Not saying it’s easy, but there’s no better test of our love for God than when we choose obedience over temptation. These temptations can range from flagrant egregious acts to subtleties like not spending one-on-one time with the Holy Spirit. However, we’ll never know if our love is absolute or conditional until it triumphs over our self-will.
Our love for God keeps our self-will in check.
Of course, the devil studies our moves; he knows how to tempt us by pressing certain impulse buttons and who to get to pull the triggers. His strongholds are vice-grips; he plays for keeps. But we mustn’t fall for his deceptive tactics as Eve did in the garden; news flash, he’s still serving the same menu—death.
But thank goodness, we don’t have to fight these battles alone. Instead, God has given us an Advocate—the Holy Spirit, to help us resist the enemy’s temptations, giving us the faith to say, “No, not my will, but thou will be done.”
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Does your love for God triumph over your self-will?
© 2023
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