Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you
Some other to win;
Fight manfully onward,
Dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus,
He’ll carry you through.
Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
Shun evil companions,
Bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in reverence,
Nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest,
Kindhearted and true,
Look ever to Jesus,
He’ll carry you through.
To him that o’ercometh,
God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer,
Though often cast down;
He who is our Savior
Our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus,
He’ll carry you through.
“Yield Not To Temptation” by Horatio Palmer (1834–1907)
The devil made me do it.
How you behave is dependent upon what you believe. In this world you will have trouble. It may not be physical but it definitely is spiritual. Spiritual Warfare….It’s REAL!
Ephesians 6: 10-12 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
The Spiritual War Zone is the small struggles. It’s the target on your back when and because you belong to Jesus.
It’s hard to keep our language clean
when everyone around is cursing.
It’s hard to keep our minds clean
when pornography is only a click away.
It’s hard to keep our nerves healthy
in a polarized and deteriorating culture.
Actually, it’s impossible without Jesus. It’s easy to allow our environment to influence us as to how to live. Because it seems everyone has an opinion about it. But we don’t have to give in to it.
We are all tempted — we are not alone. Jesus has been down this road. But when we put our trust in Him, He limits what we can bear. James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” As humans we need Him to help us retreat from certain kinds of temptations such as immorality, greed and idolatry. Get as far away as you can. If you don’t run you will be victimized by them. Remove anything that will cause you to be tempted — turn away. Proverbs 4: 14-15 tells us, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.”
With God’s provisions, such as the Bible and the Sword of the Spirit, we have the ammunition to ward off the temptations.
First we need to recognize it. See it for what it is. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, tells us “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 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.” We do need to be strong to turn away from the temptations that will do evil against us. Go ahead have the ice cream, just not the whole tub.
Next we need to develop the wisdom to plan our way by spending time in God’s Word. Check out Psalm 119:33-40, the beginning of which says, “Teach me, O Lord the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart….” God gave us His Word with so much in it to benefit our lives, but we have to spend time in it and read it and take it to heart, whereby the knowledge and wisdom is given to us.
Our best ammunition is Prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to nudge you in the right directions to keep you in step with Jesus and God’s plans for you. Jesus said in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” And don’t forget that God promised in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Talking to God is so essential, that’s praying. You can talk to God the Father, or Jesus our Lord, or even to the Holy Spirit directly anywhere or anytime. They are always listening and there to help you in a crisis or you just want to talk about what’s on your mind.
When you rely on all three of the above, they become your stabilizers in a world that has no stabilization. You don’t have to go via the way of the world that asks you to do the hard things when you can just leave it with Jesus, He makes life easier. When it comes to your eternal life, you get to choose —will it be a life with Jesus in eternity, or the alternative?
Turn your eyes upon JesusLook full, in his wonderful faceAnd the things of earth will grow strangely dimIn the light of his glory and grace
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Saviour but would like to, say this little prayer and ask Him into your heart. Learn to read your Bible and get to know Him and let Him lead you as you gain more knowledge about Him and have that all-important relationship with Him.
The things of earth will grow strangely dim.