are you currently struggling with a
particular sin
is victory something that you want in
your christian life
losing against temptations can often
leave us feeling depressed maybe numb
guilty and ashamed and we try to get up
and fight again
but we get caught up in this cycle of
failure where we learn about god try to
love him and honor him but then time
passes and we forget those truths about
god and then we fall under temptation
and do what's wrong and in our failure
we try to get back up and learn what it
takes to win but we still fall and the
cycle continues
and so failing over and over again in
this cycle does a number on us and we
become frustrated broken-hearted lost
and defeated and so the goal of this
video is to break you out of this cycle
and introduce to you
a cycle of victory for those of you who
are currently struggling don't lose hope
there is strength and grace for you
today so please join us as we answer the
following question how do i fight
against temptation
i believe one of the best places to
learn about this topic is in matthew
chapter four why because here jesus was
tempted by satan himself
and what makes this passage so
significant is the fact that jesus is
god and so he could have obliterated
satan instantaneously
but instead
jesus fought and withstood satan's
temptations without using his divine
power all to show us that we too can
successfully fight against satan
please note that this temptation can be
described as the perfect temptation
why perfect because this temptation
needed to be good enough to cause god
himself to stumble by making god stumble
satan would be one step closer to
achieving his dream of being like god
for if he can't ascend to god's
immeasurable heights perhaps he can
bring god down to his level and who can
think of a more perfect temptation than
satan the devil himself the temptation
recorded in matthew chapter 4 they were
not reckless they were incredibly
strategic and here we learn of four
major components of temptation we as
christians can learn greatly from them
the four components are timing object of
desire accessibility and persistence and
the first to discuss is timing
notice the devil's timing in matthew
chapter 4 verses 2-3 and after fasting
40 days and 40 nights he was hungry and
the tempter came and said to him if you
are the son of god command these stones
to become loaves of bread
now is jesus hungry after the first 24
hours of not eating day 3 maybe day 7
yes
but the devil didn't show up until day
40.
why because satan is strategic and like
he did with jesus he will attack us in
our weakest possible state he does not
just wait for any time
but for an opportune time
next you have an object of desire satan
offered three things to jesus in matthew
4 verses 1 to 11 and one of those things
he offered was bread satan said hey
jesus you're the son of god aren't you
why do you turn these stones to bread
why is this wrong
jesus answers in verse 4 man shall not
live by bread alone but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of god
what jesus rejected was acting upon his
desires it wasn't the action of eating
that was wrong because jesus ate a lot
of times in scripture no it wasn't the
action of eating but the mindset that
would be taken a mindset that says i
will take matters into my own hands and
if my body says it's hungry i will
fulfill those desires
interestingly enough both the old and
the new testament begin with temptations
of food
look eve look at this fruit and you will
be like god
you've looked at the fruit forgot god's
will took matters into her own hands and
lived a life that focused on fulfilling
her own lusts
so jesus when he said no to this first
temptation
he rejected a life that refused to
submit to god and he rejected a life
that is solely bent and focused on
fulfilling their own desires
the next component of a temptation is
accessibility you see what's the point
of temptation if you can't actually get
to it you see satan didn't just suggest
bread but he also gave the way to get it
consider jesus's power him being god
almighty responsible for the creation of
the universe with its galaxies stars
planets oceans animals and plants the
amount of effort it would take for him
to turn a rock into bread would be less
than the energy it takes for us to blink
jesus didn't just have access he had
complete access yet he still resisted
the urge to live a life focused on
self-indulgence the final component of
temptation is persistence satan didn't
just give up after his first attempt we
see here that jesus was tempted by satan
for a total of three times
no temptation is complete without a
back-up plan some spiritual fights
consist of attack upon attack temptation
upon temptation this was the case for
jesus and is many times the case for us
look at how elaborate satan's plan is
satan patiently waited in silence for 40
days he waited until jesus was hungry
and tired so timing check
he had objects of desire that appealed
to pleasure and power he provided
accessibility so jesus could have access
to those things and he had backup plans
prepared just in case jesus resisted the
first and second temptations
