Flee Satan: He Harms Us With Our Consent

God does not tempt His children rather He tests.  It is Satan that tempts. God tests for our growth and for our good. His tests demonstrate what is in our hearts as our hearts can be amazingly deceitful, Amen?  Satan tempts for our harm and destruction. His temptations are for our downfall. He roams around like a roaring lion seeking to devour. Therefore, we are to resist him. In our Scripture today God teaches us not to be caught unaware. Do not get too confident in our flesh. Be aware that we all can fall and the bigger the outreach a person has for the Lord, the harder the fall and the body of Christ suffers greatly. Therefore, anyone in the limelight in the Christian world is often a greater target for the adversary’s arrows though no believer totally escapes his malicious shots. Don’t be too self-confident – anyone can fall. Just ask King David when you get to heaven. While he was forgiven for his adultery and murder, the consequences remained throughout His life. They always do and who wants that? The scars are left to remind us that we do not want to go down that path again – steer clear – it gets us nowhere fast. A truly repentant heart flees the temptations of the adversary as they know they are no match for his wiles and all his tempting’s lead to death of something. It is only through the power of God that we are able to stand against his attacks.  

God will always give us a door of escape – look for it.  Don’t play with fire if you do not want to get burned. Watch your weaknesses, bolstering your self-control through His power and know His Word – standing fast in it. In ancient times, the city wall was the defense for the city and when a breach occurred it was then vulnerable to the enemies attacks so too self-control is our defense - our walls around ourselves. Examine the breaches in your self-control because that is exactly where Satan shoots his fiery darts.  He looks for our weaknesses and he is a good study – he is always seeking an opportunity for a vicious attack. We are not to put ourselves in places or surround ourselves with people that could easily be our downfall. Instead, we are to flee temptations for our own good as well as God’s glory.  We are no match for the devil’s schemes.  It is only as we don the full armor of God standing firm in His will mature and fully assured that we are equipped to stand as God battles for us. Don’t give Satan an inch. If you do he will take a mile and perhaps even your life.