As Christians, we desire to walk in victory and truth, overcoming all the works of darkness. We want to be able to tell others that Jesus can heal, deliver, restore and bring them into perfect victory as well. It all starts with getting honest with ourselves about our failures and temptations, and then looking to God to bring us into the victory that the cross has provided. 

This series will cover five myths about temptation that rise up and rob us of an honest walk before God as we try to seek His face and grace to overcome. It concludes with four keys to victory, which are covered in greater depth in Pastor Joe’s eight-part MP3 series, ⁠How to Overcome Temptation⁠. This episode is sermon one from that series.

Additional Resources

How to Overcome Temptation — FULL MP3 SERIES (individual sermons available)

Transcript

But you know, every time we hear the truth under the anointing of the Spirit, God can add and illuminate and, and bring forth things that clarify and help us. And we’re believing for God to impart to us grace and understanding, so that we might walk in the truth. Verse 17, of chapter four, the book of Ephesians, this I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind. The god of this age blinds the minds of them who believe not. And he says, having their understanding darkened. Now I want you to see how absolutely true it is that the mind is the center of spiritual warfare. The Gentiles disobeyed God, because their mind is embracing futility. In other words, ideas that bear no positive, eternal consequences. And their understanding is dark. And in other words, darkness. The word for understanding there is a word that means the way of thinking. Their conscious thought processes are gripped by futility, because the way they think is gripped by darkness. And he says, You believers don’t walk that way. Let me just point something out to you that’s obvious and simple, but he wouldn’t tell them not to walk that way if they were incapable of walking that way. In other words, he’s saying, we as believers can be truly born again of the Spirit of God filled with the Holy Spirit of God, the temple of the Holy Ghost, and yet have our mind dark and our understanding dark and and walk in futility and walk in darkness.

Now let’s turn to second Corinthians chapter 10. Second Corinthians chapter 10, verse three, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare, are not carnal, but mighty in God, for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Now, I don’t know about you. But there have been times when it’s been very difficult for me to believe there was that even God had enough power to bring my mind into obedience to Christ. You ever felt that way? Don’t raise your hands. But you see, this is talking about a war that goes on in the mind, and that there are weapons that God has that are mighty in God to pull down the strongholds. Strongholds are fortresses, the word meant a fortress that someone would occupy in war, that would be very hard to come up against because it was a fortress really. And what what Paul is saying is we can have fortresses in our own minds as believers, that take the weapons of God to pull them down, so that they no longer keep us in captivity to disobedience. But rather we come into captivity, to obedience to Christ. Now I want you to take hope and take courage that there are weapons of warfare that are mighty in God to deliver the mind from the strongholds of darkness and release us into our inheritance as saints in the light. That’s good news, isn’t isn’t it?

We’re going to be talking for as many weeks as the Lord leads about how to overcome temptation. All right. Now, temptation is an inescapable fact of life. All right, everybody faces temptation. And most of us in the church particularly need to come to the place where we’re willing to admit that failure is a common occurrence in our lives in the area of temptation. You know, we’re supposed to be God’s people who have the answers. So we have this sense that I shouldn’t have failure in my life. And I’m supposed to tell the world that Jesus is the answer. And yet, most of us, if we’re honest, would admit that there is reoccurring failure in our lives in some area. And to admit that to one another provides a basis for honestly humbling ourselves before God and seeking his help to overcome. Because if we don’t talk about it, you assume that I walk in perfect victory. And I assume that you walk in perfect victory. And then we never talk about stumbling or falling, because we wouldn’t want to find out, we were the only one who ever fell. And so we base our relationships on dishonesty, and we’re not able to talk honestly about seeking God to overcome.

So we have to come to a place where we admit to ourselves and to one another, that repeated failure is a part of our lives. Now, if it isn’t in your life, you just think about somebody you know, who might be able to use this message that you could Minister it to them. And we’ll just assume you’re here to learn how to minister to others, but the rest of us are going to try to learn for ourselves. Amen. So I want you to start tonight, your process of overcoming by honestly dealing with the reality that repeated failure is a part of your life. Now if you accept that, and you’re able to relate to one another on that base…now, I’m telling you as the lead elder of this church, that repeated failure is a part of my life. I don’t have perfect victory over sin in my life. I see it’s in the Word. I have periods where I have a very positive time of not failing, but I don’t have perfect victory. I wish I did. I wish I could tell you that I do. And let me tell you how to get it. But I have areas of weakness that the enemy assaults and I fall sometimes. Now, I’m telling you that not because I want to, but because if I don’t tell you that, you’re in danger of thinking that I’m living in perfect victory, therefore you can’t come to me if you’re not, and get the help I might be able to give you or others in the body might be able to give you, because we have come up in a church society where leaders are supposed to be perfect. In fact, we want them to be perfect, because then we can at least say, Well, somebody’s perfect, I don’t have to be. And we want our leaders to model a kind of Christianity that we don’t think we can live because we’re not full time. And we don’t think God expects us to live because we’re not full time. But I got news for you, you are full time. You’re a full time Christian. And God does expect us to move into his victory and overcome temptation and sin. A good place to say amen there.

