Obtaining Victory Over Sin - NetBibleStudy.com

Victory Over Sin 6Illustrations of this inclination:1. A woman trying desperately to break the habit of smoking said thatshe was making progress until she was employed in an office whereeveryone smoked. In an atmosphere drenched with the smell ofsmoke, she fell back into her former habit.2. After meeting a former boyfriend, a married woman discovered thatshe had deep emotional feelings for him. Consequently, she began tothink she had married the wrong man, and felt trapped. Now sheasks, “Why did God, who knows how weak I am, allow us to meet again?”3. A homosexual admitted that he had begun his sexual relationshipswith other men when, at the age of 12, he were seduced by an olderhomosexual. So began a long struggle with abnormal behavior. Couldnot God have protected him from his experience?4. Alcoholics, trying to stay dry, often slip back into drunkennessbecause of pressure from peers who are addicted to the bottle.And, so it goes . . .And what about the more subtle sins of the mind? Yes, Christ taught that eviloriginates in the heart, but our environment provokes many of our struggles with evilthoughts. All around us are stimuli that draw out the worst in us. Without taking us outof the world, God could lead us to circumstances less conducive to evil passions,covetousness, and anger. If at least some of the chuckholes were removed from ourpath, the possibility of blowouts would be lessoned.But God has not shielded us from the places or the power of cruel temptations.(1) Satan has access to our lives; (2) our sin nature is unrestricted, and (3) often withoutwarning we find ourselves in situations that contribute to outward or secret sin.Why is Temptation So Powerful?REASONS FOR TEMPTATION1. A Test of LoyaltyAs might be expected, God has a purpose in allowing us to be tempted. To begin,let’s remember that temptation, with all of its frightful possibilities for failure, isGod’s method of testing our loyalties. We cannot say that we love someone until wehave had to make some hard choices on their behalf. Similarly, we cannot say we loveGod until we’ve said “No” to persistent temptations.Take Abraham as an example. God asked him to slay his favorite son. He wasstrongly tempted to say “No” to God. The altar he built was probably the most carefullyconstructed one ever built. As he worked, he surely thought of numerous reasons whyhe should disobey God: Isaac was needed to fulfill God’s promise, Sarah would never