What to do when the enemy tempts you.

• By candidasullivan
• June 14, 2024
• No Comments

The enemy is a master manipulator. His goal is to hurt us and cause us to sin. He tempts us continuously. The longer we discuss things with him, the stronger our desire is for it.

When I engage in a dialogue with the enemy, I allow him to sway me. However, if I firmly stand my ground, I deny him any room for negotiation. Yet, if I find myself wavering, caught between two choices, I inadvertently give him the chance to bargain with me.

The negotiation commences when Satan assures me that the path he offers will not harm me. He may even convince me that I need what he is presenting. However, it’s crucial to remember that we do not need anything the enemy offers us.

Satan’s temptation goes against my morals. It even disputes the word of God. We saw this with Eve. God told her one thing, and the serpent told her the opposite. Anything that goes against the word of God is from the enemy.

Also, I feel the warning when I start to do something I know isn’t right. It’s like a battle of right or wrong inside me. If I choose the wrong thing, I feel guilt and shame during and afterward. But if I choose the right thing, I feel empowered.

Each time I choose the right thing, I become stronger and wiser. But if I continuously make bad choices, I become weaker and blinded by my sins. After a while, I will try to convince myself it’s okay because my flesh loves sin.

But it’s not okay. The sin hurts me. It comes between God and me. When enough of it builds up, I can’t feel God anymore. In the emptiness of His presence, I use other things to make me feel better. Those things, however, are only temporary. They numb the pain and become stronger in my life.

We don’t need outside forces to make us feel better. We just need to turn to God. He can give us what we need to resist the enemy. The Bible tells us that he will flee from us if we resist the devil.

Every time we feel the urge to numb our pain or satisfy our desires with something else, we need to pray. God can help us overcome the temptations of the enemy.

When I stopped smoking, I was determined never to allow anything else to have that kind of power over me again. But the enemy sneaked in a food addiction. I thought about food all the time. The more I thought about it, the more it controlled me.

Even though I ate healthy food that was low in calories, I still ate a lot. And I always wanted more. I would be eating, thinking about what I might eat next. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal until I saw how it controlled me.

Then, it broke my heart and made me mad. I REFUSE to allow Satan to use addictions to control me any longer. I decided to STOP USING food to make me feel better. I asked God to help me to overcome it.

I saw a statement that said we can only grow to the point of how much truth about ourselves we can accept before we run away.

At first, I rolled my eyes. I dismissed the thought, but it continued to nag at me. Sometimes, it’s hurtful to see our truths, but allowing things to control and harm us is even worse.

Once we uncover our truth, we can ask the Lord to help us to overcome it. But we can’t overcome things we hide or pretend they don’t exist.

When we turn to God in the middle of the temptation and ask Him to help us, He will. God will not leave us in temptation without helping us. Through God, we have a way out. We need to run to God when we feel the urge to give in. The more honest I am with God, the more I allow Him to help me.

The enemy wants to give us problems and then encourage us to ignore them and numb the pain. But God will show us how to overcome it completely.

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