Being Vigilant to Stand Against Temptation
I have often wondered, and hopefully many of you have too,
“How is it that I can know that this battle against evil has already been won, my sins paid, death defeated, and Satan powerless, yet I still struggle to remain pure in different aspects of life?”
Let’s take this question in some different parts, as God has been opening my eyes to a number of things lately.
1) Since the fall of Adam, human kind has been pretty consistent with the success of its decision-making skills. The bottom line is that if we are offered a chance to screw things up, we do every time (Mark 7:21-23). This is not because God’s not capable of saving us from these decisions (in fact, all good things are Christ in us), but it’s because part of the world remains in us.
2) We are not intended to live on this Earth. The bible often talks about setting your mind on Heavenly things (Colossians 3:2), and that is because all of creation groans as it eagerly awaits the redemption of our bodies through our adoption as sons (Romans 8:22-23).
3) We do not take the necessary steps to fortify our walls against the evil that awaits us. If you look back at the story of Nehemiah, in the time when he was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, there are some huge takeaways. First, Nehemiah recognized the threat of evil as a priority. He knew that surrounding nations were actively plotting against them. Second, he knew WHEN evil was likely to occur- at night. He made sure to only keep the gates open during the day when there was the buzz of necessary activity. Third, he also put an extra watch out- both at the gates and outside peoples’ homes. It was an extra layer of defense to ensure the protection of not only the border, but the people within as well. These steps can be directly applied to our spiritual lives. Nehemiah was wise in his approach against sin, and due to his fortifications, he and his people were successful in their goals of rebuilding the walls.
So, with all this being said, what’s the application moving forward? How do we guard against our worldly behaviors, live in a world where we don’t belong, and most of all fortify our defenses against evil? The answer is that it will look different for everyone. Our fortifications start with faith and a solid understanding of the state of our hearts and the work of Christ on the cross. Just like Nehemiah, we must understand the city and it’s surroundings, as well as the evil that lays in wait. After that, we must sit down either by ourselves or with an accountability partner and establish the areas where we continue to struggle. In this way, we can determine when our wall needs to be closed off, where we need to add an extra watchman, and how we can incorporate those close to us to help us on the journey. Lastly-and I am guilty of this often- we must go before God earnestly seeking to receive his grace to overcome failures and be strengthened against future temptations. Don’t ever underestimate the power of prayer!
When you feel broken or defeated and are trying to carry on the fight, remember that you are not fighting for victory because God sent Christ so that you can fight FROM VICTORY (Trip Lee).
Keep up the fight!
Scripture:
Mark 7:21-23
Romans 8:22-23
Nehemiah 7
-Tyler Vaughn