Proverbs
17:3-4 The
crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.
An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous
tongue.
Remember that temptation is
not sin. Satan makes his advances on us and we recognize his presence. Sin
occurs when the temptation is met by us with our willingness or consent to
participate. You may find yourself considering the temptation in your mind but
that too, is not sin. There is no sin because the real choice of your spirit is
fixed immovably against it. You can only stand against temptation if you are
walking with the Jesus.
God allows Satan to do as he
wants. God sees what Satan is trying to do to you. God regards his temptation
of you simply as a solicitation, an offer to what you shouldn’t. When you deny
temptation its victory over you then God credits you with an obedience pleasing
to Him. You have overcome because of your trust in God’s will and God’s way,
not Satan’s.
We do not fully know how
evil can find access to our nature and seem to incorporate itself into our
thoughts and feelings. It is marvelous that at the same time we resist and
overcome it and remain devoted to God’s will. The testing of our will gives us
a reminder for the days ahead when we are faced with a new temptation. We can
remember the past victories and again not give in to Satan’s tactics.
Victory over temptation is a
harp string that is plucked by a clumsy or untrained hand giving off a terrible
noise. The noise is not due to a defect in the harp but because of the hand
that plucked it. So when a trained musician plucks the same harp the sound is
melodic and pleasing to the ears of others. Victory against temptation is a
practiced skill. Walking in the Spirit, reading God’s Word and praying to Jesus
will develop your spiritual strength and ability to withstand the testing that
Satan brings to each of us.