Now let me describe for you, our beginning place is honestly admitting we don’t have the victory we see in the Word. But now let me describe for you the cycle. And let me see if you you don’t have to raise your hands on this or, or even lower your eyelids on this. But let me describe for you. There’s five reoccurring symptoms of the vicious cycle of failure. First, we enjoy a forbidden pleasure. Secondly, we feel guilty. Thirdly, we determined never to do it again. Fourth, we take pride in brief moments of self control. And then fifthly we fail again. Now you’ve never had that experience, I’m sure. And I know some of you have made a lot of progress and growth and are learning to overcome. But I want us to have a basis for dealing honestly with our flesh. Thank God, God doesn’t know us after our flesh, but we are responsible for it. He knows us as who we are, in his son, Jesus. New creation people and that’s our primary identity in God. But we are responsible for the deeds of the body. And we need to learn the principles of God’s Word to overcome sin and failure. It is not the will of God, that we say, well, you know, everybody sins and, you know, we’re just human and, and God really couldn’t expect us to overcome. He does expect us to overcome, but he knows we can’t do it without his grace. And unless we get honest and say, I really need God to help me. How’s he going to do it? See, we don’t really cry out to God and say, Lord, I don’t want to play religious games. I want to be real and honest and walk in integrity. And I want victory and truth. And I want to overcome all the works of darkness. And I want to be able to tell others, Jesus can heal and deliver and restore and bring them into perfect victory as well.

We have to start by getting honest about our own experience, and then we have to look to God to bring us into the victory that the cross has provided. Sin has been defeated at the cross, and God can make it defeated, God can bring into our experience that same victory. We can find sin defeated in our own experience. Now, in order to move into that, in order to move into the victory, and we’re going to take some time, and some of this may seem basic to some of you, some of it might seem like water in the desert to others of you. But we’re going to deal with some very simple and practical things about temptation. And we’re going to try to destroy some of the myths that rise up and rob us of an honest walk before God as we try to seek His grace and faith to overcome. And I believe it will be helpful to us, and it will enable us to move forward and possess the land.

The Word says that we have been qualified by God to be partakers of the inheritance in the light. You’re qualified for victory. God has qualified you, that means it’s attainable. That means it’s for you. That means it should be yours. Now you have to accept that. But first, we’re gonna look tonight at some of the myths that rise up and rob us of coming at victory from the right perspective . Coming at overcoming from the right perspective. First of all, one of the terrible myths that we buy into is that we’re the only one who struggles with this temptation. How many would be honest enough to admit there have been times when you felt like you were the only person who has the particular kind of temptation that you face? Nobody wrestles with this. The other people in the church don’t have this problem? Well, I want to poke a pin in our spiritual balloon.

First Corinthians chapter 10. This is a very important verse, for victory over temptation, because one of our problems is we don’t really believe this verse. Okay? First Corinthians 10:13, no temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common to man. Now, just think about that. No temptation has overtaken you, except such as is common to man. Now, what that says, is not that everybody’s particular slant on temptation, everybody’s particular experience of temptation is identical, because they’re not. What it says is, whatever kind of temptation you are particularly assaulted on by the enemy and your flesh, that general category of temptation is common to man, and it does not exceed what others experience. In other words, you are not more sorely tried than the other people in the church. Many times you’re tempted to believe you are. You’re tempted to think that the particular way the enemy comes against you is unique and intense and far beyond what others experience, but Paul says that’s not so. There is no temptation that has overtaken you, except such as his common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Then that would be if you are wrestling with the setting weakness, that would be a great scripture to meditate on, to confess and to declare and to praise God for the truth or, but you must first of all accept it.

