Part 3 of 3

In her book When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, Beth Moore shows us how to seduce-proof our life, and this is the same technique we must use to keep ourselves from crossing the line. It is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, "Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil."

Satan is real, he’s determined, and he’s ferocious. He wants to devour you and your Christian brothers and sisters, and he will stop at nothing short of the power of Almighty God. How very blessed we Christians are! We actually have that power, the power of Almighty God, available to us through the presence of His Holy Spirit which dwells in every believer (Ephesians 1:19-21). We must be careful though, this power can be diminished; it can be stifled. Notice the warning Paul gave the Thessalonians in the seduce-proofing Scripture quoted earlier, "Do not stifle the Holy Spirit." Battling against Satan when the Holy Spirit has been stifled would be like battling an army with toy weapons.

Proverbs 15:13 tells us "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." Sweet sister, if you’re living with the heartache of a crushed spirit or suffering from feelings of despair, you’ve crossed the line. Satan has already begun to accomplish a work of foolishness in your life; you’ve been nudged out of the center of God’s will.

If you’ve battled with the Devil and been knocked to your knees, cry out to God. Ask Him to wash over you with a godly sorrow for any wrongdoing on your part; ask Him to show you how to repent in a way that will put you right with Him again. God’s Word says this kind of sorrow and repentance leaves no regret (2 Corinthians 7:10). It leaves no regret because, when Satan stands before God accusing you concerning this particular issue, you can defeat him with the word of your testimony which will be, "God has already covered over this offense with the precious blood of Jesus." This is how the Bible says Satan, the "accuser of the brethren," will be overcome (Revelation 12:11).

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Paul, in 1 Timothy 6:11, wrote, "…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." Then followed it immediately with, "Fight the good fight of the faith." He knew, perhaps better than any of us, that when we begin to pursue this type of relationship with God, it is certain to catch the eye of Satan who will be furious about the changes he sees in us. When we choose to live a life that publicly displays our pursuit of an intimate relationship with God, you can be sure we will be added to Satan’s "Most Wanted" list.
I remember when, after many years of being saved, I began to desire an intimate relationship with God. I was just beginning to really pursue Him when Satan set up an ambush for me. I had never fought any serious battles before because I had never been a serious threat, and my inexperience on the battlefield showed in those early days. I fought and I stumbled. In fact, I’m still fighting and stumbling. But I'm learning and growing stronger every day, and I intend to continue to "fight the good fight of the faith." I'm not going to give up because of a couple of scraped knees. There's just too much at stake.

Sister, are your knees scraped and bloody? Please let me encourage you - don’t quit now! Don’t allow Satan the victory. Don’t live your life in despair, crushed by the schemes of Satan. Let the testimony of your life be, "She fought the good fight of the faith." There are so many others out there who have never seen an example of one who is willing to fight so diligently because she loves the Savior with all her heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:29-31). Won’t you be the one who models this type of life for those in your circle of influence?

© Tammie 2005

Posted by Tammie at 1:49 PM