I have recently made great strides in resisting temptation and I'd like to relate to you exactly how, in my personal experience, it is done.
As a caveat, I must say that I did not feel that I needed to resist temptation to ''earn points'' with God or to become acceptable in His sight. That work was done by Christ on the cross, which applies to me because of my faith in Him. Instead, I felt a strong desire to resist temptation out of my love for God and His love for me. So, just as you might want to obey a loving parent, I wanted to grow closer to God by doing His will and getting rid of things that hindered our relationship and harmed me. As a different picture, I am like a sprouting sapling that wants to grow around opaque objects toward the light.
So, here is the Christian formula for resisting temptation as I have experienced it:
1.) Know that resistance is impossible without God.
2.) God, in any situation you're in, has given you sufficient grace to resist the current temptation.
3.) Have faith that God's grace is sufficient.
4.) Your faith in God is the open channel through which God fills you with the power to resist.
So, you are NEVER in a situation wherein you can't resist through faith in God. BUT to make that applicable, you must believe it. Your ability to resist temptation is in direct proportion to how often you actively and practically put faith in God. This is the living faith that every Chrisitian should cultivate. It is our struggle, but it is the good fight. It is our expression of love for God; it is our glorious approach toward the light.
As a caveat, I must say that I did not feel that I needed to resist temptation to ''earn points'' with God or to become acceptable in His sight. That work was done by Christ on the cross, which applies to me because of my faith in Him. Instead, I felt a strong desire to resist temptation out of my love for God and His love for me. So, just as you might want to obey a loving parent, I wanted to grow closer to God by doing His will and getting rid of things that hindered our relationship and harmed me. As a different picture, I am like a sprouting sapling that wants to grow around opaque objects toward the light.
So, here is the Christian formula for resisting temptation as I have experienced it:
1.) Know that resistance is impossible without God.
2.) God, in any situation you're in, has given you sufficient grace to resist the current temptation.
3.) Have faith that God's grace is sufficient.
4.) Your faith in God is the open channel through which God fills you with the power to resist.
So, you are NEVER in a situation wherein you can't resist through faith in God. BUT to make that applicable, you must believe it. Your ability to resist temptation is in direct proportion to how often you actively and practically put faith in God. This is the living faith that every Chrisitian should cultivate. It is our struggle, but it is the good fight. It is our expression of love for God; it is our glorious approach toward the light.
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