Your emotions say Well, other people haven’t had the life I’ve had, they haven’t experienced the background I’ve had, they haven’t gone through the traumatic experiences I have. Well, what God wants us to understand is what you’ve experienced, first of all, there are many others have experienced it, and secondly, Jesus experienced it more than you did. He was tempted in all manner and yet without sin. So, you know, the cry of humanity to God, before the cross and sometimes after the cross was God, you don’t know what it’s like. But no one can say that to God now. Jesus knows exactly what it’s like. He has experienced the worst that men can do and the greatest assault of Satan, anyone could ever experience. Satan himself tempted Jesus. Most of us have been beat around by worn out old demons. Well, I’m being a little facetious about it, but we haven’t had to deal with the level of spiritual wickedness that came against the Lord. I mean, at worst, we’ve had to deal with some principalities that have endeavored to stop our forward progress. But many times, it’s our own flesh that’s tripped us up, and we blame the devil. I heard somebody say about a vision someone had they saw the devil at the gates of hell, and he was sitting outside the gates crying, and this demon came walking out and saw him sitting there and he said, Mr. Devil, Mr. Devil, why are you crying, he said, it’s those Christians. They’re blaming me for things I never thought of. Because while there is a reality to our warfare against flesh and blood, the devil really has access where there’s darkness in our own lives. Part of the way of victory, part of the way it delivers not the whole thing, there’s a reality to the demonic end of this. And most of you are, have been taught in those areas. But I want us to take an honest look at our own minds in and own hearts, and where we find sympathetic thoughts towards evil, so that we can repent, so there is no ground. The Bible says give no place to the devil, you see? Well, to give him no place, means to not allow him to have a place in me. And that means I turn from the thought patterns and conditioning as God shows it to me that have given access to the enemy.

So the first myth we have to overcome is that we’re the only one who struggles with this temptation. Just take it by faith, if you can’t take it by feeling. You’re not alone in what you fight in the area of temptation. There are many others who fight the same kind of temptation.

Secondly, another myth that comes to us in its subtle forms, is that there are easy solutions that have somehow eluded us. In other words, overcoming sin and temptation and the assault of the enemy and the deceptiveness of the flesh and the mind, that there’s easy solutions, but somehow we’ve just been too inferior to grasp it. Ever feel that way? Like you’re just too dumb, everybody else got it, but you. Okay? It’s not true. Hebrews chapter six verse 11, says, and we desire that each one of you show the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope, until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience, inherit the promises. You see, they were in danger of giving in to discouragement and despair, because they weren’t seeing the promises manifested in their life. And the writer says, Don’t become sluggish. And the word in the margin is lazy. Don’t become lazy, but become diligent. But imitate those. Show that diligence until you have the full assurance of hope that you’re absolutely confident of victory. And he says, imitate those who through faith and patience, inherit the promises.

Now, let me show you something about the promises of God in Second Peter. Second Peter, chapter one. Remember, it’s through faith and patience that we inherit the promises. That means that faith will be an important factor in overcoming temptation. And patience will also be an important factor in overcoming temptation. So growing in faith is growing in our ability to overcome temptation. 1:1, Simon Peter a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. I want to just point something out to you here, Grace, which is God’s unmerited, divine enablement, and peace, which is the fruit of right fellowship with God, be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God,the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace are multiplied to us through a greater knowledge of the Father and the Son. So the knowledge of God himself is a major factor in growing in victory, and overcoming the works of the flesh.

All right, as his divine power has given to us all things. Now notice the tense of this. His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. His divine power has been given to us, has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him, who calls us by glory and virtue. Well, now I wonder what we need to get a hold of, to appropriate that divine power, so that we can we can enjoy the all things that pertain to life and Godliness. What is it that God has to do in us? Or what is the means of appropriation? Or what is the place where we hook on to this divine power? Well, it’s in verse four, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these, you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