satan had for himself a temptation so
well thought out that he felt
comfortable enough to use it against god
and satan uses the same method with us
he waits for us to reach a place of
weakness he waits until after bible
study he may wait an hour a day a week
maybe a month he waits until we're
frustrated or bored or depressed
exhausted stressed out and then he puts
something in front of us
something wrong that will give us
pleasure and then he gives us access to
get it and if we're able to say no he'll
continue to present us with something
that will get us to bite the bait you
see satan's been doing this a long time
not just decades not just centuries but
millennia his experience in causing
christian men and women to stumble is
exhaustive so with the plan as cunning
and strategic as this one you need a
plan that is capable of overcoming
satan's devices a plan that can actually
lead you to victory
but let me say that while satan
possessed a seemingly perfect temptation
jesus in matthew chapter 4 has provided
us with the perfect response
a response so filled with power that all
who choose to follow its truths will not
only experience the strength and victory
of god
but be filled with unshakable confidence
and indescribable joy that are rooted in
the love of jesus christ so what was
jesus's response how can you obtain
victory in your fight against sin the
answer can be summed up in one sentence
if you want to effectively fight against
temptation
you need to grow in your love for god's
word
this is the answer this is the key to
winning against temptation if you fully
grasp this you will have victory do you
remember the cycle of failure learning
about god trying to please god time
passing forgetting god singing against
god feeling guilty going to god again
and then repeating the process you have
to change the cycle of failure into a
cycle of victory a cycle that centers
around having a love for god's word
so what is this cycle of victory there
are five components of the cycle of
victory that jesus shows us here first
part of the cycle
grow in your dependence of god's word
remember jesus's responses to satan's
temptations it is written man shall not
live by bread alone it is written again
you shall not tempt the lord your god
for it is written again that you shall
worship the lord your god and him only
you shall serve
jesus's three responses to satan's
temptations were all from the book of
deuteronomy and don't just look at what
jesus said also look at what he didn't
say jesus didn't acknowledge that he was
hungry and tired he didn't respond with
a justification on why it'd be okay for
him to eat he didn't discuss things with
satan and he didn't ignore the
temptation no his first response was to
depend on god's word so much that a
verse was his first and immediate
response in the same way a police
officer depends on his gun for
protection jesus depended on the word of
god and it should be the same for us
you
need god for everything the question is
do you truly believe this
john 15 5 i am the vine you are the
branches he who abides in me and i in
him bears much fruit for without me you
can do nothing so if you want to be more
effective in your fight against
temptation don't rely on your own wisdom
don't rely on self-help books or the
wisdom of people or a particular thought
process biblically speaking the word of
god is the answer to fight against
temptation and you must learn to depend
on god's word more learn to rely on
god's word to the point where it's your
immediate response in the face of
temptation
second part of the cycle grow in your
knowledge of god's word
again jesus quoted deuteronomy three
times jesus didn't just know deuteronomy
he had a working knowledge of
deuteronomy for example if you practice
martial arts you'd practice how to throw
a punch you would not only need to know
the steps on how to throw a punch but
you'd also need to know how to use it in
actual combat
so do you read god's word to the point
where you have a working knowledge of a
passage could you actually use it in
combat jesus used the book of
deuteronomy so question what books can
you use what books do you have knowledge
in there's 66 books of the bible so have
you looked up verses having to do with
anger pride lust bitterness greed you
see in order to effectively fight
against sin you need to start building a
strong working knowledge of god's word
third part of the cycle grow in your
meditation of god's word if someone
asked me the question
what do you think jesus was thinking
about when he was tempted
i would answer he was thinking about
deuteronomy he was focused on scripture
the fact that his immediate response to
all three temptations were all god's
word
proves the point that jesus had god's
word at the forefront of his thoughts so
what thoughts do you allow your mind to
dwell upon when you work you can think
thank you god that i can work and for
the opportunity to make money and when
you're tired you can think god thank you
for giving me the strength to get
through the day help me to get some rest
in a way that's healthy
what do you allow your mind to think
about
consider second corinthians chapter 10
