LIVING ABOVE TEMPTATION

By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi

LIVING ABOVE TEMPTATION.

Luke 10:19 - "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

         Whenever words are spoken, they create in the hearer a chain of thoughts which eventually leads to corresponding  actions and eventually consequences. All temptation starts and  ends with thoughts, therefore, there is no such thing as “the devil made me do it”.

     We have the power to choose or reject a ‘thought’ and once a thought is chosen, the corresponding actions are automatic. God will never teach us lessons with evil thoughts as seen in James 1:13-16 TLB “And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man's own evil thoughts and wishes.  These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God.  So don't be misled”

    God's protection as promised in Luke 10: 19 is all encompassing , it is emotional, spiritual and physical and if we have faith enough ,we can actually operate beyond any evil influence. We are expected to exercise mastery over the spiritual realm of the enemy (demons and  Satan).  This can be achieved by refusing to accept their ‘thoughts’.  Satan has been disarmed by Jesus Christ however, he still has the ability to deceive. He inflicts harm on God’s people through deception (2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Tim. 2:26) . For example, guns do not start shooting on their own accord, they have to be operated by someone. Satan can deceive gun owners into believing they are enemies and they’ll end up shooting each other.

          The same applies to married folks, research  has shown that  over 90% of divorced folks once loved each other and most remained friends even after divorce. What went wrong ?They were deceived by Satan into believing , they were each other’s  enemy and therefore incompatible. Compatibility is no guarantee for a successful marriage but faith is, that’s why the scriptures says the just shall live by faith.(Rom.1:17).  Our ancestors understood  this and within the limits of the knowledge they had about God, invested more time in building faith in each other and consequently enjoyed long lasting relationships .

         Satan cannot harm our marriages, relationships, businesses, health and jobs when we are walking in faith in Christ's redemptive work. And faith comes from hearing God’s word (Rom.10:17). The moment a couple starts loosing interest in the public reading of God’s Word (1Tim4:12-13), they automatically expose their marriage to satanic manipulations. Temptation in a relationship often comes through that persons who spends less time in the word of God that teaches on marital fidelity.
           There are no special kinds of temptations. It is the same devil but different manifestations: its like the same box but in different wrapping sheets. We loose faith to resist Satan, whenever we allow ourselves be deceived into believing that there are so-called “special cases”, that need special attention. The anointing required to overcome a $10 dollar temptation is the same needed for a $1000, 000 temptation. The Holy Ghost is both the anointer and the anointing and He does not exist in sizes. The devil likes to make us think there are special temptations so he can isolate us and quench our faith and render us hopeless .  
          Somebody somewhere is going through what you are going through right now and overcoming (1 Peter5:9).Temptations are part of life. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet He overcame every time (Heb. 4:15). God will not allow you be  tempted beyond what you can handle (1Co10:13) ,He is a faithful God and has deposited in you, all that you need to overcome that situation in Jesus name   
COUNSELING/ AJAYI
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email: michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com