Open Heaven 30 August
MEMORISE: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12)
READ: James 1:12-15 (KJV)
12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man;
14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven here
In Yoruba land where I am from, there is a saying that goes thus: “That which you would not eat, you should not sniff.” The way to resist temptations is to run from anything that appears to negate the commandments of God. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) puts it thus:
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
If only David had taken his eyes off Bathsheba, he would not have fallen into the sin of adultery and subsequently murder. If only Judas Iscariot had handed over the treasury of Jesus ministry to someone else or at least found someone to be accountable to, he would probably have been amongst the Apostles until he died.
Temptation is not a sin; it is merely the arousal to sin. To resist the temptation is to resist the arousal. When the devil wants to conquer a person, he simply puts things in place that will arouse the fellow to sin, and so the Bible says in James 1:14:
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
One of my sons once told me that he was always excited to resume work on Monday mornings because he would see his secretary again. He had started lusting after her. My advice to him was that he should sack her. The godly counsel to escape sexual sins is to flee! (1 Corinthians 6:18).
You don’t resist temptation by hanging around it or letting it hang around you; you escape by running (1 Corinthians 10:13). Joseph did not wait to explain to Mrs. Potiphar why he could not sleep with her; he ran (Genesis 39:12). Waiting to explain can be dangerous; run and explain later.
Nothing is more important than your ticket to Heaven. Jesus Christ said if your hand would lead you to sin, cut it off (Mark 9:43). If you have to resign from that job to ensure that you don’t sin and miss Heaven, resign.
If you have to move out of your neighbourhood, do so. If you have to unfriend someone, unfriend the fellow. Whatever it is that you have to do, just flee any appearance of evil.
KEY POINT: Don’t sit around and wait for temptation to destroy you. Flee!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 16-17
Thank you for reading today’s Open Heaven – Handling Temptations – by Pastor E. A. Adeboye.
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Open Heaven 30 August 2020 Devotional