So it is in God’s promises, that the divine power that causes us to overcome temptation is found. And it is through diligence, faith and patience that we possess the promises. And the promises have to do with our heritage, our inheritance in the light with the other saints. Okay, so first Timothy 6:12 is another verse that has to do with our fight here. First Timothy 6:12, fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life. Now, I want you to think about this now. Paul calls it the good fight. Why is it a good fight? Well, it’s a good fight, because God has already given us the victory. God has already defeated our enemy. God has already delivered us from His authority. And God has already given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. It’s a good fight, because we don’t have to talk God into giving it to us. We just have to learn how to possess it. There’s not a reluctance in God to give you victory. There’s failure in the fight of faith to lay hold of what belongs to you in Christ. That’s an important distinction. Look at verse 11. But you oh man of God, or woman of God, flee these things. He’s talking about the desire to be rich and other harmful lusts that destroy men in destruction and perdition. Notice it isn’t riches, but it’s the lust to be rich. Because he goes on and exhorts later, those who have riches to be open to God to distribute them as God wills and to be thankful to God that He gives us all things. But the desire to be rich and the love of money in the greediness of verse 8 through 10 there he says, But you oh man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Now those things come through the promises of God. So fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. Now what is eternal life? Well, eternal life is the knowledge of the Father and the Son. Jesus said John in John chapter 17, he said, This is eternal life that you may know God the Father and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. It’s in the knowledge of God, which we attain through the promises of God, that we partake of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The second myth, then that we have to put to rest is that there are easy solutions that have somehow eluded us. No, there’s a fight, and the devil is serious about defeating you. That’s why you have to be serious about not being defeated. He says, Don’t be lazy, don’t be sluggish, because the devil is serious. He said, You’re going to have to be diligent and through faith and persistent, consistent, tenacious, possessing of those promises, lay hold of your inheritance. Now see, in some of our minds, what rises up about this time is, I am just so inconsistent. Well, I guess you know where to start your prayers. God make me consistent, help me to discipline myself. No, don’t pray that. Don’t say, Lord, help me to discipline myself. Say, Lord, give me the grace to walk consistently. You see, because we don’t want to take pride in brief moments of self control, followed by more failure. We want a walk in the truth that sets us free.

Third myth that we need to overcome. Mature Christians are immune to temptation. The truth is, that that’s not the truth. The truth is mature Christians find more temptation, not less. Galatians chapter six. You don’t need to turn to it. I’ll read it to you. But it’s an interesting verse in the light of that thought, brethren, If any man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, would that be the mature ones? Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted? He doesn’t say, Don’t be all puffed up because you can’t be tempted and this poor immature person can be. He says, You restore in a spirit of gentleness recognizing your own capability of failure, if you give place to the devil. See, I think some people have taught holiness. In fact, there’s parts of the church that have taught a second work of grace, whereby you just can’t sin anymore. It just isn’t true to scripture or experience. You see, it is possible and promised in scripture that God can keep us. It is not ever said we’re incapable of rebellion or sin at any point along the way, but we can walk and God can So change our heart that we desire to walk in constant obedience, and we experience the grace of God to do it. It is open to us, but there’s no experience that will fix you. There’s no experience that will make you immune to temptation, because temptation has to do with the environment we’re walking in. And temptation itself is not sin. Temptation is just the pressure of the flesh and the devil, calling us to choose sin. Sin takes place when we choose, not when we’re tempted. It’s not a sin to be tempted. That helps a lot of people to realize. Jesus was tempted in all manner as we are yet without sin. It can’t be a sin to be tempted because he didn’t sin. Temptation is the pressure that comes to call you to sin, to deceive you into sin to draw you into sin. It’s when you consciously choose to say yes to it, that it becomes sin, not before. A lot of us get discouraged the minute temptation comes in Oh, here I go again. And we give up before the fight starts. Particularly if you’ve had a besetting weakness that you’ve fought over and over again, and you’ve had a recent period of failure. Then discouragement begins to weigh on your mind and your thoughts.

Discouragement is a stronghold in the mind that gives us a vulnerability to sin. Hope is the God given grace for the mind that says I may not have all the victory I’ve got that I need yet, but it’s for me and I’m going to get it. It’s hope. It’s positive expectation for the future. God’s word will give you hope and then God’s word will give substance to that hope, and that’s Faith. And Faith will possess the promise with patience. Mature Christians are not immune to temptation. You’re not going to outgrow being tempted. You need to understand that because sometimes we feel bad just because we’re tempted. It’s not a sin to be tempted. It’s a sin to sin

