Overcoming Tailormade Temptations. Part [9] 12/22/2023 Evening thought)

Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] According to the customs prevailing among Eastern rulers, crimes not to be tolerated in subjects were uncondemned in the king; the monarch was not under obligation to exercise the same self-restraint as the subject. All this tended to lessen David's sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Instead of relying in humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might.

As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man's carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt. It is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.

We know the rest of the story, for according to the sacred record, the devil executed his diabolical plan flawlessly, and the rest is history. And since these things are written for our admonition or instruction, upon whom the end of the world is coming, we will do well to take heed lest we fall into the same traps as king David once did.

Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge. 5 Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

Overcoming Tailormade Temptations. Part [8] 12/21/2023 Morning thought)

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

Let’s reiterate again, that when some persons may complain of being tempted by the devil, in most cases, they have not a clue what they are speaking about, because a real temptation is something that is well studied out, well planned, and well executed. Considerable research, together with the historical context, and archives of factual evidences, go into the structuring of tailormade temptations, for they are not those fly by night aberrations which might occur spontaneously, on the spur of the moment, as some persons erroneously believe.

In addition to the physical factors mentioned earlier, the spiritual condition of king David at the time will be of critical importance to the success or failure of the assault, and thus, David must first be groomed, or primed for the temptation over extended periods of time. In other words, David must first stop praying, for he must be brought to the point where he believes that his knowledge of God’s word alone, together with his own will power, would be sufficient to keep him from temptation.

This constitutes one of the most fatal mistakes any Christian can make. The knowledge of God’s word without the power of God is the equivalent of having a v 12 supercharged engine in a Lamborghini, with no gas. The motive power for us to do right is centered in, and comes solely from the presence and person of God alone.

1st John 3:4 Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither known him.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!