verses 4 to 5. for the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in god
for bringing 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
so when you read the bible don't just
read it to check something off your good
christian to-do list
read it
and then meditate on it
ponder its meaning think about its truth
and practical applications
let it rest in your mind so when
temptation comes god's word would be
your immediate response
which leads us to the fourth part of the
cycle
grow in your recollection of god's word
the only response we hear from jesus in
all three attempts to take him down was
a recollection of god's word in fact if
you look at the armor of god in
ephesians chapter 6 the one offensive
weapon god gives us is the sword of the
spirit which is the word of god the
greek word for word here in this passage
is rhema and the word rhema means
something spoken so the word of god or
the rhema of god
is the spoken word of god which brings
us to this essential truth
every temptation has a counter verse
consider the verse first corinthians 10
13 no temptation has overtaken you
except such as is 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
this way of escape can be paved using
god's word look at what jesus did he was
met with the temptation and slash as it
is written another temptation and whoosh
as it is written and yet another
temptation and boom as it is written in
a gunfight one of the most significant
factors to winning is speed how fast can
you draw your gun you see speed is also
key to winning against temptation if
your temptation is to give in to your
anxiety then bam be anxious for nothing
but in everything by prayer and
supplication philippians 4 6 if your
temptation is to give into your lust
then bam for this is the will of god
your sanctification that you should
abstain from sexual immorality first
thessalonians 4 3 some questions for you
have you memorized verses connected to
some of your weaknesses what do you
struggle with wrath unforgiveness sexual
sin idolatry drunkenness pride
selfishness do you have an arsenal of
verses that combat that specific sin and
how fast can you recall that verse one
of the biggest keys to your victory will
be your ability to quickly recall
counter verses in the face of temptation
fight the same way jesus fought
temptation by quickly responding as it
is written
and the final part of the cycle grow in
your obedience of god's word jesus
didn't just quote deuteronomy he lived
it out he said man shall not live by
bread alone but by every word of god
you see did jesus just say it or did he
live it out too
there comes a time in every temptation
where you must make a decision
obey his word or disobey
this truth is shorter in comparison to
the other ones but obedience is key
look at first john chapter five verses
three to four for this is the love of
god that we keep his commandments and
his commandments are not burdensome for
whatever is born of god overcomes the
world and this is the victory that has
overcome the world our faith
so how do you fight temptation what's
the cycle of victory
grow in your love for god's word and you
grow in a love for god's word in five
ways one depend and rely on god's word
remember that you need god in everything
you do two grow in your knowledge of
god's word don't just read to read read
to gain practical knowledge three grow
in your meditation of god's word put it
on the forefront of your mind so that
when you are met with temptation you
have greater access
four grow in your recollection of god's
word speed is your ally learn to call
upon scripture quickly so when you get
hit you can hit back and five grow in
your obedience of god's word when you
look at what god's word says cry for
help and ask a god to help you to obey
so to conclude
don't let satan fool you into thinking
that this isn't the key to your victory
galatians 5 16 i say then walk in the
spirit and you shall not fulfill the
lust of the flesh
jesus in john 15 4 5 says
abide in me and i in you as the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself unless it
abides in the vine neither can you
unless you abide in me i am the vine you
are the branches he who abides in me and
i in him bears much fruit for without me
you can do nothing also please remember
that we're sinners
we're not perfect we will continue to
fall and fail but that doesn't mean we
can't live a life of victory so when you
fall against temptation next time
don't place any focus on the cycle of
failure forget about it regardless of
how many times you fail focus on this
new cycle of victory with one purpose in
mind to grow in your love for god's word
and please note one key to getting rid
of a bad habit
is to replace it with a new one
so when met with the temptation
use god's word and turn to something
else so don't give up
learn to depend to grow in knowledge to
meditate to recollect and to obey and
the lord will bless you
have faith take heart and don't lose
hope for our god is the god of victory
and grace
take up your sword and fight the fight
god calls you to god bless
[Music]
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