Avoiding Temptations - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

When we hear the English word temptation, we usually think of a solicitation to evil. But "temptation" in Matthew 6:13 translates a Greek word that can refer either to a trial that God permits to refine your spiritual character (James 1:2-4), or a temptation that Satan or your flesh brings to incite you to sin (Matt. 4:1; James 1:13- 15). Both are valid translations.

I believe "temptation" in Matthew 6:13 refers to trials. Even though we know God uses trials for our good, it's still good to pray that He won't allow us to be caught in a trial that becomes an irresistible temptation. That can happen if we're spiritually weak or ill-prepared to deal with a situation.

God will never test you beyond what you're able to endure (1 Cor. 10:13), but resisting temptation requires spiritual discipline and divine resources. Praying for God to deliver you from trials that might overcome you is a safeguard against leaning on your own strength and neglecting His power.

God tested Joseph by allowing him to be sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused by an adulterous woman, and unjustly imprisoned by a jealous husband. But Joseph knew that God's hand was on his life. That's why he could say to his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to . . . preserve many people" (Gen. 50:20). Joseph was ready for the test and passed it beautifully!

Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1). God wanted to test Him to prove His virtue, but Satan wanted to tempt Him to destroy His virtue. Jesus, too, was victorious.

When you experience trials, don't let them turn into temptations. Recognize God's purposes and seek His strength. Learn from the example of those who have successfully endured the same trials. Be assured that God is in control and is using each trial to mold your character and teach you greater dependence on Him.

-Ask Him to help you see your trials as means by which He strengthens you and glorifies Himself.

-Read Psalm 119:11, Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:10-18, and James 4:7. What do those verses teach you about dealing with temptation?

>> Read Psalm 119:11, Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:10-18,
What do those verses teach you about dealing with temptation?

These verses are very helpful, but do not clarify exactly where the testing comes from that measure one's position on the path of discipleship--of progressive sanctification--leading to and through the well-defined stages of spiritual maturity that every spiritually regenerated follower of the Lord Jesus Messiah faces; stages of growth in order to be fit for His service.

The stages can be marked as:

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I. Gestation: Having been made aware of one's temporal sin and sinfulness imparted in one's physical birth, and only surmountable by convinced knowledge of the existence of his/her God The Creator, of His Son, and of His Spirit, through the preaching of the generative Seed, the Gospel of His Holy Words of the Laws. The hearing and internizing the import pf personal accountability to God, of rules for behavior that one has already fallen short of (Romans 10:17), and is under condemnation for (John 3:18,36). This knowledge brings the human to the point of decision in which the individual can knew ith full security that God unilaterally presents His offer of frienship and Fatherhood in the spiritual realm through Nis/her full persuasion that This Triune God can bring forth the person as a new enitity consisting of spiritual substance in the Spiritual Realm, never to be rescinded, this new being having unremitting allegiance to the Lord of All, and His government and authority over all things and persons. The person's point of total agreeability with the transaction offered by God, of death of the old person, freedom from sin's guilt, and an everlasting life of the new person, is called "Spiritual Birth", or "regeneration.(1 Jn. 3:9, Romans 10:10):

II. Spiritual Infancy: in the Koine Greek, βρέφος (i>breh-fawss) The newborn babe as defined (1 Peter 1:1-2) has the power and purpose, and learns to begin discarding the old habitual behaviors that are contrary to the God-given new life, being led and fed by a tutor/discipler presenting the "milk" the meaning of the Gospel by teaching and showing the love of Christ to this new babe-in-Christ. This personal example helps to bring a greater knowledge of personal accountability, out of which one matures as an "infant"; in the Greek νήπιος (nay-pee-awss) who begins to replace these old habits with the new ones that re gained through knowledge of what pleases Jesus the Master and His Father God, learning to dread to disappoint or disobey Him>. Journeying through this age of developmental discipleship brings one to the stage of being a trainable child: 91 John 2:13):

III. Spiritual Children: The Greek applied by John to a portion of his children in The Faith under his discipling, are παιδίον (pah-ee-dee-awn) defined as "half-grown," or immature in the spirit. It in the infant and children stages (not chronologically, one might be in their fifties or sixties, only recently saved as an older person chronologically but not spiritually) they begin to understand not only their protagonists in the new life, but also who it is that are their antagonists, their enemies, five in count, which are:

-- Satan, the Devil, that old Liar like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), one to completely avoid (Ephesians 4:27) because of his wiles, one you can command him to depart in the Name of Christ (James 4:7). He is "the god of this world", this age, whose tool is both sin and the fear of death (Heb. 2:14).
-- Demons: Satan can't be everywhere, but he can send his demons who can inhabit unspiritual unsaved people, but which still pester people who had been once under Satan as their master, but no more as born-anew servants of The Messiah.
-- The World System and its serfs the human people dedicated to its principles: In Greek, the κόσμος (kawss=mawss), this age αἰών (ah-hee-awn) things and people who further Satan's plan and not God's.
-- Our own Self, the Old Flesh (1 Peter 2:1) who in its dying struggles to maintain control of a person through false pride of the eye that resists the more powerful New Human Spiritual Entity as it takes over the old physical husk (1 John 2:15-16); a full enemy of one's new being and of one's allegiance to Messiah, but which the Indwelling Spirit gives the full power to quench the "old man".
-- Professing False "Believers": There are those insidious humans, perhaps of one's own assembly, even one's family. who name the name of Christ, but do not live the Life He wants, who are not fully given over to Him, who raise up prideful and conflicting issues of personal and false doctrinal issues. Of these beware, and reject their determined aversion when they are found out. Some whole denominations are carriers of this spiritual issue. (Romans 6:4-7). It is they against whom the saints must contend for The Faith (Jude 1:3).

IV Young Adults: The Greek identifies them, men and women, νεανίσκος (neh ah nees-kawss), who by careful tutoring by experiences disciplers has guided in God's Word to hear the Spirit of Christ speak to them the nuggets of truth, the "meat" of the Gospel, that they might have reached the full age of maturity, able to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14), in whom the Word of God abides, who are thus demonstrating their ability tp overcome the Wicked one (1 John 2:13,14).

V. Father-like in the assembly: A final stage of spirituality, knowing God The Father, God the Son as Madter, and of the Indwelling Spirit Comforter-Counselor intimately and continually in communicating with; having recruited and discipled to spiritual maturity many contributors to the local assembly, themselves having taken up the Cross and themselves becoming tutored disciples, as their description illustrates.

Local spiritually mature "bishops" (ἐπίσκοπος. overseeing pastor-elders), "elders" (πρεσβύτεροςm teaching elders), "deacons", and also "deacons" and "deaconesses) (διάκονος, administarors od goods, services, education to members); but NOT a separate clergy class different from others in the assembly; merely fellow brothers and sisters who fill out agreed-upon duties, offices, reasonably replaced by other members of the local assembly in their turn.

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It is this kind of directed "testing," sometimes tempting the supposedly Spiritually mature "Christian" that has brought in widespread failure and finger-pointing from worldly-minded detractors. And it is because the clear pattern described above is simply not even recognized, let alone practiced in most modern churches. However, debate of this matter belongs not here, but in a distinctly different thread.

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