed. And (2) at times God may see fit to have us encounter the very temptation we have prayed (and planned!) against — and when we do, having prayed, we will be better prepared to face it and defeat it in the power of his Spirit.

God will provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). Look for it and take it. And thank him, not only for the many times, unbeknownst to you, that he guarded you from temptation altogether, but also for the times he answered your prayers differently, not just keeping you from temptation but keeping you through temptation.

David Mathis (@davidcmathis) is executive editor for desiringGod.org and pastor at Cities Churchin Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is a husband, father of four, and author of Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines.

Article posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-you-pray-against-temptation