You don’t see soldiers charging into battle without weapons… We need spiritual weapons if we want to have freedom!
I admit it: I’m feeble-minded, senile, and – yes – perhaps even a bit on the “dull” side.
BUT . . .
One night last winter I was driving past a church and their sign was brightly lit: “Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” No, I did not recognize it as being verse 11 from Psalm 119. In fact, I didn’t recall ever seeing that verse before.
But from that second on, the hand of God carved it into my heart. And those words taught me a powerful lesson that cold, lonely winter night.
We simply cannot fight our sexual demons if we’re not feeding on the WORD OF GOD!
When Satan tempted Jesus, He didn’t yield — He quoted Scripture! And I love how He quoted it. Look at the first three words of Jesus’ response in Luke 4:12 after the third temptation: “And Jesus answered.” Three words PACKED with priceless information. Let’s take a look at each one.
1. “And” – Jesus resists the temptation as soon as the last word is out of Satan’s mouth. On the heels of the temptation is an immediate response. “And Jesus answered.” The key word is IMMEDIATELY.
2. “Jesus” – The answer did not come from Peter or John. Jesus had to resist the temptation himself. I wish I could resist temptation for other men. We all do. But we can’t. Like Jesus, we have to resist it PERSONALLY.
3. “Answered” – Notice that it does not say, “and Jesus debated” or “and Jesus discussed.” It says, “and Jesus answered.” BE DECISIVE! As we know with Joseph, the MOMENT of temptation is NOT the time to weigh the pros and cons. Answer the temptation IMMEDIATELY, PERSONALLY, and DECISIVELY.
We brothers in Be Free in Christ are always giving loving advice to one another to protect ourselves from Satan. If I were to take a poll of the entire group, asking you to name the one thing you do to protect yourselves from the enemy, how many of you would truly be able to answer, “Memorize Scripture”? Guys, that’s what Jesus did in Luke 4 when He was tempted by Satan. We would be wise to do the same.
We train our children to dial 911 in case of emergencies. Such a call is good advice when men face “sexual” emergencies, too. That’s when we need to dial 311 – Job 31:1: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” Try repeating that to yourself when you pass an attractive woman at the office.
I’ll wager you’ll look away.
Remember, brothers, that a man well-fed on the Word of God is stronger in the fight!
In HIS love and mine,
Tony
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life.