Tempted? There’s a Way Out.
MARCH 13
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18
Do you know why the devil couldn’t get to Jesus in the midst of a 40-day fast when He was starving? He was already satisfied. You see, Jesus didn’t have an itch that the devil could scratch.
Temptation really comes down to this: Satan lures you to take a legitimate, God-given desire and satisfy it in an illegitimate, God-forbidden way. Satan says, “Hey, you’ve got a need, and I can satisfy it.”
Desires like food, security, love—they’re legitimate. The sex drive is a God-given desire. Satan wants to take that and twist it. You’re not sinful because you feel sexual urges. How do you handle it? Satisfy it the right way; then you won't need the wrong way.
Have you ever tried to take a bone from a dog? Here’s how: throw a steak on the ground. He'll drop that bone. Isn't that right? You see, when you satisfy a desire the right way, when you choose what God has for you, then the ol' dog doesn't need that bone. A preacher friend of mine says, "If you're eating steak at home, you won't need bologna at the office."
When tempted, you have a choice: get that need satisfied by the devil or by the Lord. The devil is a pervert. He has no original materials. All he can do is take what God created first, then pervert it.
A husband and wife should live together as sexual partners, happy in the Lord Jesus. Do you want to overcome temptation? Satisfy your desires the legitimate way, and you won’t need the illegitimate.
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
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