Temptation To Self-will

Many people believe that freedom to act as they choose gives them the opportunity to have control over their own lives.  In the Bible, the real reason the first man and woman were deceived into eating the forbidden fruit was that they believed that when they had the knowledge of right and wrong, they would be like God with the ability to control their own destiny.  How wrong they were and how vulnerable we are when we believe this lie. 

The devil will tempt us with something appealing  to our flesh and then give us reasons why it's not so bad or why we deserve it.  He may even remind us that God will forgive us for any wrongdoing, so why not just go ahead and do it.  The devil always twists the truth as his ultimate motive is to destroy us.  He wants us to obey him and by doing so disobey God.  He deceives us with things that are appealing in the moment but will never give us the satisfaction we desire.

Temptation isn’t just offering us something that we want in the moment.  The appealing core of temptation is the lie that free from God we can figure out what is morally good for us and act in ways that won’t hurt anyone else.  

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)

Prayer:  Dear God, Help me to be aware of the promptings of your Holy Spirit as He helps me sort truth from error.  Give me the strength to surrender my will and my life to Your loving care and acknowledge that You alone are God and You know what is best for me.  Amen

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