Should you resist temptation?
11/21/2018
The word "resist" is in the Bible 10 times and 8 of those times talks about how mankind resists God and the way that God wants us to act. However, while two verses tells us to resist temptation this does not mean that they are not very important verses.
I was reading an article this morning called "3 Reasons to resist Temptation" and found it very good reading. We hear so many sermons on how good God is, how important it is to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and so many other topics. However, I have not heard that many lately about how important it is to resist the Devil and all the temptations that he has instructed man to put out there in the world for all to see.
I have included the link for that article below. In it the three reasons are #1 - Sin is Deceptive, #2 - Sin is Divisive and #3 - Sin is Destructive.
We all can see and almost all if not all have experience with how deceptive sin is and temptation is so alluring that if we do not resist it we then find out just how deceptive it is. It is like getting a gift that looks so pretty wrapped in shiny wrapping paper then we we open it we find an ugly sweater or shirt or decoration for our home. We were so hopeful and eager to get and open the gift and then afterwards we just wish we had never opened it.
Then comes the divisive part of that gift. We feel we have to tell that person how "nice" the gift is and when we tell that untruth (or lie) we have placed a gap between us and God. Why? Because anything that comes between us and God is a sin.
When we sin we destroy the relation that we have with God.
Below are the two scriptures that tell us to # 1 - resist the devil and # 2 - to stedfastly resist him in the faith.
James 4:7 (KJV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
"3 Reasons to Resist Temptation"
https://factsandtrends.net/2018/11/20/3-reasons-to-resist-temptation/?ecid=PDM157330&bid=89347480
C.I. Wilson