Are You Being Tempted?

               
'Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial...' James 1:12 NIV

Good morning I hope you are withstanding the heat this week. In prayer this morning God brought this scripture to my mind. "blessed is the man who perseveres under trial." Isn't temptation funny? There are things you're never tempted with and then there are those things you can't stay away from. One moment you're thinking kind thoughts of someone and the next moment you're tearing them apart verbally. You'll never be exempt from temptation. Each season of life just brings temptation in a different form. When you're young you'll struggle with things like the need for companionship and sexual fulfillment. In business you' might be tempted to distort the truth, cheat and pocket the money. When you become successful, if you're not careful you could become ego-driven, controlling and opinionated. The truth is, you never become so spiritual as to be exempt from temptation. The most spiritual person will tell you in all humbleness that you never stop being tempted. After forty days of prayer and fasting, Satan tempted Jesus. Remember, you are as vulnerable to attack after a great spiritual experience as you are in your lowest moments. Satan understood Jesus' assignment and he was out to stop Him from accomplishing it. And he is out to stop you too! The battle you're in is not over the past, it's over the future. In the face of repeated temptation Jesus defeated Satan by using the Word of God, and you must too. Without it you have no defense. In what specific areas do you struggle? What's your strategy for victory? What percentage of the time are you successful? Which Scriptures have you memorized to help you conquer the tempter when he comes against you? Look at Samson, God's champion: blinded, chained, grinding corn like an ox in a Philistine dungeon. Sin has a blinding effect, a binding effect and a grinding effect. Prisons are filled with people who were too weak to stand up against Satan. Dreams crash daily on the rocks of temptation. Move the ship of your life away from those rocks while you still can. You are loved...