Number four. Here’s another myth. Sin isn’t really fun. People have tried to say sin isn’t really fun. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard rumors in the counseling office. No, sin is fun. Sin feels good for the moment. Right? But what Moses said, was that the pleasures of sin are passing pleasures. And he chose to forsake the passing pleasures of sin, and rather suffer affliction with the people of God. Let’s look at that in Hebrews chapter 11. It’s got a real good truth to it. Because part of walking as a believer is, the Christian life is going upstream against the current. And the problem is, we’re supposed to do it in a sailboat, with the wind of the Spirit moving us up, and a lot of us have been swimming. And you know, what happens when you’re swimming, and you get tired, you go the way of the current. So you swim and swim and swim and swim and swim. But God’s called us to get in a boat, put up the sail, and say, Come Holy Spirit and push us up the river. So we have to realize that we are going against the current, and it’s going to take the grace of God to keep going. Swimming implies human effort and strength. But what we need to do is sit in the boat, and as the Holy Spirit speaks, move the sail so we continue to catch the wind. Because some of us get in the boat, get the sail up, get the wind moving us, and we’re just so excited about, you know, glory to God, I’m being moved by the wind. And then the wind changes direction, and our sail drops, and our boat’s going backwards. And pretty soon we don’t know what happened. If we would have been listening, the Holy Spirit would have said, move the sail over here. I’ve got to blow in a different way right now. Has that been your experience?

Hebrews 11:25 says, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. And the margin says temporary pleasures of sin. Okay? Now notice what he says. Now notice what your choices are. This is where we lose it. Because we think we have a choice between perfect harmony, floating through life, you know, or giving into sin. But notice the two options here. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, because they’re going against the grain, than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin. In other words, we come against the wrath of the kingdom of darkness when we choose to follow God. What is it the psalmist says? Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. And so Moses’ choice was either okay, it’s not going to be the easy way, but I’m choosing to follow God. See, yes, there is pleasure in sin, but it’s passing pleasure. It’s temporary pleasure. One of the things about sin is most unbelievers think they have sin under control, till they try to stop, and then they realize it’s deceitful. You see, well, I can you know, I can control this. I had a friend in my early adult days who thought he could control heroin. He’s dead. He was deceived. It killed him. He thought he had it under control. See what I mean? That’s a real graphic illustration, but the subtler forms of it still produce bondage and death. So sin isn’t really fun is a myth. Yes, it’s fun. It just hooks you and it’s temporary pleasure. And then it’s bitter.

Now, number five. Here’s a great one. This is a great myth. I fell into sin. Turn to Proverbs chapter 12. It just snuck up behind me and clubbed me over the head. I don’t know where it came from. Well, sometimes the assault of the enemy is a surprise and sudden and sometimes demonic forces can hit us very bluntly and blatantly. And there is a dimension of it that’s sudden. But one of the things if we’re going to be honest, and really seek God for real liberation, we have to realize that there’s more to it than I fell into sin. Proverbs 12, verse 20, says, Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil. But counselors of peace have joy. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil. Most of the time we plot our own falls. Perhaps the greatest barrier to overcoming temptation is our conscious and subconscious resistance to the truth about ourselves. Now, how many know that there’s a truth about ourselves in Christ, that we must embrace to have a solid identity before God. But we do not then deny the reality of the carnal mind and its propensity to go its own way. As Paul says in Romans eight, the carnal mind, the mind of the flesh is death. It cannot submit to the law of God. Well, what is the carnal mind? The carnal mind is that part of the mind that agrees with the flesh, that it ought to reign instead of God. It ought to rule instead of God. It’s that rebellious mind that says, My desires are more important than God and everybody else. Now the Bible doesn’t say, the carnal mind is some kind of an entity that is in us and that we keep it until we get a new body. Because Paul, in the same book of Romans says, presents your body to God a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You see, our mind is sanctifiable. Paul said that the weapons of our warfare can pull down the strongholds of darkness in the mind. But we need to, we need to be honest with God about the areas of our life that are sympathetic toward evil. See, we fall because at some level, we kind of say, well, I mean, if we’re going to be real honest with God, we’re going to say, you know, Lord, my flesh likes sin. And I don’t want it to be that way. But I have to admit that sometimes my falls are the fruit of my own subtle choices that I don’t even consciously admit.

