About pushing back against temptation…
1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing
firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are
undergoing the same kind of sufferings (NIV)
You do not need to be helpless against temptation. You are helpless against
temptation only when you have given up and decided you cannot fight back.
Indeed, you might be helpless against temptation using your own power and your
own will. With just your own power you are indeed helpless to fight against the
sinister power that wants to drive you into the ground…the sinister power that
urges, cajoles, and wants to draw you into doing what you know you should not
do. However, if you want the power, you can find the power to stand against
temptation by asking Christ to help you push against temptation. In pushing back
against temptation you must realize you do not have to be alone at any moment of
your life. Christ is always with you and He will push back against your
temptations that beg you to do wrong things. When you combine your will and His
will, when He and you push back against temptation, no power of temptation can
overcome you. When your hands and His hands push against the dark urgings within
your soul, then both He and you can defeat the forces of evil plotting your
failure. Most importantly, you must understand a maximum effort on your part is
mandatory. You must push back against the darkness with all your might…push
back against the darkness lurking about you. To be able to push back, you must
pray hourly to always be in alignment with His will, to always be in alignment
with His power, and to always be in alignment with His love.
