Resist!

Temptations are definitely nothing good to come by..but here was Jesus, in the desert, hungry and exhausted..It was after his 40 days of fasting, when he was just breaking his fast, that the witty Satan appeared..
The devil has some pretty good timing.He took advantage of Jesus' physical weakness and exhaustion to tempt him..Looking at our lives, it's mostly when things are not okay that the devil creeps in and brings all sorts of bad ideas..Most if not all the time, these ideas just end up destroying a lot in our lives once we comply to Satan's wrong 'guidance'..

The first time I read this story (way back when I was in primary school), I didn't quite understand how come the devil knew scriptures from the Bible..I remember some day in Sunday school when our teacher explain to us how heaven and hell came to be..Satan was an angel; Lucifer was his name..He was the best musician in heaven at the time(which should explain how badly he has used music to stray so many from the word of God).
This link tells us more about Satan's rebellion from God, and the root of all evil:
 http://mcdonaldroad.org/bible/study/lucifer.htm 

As I was saying, Satan used scripture to tempt Jesus..(Oh, by the way, this story is in Matthew Chapter 4-I should have said this at the top..Oh well!:p)Yes, Satan knows scripture..don't be surprised, he may know more than you and I do.The devil will tempt you with the truth!
Look at what he did with Eve in Genesis 3..He told Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"Upon reading Genesis 2:16 you'll quickly realise that the devil was very wrong about this..God said they could actually eat from any tree in the garden EXCEPT the one in the midst of the garden.Satan wasn't unwary of this truth ; he was just being crafty..Then see what Eve said: "...............'and you must not touch it or you will die'"God did not say they shouldn't touch it!But Eve, so human..she complicated things for herself and even changed the instructions..Are you guilty of the same?God's intention isn't to make things so difficult for us..Just take His instructions as simple as they are..(that was just another by the way:):))
In 2 Cor 11:3, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians telling them that he is afraid that the the devil's cunningness shall lead them astray from their pure devotion in Christ.
Watch out too beloved, lest you fall in this same trap..

I won't proceed to explain the three ways in which the devil tempted Jesus, trusting that we are well familiar with them..
I just want to remind you that temptations are tailored to our vulnerabilities..I don't know what your weakness may be.As for me, though I don't like to admit, somewhere in deep I have a short temper....:):):)(I just put those uneccesarry smileys to sort of lighten the mood..haha..:p)Good thing though is that 99% of the couple of times I'm irate or angry, I'm able to control what I say or do.But I can honestly say that there are times the devil has taken advantage of my vulnerability at such a time to a point that I've hurt people so close to me..

For me, salvation gives me a sense of security.I'll tell you this though, great priviledges and divine favour will not secure anyone from being tempted..Satan is not looking out to bring down souls he has already won.He seeks to destroy those who have buried themselves in the faith if Christ..

Let your loyalty lie in Christ alone..Flee from this bad guy with an ugly name..Resist him.Ask God to open your inner eyes and to give you the wisdom to fight this bad guy whenever he comes through(because he will)

On a lighter note now:..
:):)..(I had to)
God loves you and I, He is watching over you and I.He knows we are naturally weak because of our humane nature but that is why there is GRACE..sufficient grace!
2 Cor 12:9,10.


Smile..
:)
Amidst temptations..
He's with you.
Just be true to Him..
And resist!

Love,
Karwirwa Laura.