We’re not always in touch with our sympathetic thoughts toward evil. Our internal justifications that are in agreement with evil. Most of us find ourselves wanting to be free from some besetting sin or habit, that isn’t even the route that God wants to deal with. And many of us have sought God to get rid of the habit, because the habit is an inconvenience, it makes us feel guilty and ashamed, and it affects our life negatively. But we’ve not yet realized what an offense and a reproach it is to God and wanted him to deal with the attitudes that are behind it, that are also an offense to God and mar our character from expressing Christ. So we have to say God, show me the roots of my habits. Common roots, bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, resentment, fear, rebellion. Those are the common roots that need to be brought into the light. A friend of mine comes to mind right now that all you got to do is get him talking about the government, or the middle class, and he can go off on an incredible tangent, of fuming and fussing. And he doesn’t understand that he that he needs to forgive the government, and forgive his perception of the middle class, or whatever it is, and get that resentment out of his heart, because it hinders him. I mean, he goes out, he gets mad at the IRS and gets in trouble with them. You think about people that are all caught up in being mad at something, they’ve got some cause other than God’s cause, and what a waste of good time and energy it is that could be used for the kingdom of God. Now, there are people perhaps, that are called to work in a certain area, but if we’re called by God to work there, we’ll do it without bitterness and resentment. And we will do it in the peace of God, believing God’s working with us in that, but see, when you’re operating in reaction to something, you’re always operating in the flesh, and there’s no grace to do whatever you do. Alright, so we didn’t fall into sin. We need to be honest with God that many of our faults are premeditated. We know when the next opportunity will be and we’ve already thought about it.

Number six. Here’s another myth, temptation will leave with maturity. Temptation actually gets stronger and more subtle as we mature in the Lord. Think about it. People come to the Lord they want to get rid of maybe smoking or drinking or drugs or adultery, or fornication or some fleshly sin or food or whatever. But you see, as you go on in God and get victory over there, the devil didn’t fall through over eating, or drinking, or using drugs. The sins that he committed were spiritual. They had to do with pride and self exaltation. Those are spiritual sins, and they’re far more deadly than the sins of the flesh. And as we go on in Christ, the temptations we face get more subtle and more deadly. And I like this: spiritual maturity is mastering basic temptation in preparation for advanced temptation. Exactly. Well, you see, but the thing is, if you’re in the habit of leaning on God, trusting in God, and in walking in humility before God, because you’ve learned it with basic temptation, then you’ve you set your heart to walk in the place where the subtler temptations, will not be able to overcome you. But if we tolerate basic failure and sin in the flesh and compromise, as we move into the spiritual we’re that much easier to deceive? What do we find about those who fall in in the ministry that had been publicized? That at some point they did not deal with physical sin, and it brought them into pride and deception that set them up for other sins, whether with money or with doctrine, or with some other thing. One of the last things, the last few years, I remember for one ministry that fell, he had made himself the enemy of half the ministries in the country by coming against what they taught. Now, how how open do you think he was to really hear from God about whether or not those things were right or wrong with ongoing sin in his life? But you see, he got puffed up with the pride of self righteousness, and he wasn’t even dealing with physical sin that he hadn’t overcome. It’s pretty serious stuff.

So temptation will leave with maturity is another myth. Temptation is a fact of life. It helps you to realize, see, the good news is, if temptation is something we’ll face our entire life, then God must have an answer for it because he knew we’d face it our entire life. It’s when we kind of think Well, for some reason, I haven’t got it mastered yet, and everybody else does, and it’s just a temporary phase I have to overcome so I can get on to really serving God, then we’re set up to think, Well, boy, I’m really an inferior person, because I’m still fighting temptation. But when you realize we’re called to fight temptation our entire life, but to overcome it and put sin under foot, and you realize that it’s a factor in our own spiritual development. The Bible says that concerning a deacon, let him first be proved. What does that mean? Well, let’s see how he does if he’s got a little authority before we think about giving him any more. Well, God says, let’s see how we do overcoming little sins before he gives us enough anointing to have to face bigger ones. Do you see what I mean? The very thing the devil means to destroy us with becomes the curriculum for overcomers. If it’s looked at positively, you won’t beat yourself up for being tempted. You’ll rejoice in the present opportunity to grow, to learn the grace of God to learn humility to walk with God. It’s an opportunity. Now maybe the devil meant it to destroy you, but it’s just a fact of life. To us, it’s a fact of life of our spiritual curriculum, learning to be an overcomer. I had somebody say to me one time, he said, Well, you know, you can’t be an overcomer unless you got something to overcome. Kind of obvious, isn’t it? But really, it’s a profound truth. You know, if you came to me and you said, Joe, I’m really struggling with a problem with a besetting sine or weakness, and I’d really like you to help me. And I said to you, Well, what in the world is wrong with you that you have problems? I’ve never had a problem since I got saved. How many of you, after a few people had come to me and word spread? How many do you think would come? None! You’d go find somebody who at least had some compassion and understanding of the warfare that we’re in. Well, the only way to lead is to go ahead. In what? In overcoming. In facing the enemy. People are not called to lead or to be an example or to do anything, because they haven’t faced anything. Really, the ones that know the grace of God are probably in most cases, the one that have had the most to overcome or face the most difficult things, you see. So temptation doesn’t leave with maturity.

