It is possible to live above the schemes of the devil. Today, we want to understand the dynamics of temptation and how to live a victorious Christian life.
Text
[1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV] “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Reference
Genesis 3
Discussion
We already know that there is a thief out there, who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. This thief works through systems and people and structures to steal, kill, and destroy.
We want to live above the temptation of darkness and the drama of devils. I pray that the Lord will give us understanding today to ride above the schemes of darkness.
We want to do a study of Eve and the serpent in the garden. We want to understand why she failed. She failed because she ignored some red flags. To overcome and escape the devil’s schemes, we must do he following;
1. Focus on the “DO’s” and not on the “DONT’s“:
Instead of being sin conscious, be righteousness conscious. We must focus on the DO’s and not on the DONT’s. Just focus on loving your spouse, and there will be no reason to cheat. Just focus on praying daily, and there would be no reason to doubt. When we focus on doing what we are asked to do, there will be no reason to worry about what we don’t have to do.
2. Judge things by the word of God and not by their appearance:
Many of us are unable to live the victorious Christian life because we judge things by the outward appearance. Honestly, you must see things in the light of the word of God and not just what it looks. Eve failed because when she saw the fruits, the tree appeared to be good. In any case, God did not say the tree is not good. He said eating the fruit of the tree will kill you.
[Genesis 3:6 KJV] “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat”.
3. Never give a disproportionate emphasis to anything:
“No” is “no”, there is no big “No”. Yet many fail because they give a disproportionate emphasis to issues. Don’t stretch the word of God beyond what it is meant to be. Take God at His word and let the word be the word.
[Genesis 3:3 KJV] “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die”.
4. Never think anything is below trapping you:
There is no temptation that is below anyone of us. Everyone of us can be trapped by anything. Let us beware. “Righteousness exalts a nation”.
[1 Corinthians 10:12 KJV] “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”.
Whenever you are tempted, remember following two truths: God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond measure. You can only be tempted to do what you can resist. Secondly, God is faithful and He will make a way of escape out of every temptation. He will never leave you without an escape route.
Stay blessed; I love you!
Noah Simpe Bediako