Now, I’ll give you another myth. You ready for another one? This once won’t hurt. This once won’t hurt. You’ve heard that one before, have you? This once won’t hurt. Now, I want you to realize the same devil that says, Well, this once won’t hurt and you can get forgiveness, but you won’t lose a lot of ground. And it’s not a big deal. And everybody you know, I mean, you’re entitled to this I mean, you’ve been good for a long time. Or whatever, is the same one that the moment you sin says How can a person as despicable is you think you can go to God and ask Him to forgive you when you have done this abominable thing? What’s wrong with you? You foul scummy, ungodly, and you call yourself a Christian? Same devil. Oh, this once won’t hurt. Now, this is one of those kinds of ouch things here. Every decision we make is a block in the wall of our character. A right decision puts a block of strength. A wrong decision removes a block of defense. The mind is plunged into darkness by our sin and our judgment and discernment is impaired. Our ability to hear from God is impaired. How many know that after you sin, you come to God you confess it you still battle with guilt feelings? You pray and you ask God to tell you something, but because you’re not sure, you’re struggling in your mind with feelings of shame and guilt. You’re not sure if you’re hearing God, it affects your walk with God. All right. Our image of God is distorted when we sin. We start to think he’s a judge on the throne ready to condemn us again rather than our friend that would receive us through Jesus Christ into forgiveness, cleanses us of all unrighteousness. So our perception of truth is wounded as well. How many know that when you sin, you forget everything you knew about the gift of righteousness about who you are in Christ, about God’s love and forgiveness and mercy? How many know that’s blotted out of your thinking, and you just, you just can’t think clearly? See, I think the devil likes to get us involved in sin, not because of the sin itself, but because of the opportunity is to flood our mind with unbelief and doubt and fear, and lies about God. And then here we are wallowing in a feeling that God doesn’t love us, when the cross is loudly proclaiming he’s already paid for our sin, and the way’s open. And the devil sits off and goes, Ha! I got him to do that little sin. And now they don’t even know that God loves them. How can they be so stupid? And we buy into it. So this once won’t hurt is not true.

Now, having said all of these things to you tonight, we haven’t really touched on how to lay hold of the victory. but what I wanted to do was I wanted to break the myths out of our minds. Everyone is struggling with their flesh, or everyone is in the process of learning victory to overcome. Okay? Some are further along than others. Some have more areas than others. The point we’re getting at is victory is available through the promises of God and through faith and patience. But we have to get honest about our struggle, and begin to approach God with an honest heart, asking him not only to remove our sinful habits, but any attitudes or sympathetic motivations or anything else that’s not right with God. I want to just say that thoughts become choices. That’s why the battle’s in the mind. Choices become habits, habits become character, and character becomes destiny. Thoughts become choices, choices become habits, habits become character, character becomes destiny. Now, I am committed, that myself and this body learn to humble ourselves and receive the grace of God to honestly deal with sin, and see the victory of Christ manifest in our lives personally and corporately. Victory is possible. Victory is desirable. Victory is attainable. Victory is our heritage, and victory is a gift of God’s grace. I’m gonna say that again. Victory is possible. You have to first of all recognize that it’s possible. Secondly, it has to be desirable. God says he’ll give us the desires of our heart. So if you’re discouraged, and you don’t even desire victory, then that’s where you need to start. God give me a desire, a longing, a hunger of thirst for victory, for overcoming sin, temptation. Thirdly, it’s attainable. You know, it’s one thing to admit, it’s one thing for me to admit that Bill can have victory. I believe it’s possible. It’s another thing for me to say I believe it’s attainable for me. You have to decide that victory is attainable for you. Not just possible for me but attainable for you. Fourthly, it’s your heritage. It’s something Jesus purchased for you, and qualified you to partake of your inheritance of the saints in the Light. Darkness not ruling over the sons of light. And fifthly. It’s a gift of God’s grace. Victory over sin and temptation is the gift of God’s grace. I’ll give you a clue to where victory might be found. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time, he may exalt you, casting all your care on him for he cares for you. Your adversary the devil, goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But the God of all grace after you have suffered a while, will perfect and strengthen, settle and establish you. Hallelujah. Amen.