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The Bible teaches that all of us are exposed to temptations that have the potential to enslave and destroy our souls. "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, and bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bring forth death" (James 1:14, 15).

We are involved in a spiritual conflict, in our enemy is the devil. When Satan lost his position in heaven, he lost it forever. Knowing his fate, he designed an evil scheme that has proven very successful. He has taken up the task of enticing people to do wrong so that they too will miss heaven.

Though a variety of circumstances and individuals, Satan's persuasive ideas bombard us like poisoned darts. The launches his assaults through such things as obscene pictures, jokes, advertisements, fashion, easy money, and even hardships. Too often, however, we do not perceived the danger, because Satan appeals to the carnal nature within us that is already inclined to do evil. With this obvious disadvantage, we are easily conquered by the enemy, unless we are equipped to resist the temptations that come.

Resist! That is exactly what God has said we must do to overcome. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). It sounds easy, yet many live in defeat because they are not willing to take God at His Word. Either they try to resist the devil in their own strength, or they do not resist them at all.

It must be understood that in order to have victory, we must want victory. How is it in your life? Do you care? Does it matter to you that Satan is plotting against your life? Do you want victory over temptation?

Let me suggest a plan that will help you face every temptation victoriously.

1. Enlist in the Lord's Army. The only way to overcome temptation is to submit ourselves to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation. This requires the new birth, because the carnal nature we were born with actually desires the things that displease God. Consequently, we are no match for the devil. We must first deal with the enemy within us by repenting of and confessing our past sins and by exercising faith in the blood of Christ to cleanse us from them (1 John 1:9). When we surrender unconditionally to Jesus, He changes our lives, giving us a new nature with new desires and new goals. He gives us the Holy Spirit, by whose power we can overcome in our battle against evil.

2. Join the ranks. Joining God's Army includes identifying with His people in a church setting. The Lord does not intend that we fight the battle alone. By fellowshiping with a Scriptual church group, we can share mutual support and encouragement with others involved in this spiritual battle.

4. Put on the armor. In the army of the Lord, we are told to "put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 3:11) . Our Captain provides the armor if we are willing to wear it. This armor (actually our identity with truth and righteousness) become our defense against the wicked devices of the devil. If we depend on the Lord's power rather than our own, we can be assured of victory.

4. Follow the commander. Jesus, our Leader, has a comprehensive battle plan, and He knows how each of us can best fit into that plan. The Bible gives us an authoritative set of orders to guide us in the battles of our life. Our Captian holds us responsible to follow those orders carefully and diligently. Jesus Himself overcame the devil's temptations by quoting Scripture passages.

5. Avoid the enemy's territory Since the devil is the god of this world, we can expect to encounter his evil domain in a variety of ways. Many people make the mistake of placing themselves where the devil's persuasive powers are more intense. They may boast of ther abilities to outwit the enemy, but few people are strong enough to subject themselves to evil forces and remain undefiled. The risk is too great. For own safety we must avoid people, places, literature, audio-visual productions, and all other things that present a temptation to to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If fact, our spiritual safety depends on how well we succeed in identifying and avoiding such evil. Sometimes we may question if a situation really warrants alarm; but the Lord has said, "Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

A good soldier will exercise caution, lest he stumble into the enemy camp unawares. The devil is so subtle that at times his corrupted devices are not easily detected. Our ability to recognize the powers of darkness is essential to gaining victory over the snares associated with them.

6. Be an aggressive warrior. Even though we may avoid situations where evil forces are in control, we cannot escape the tempter's power entirely. While we are in this life, the devil will employ a host of methods of lure us away from God. Our response is critical. To be passive to temptation is to perish. "Be sober, be vilgilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8 ). In light of the danger that is stalking about, we must always be prepared for action. By being conscious of the fact that we are involved in a battle, we will be alert to enemy attack and then face it with the determination to overcome.

We can have the confidence that, as we steadfastly oppose the devil, God will give us the victory. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35). We could ask, Is any temptation too great for a faithful shoulder to withstand? "Nay, in all things we are more than conqueors through him that loved us"

--Stanley R. Heisey

Thought I said this already, but since it's pretty obvious that I haven't... thanks for posting this. It means a lot to me in particular

Thanks, I never really thought of all the steps and precautions we must go through in order to really be prepared for an attack from bellow.
Thank you brother.
-Pedromac

wow that was a nice message this guild is so cool:

While it may be true that we can without the help of Christ get away from this specific problem or any other problem on our own we as Christians believe that we do in fact need Jesus to completely escape sin.

Now before I continue let me add a sidebar: we do not believe that we will ever reach a point where we are perfect. As human beings we can not and will not be perfect or close to it until after the Christ's return. The Christians who live in such a way that they demonstrate a "holier than thou" attitude do not align with the teachings of Jesus Christ who commanded that we humble ourselves before others or we will be humbled

to continue with what I was saying before we don't necessarily believe that we need Christ to escape individual sin but we do believe we need him to escape sin as a whole and we also believe we need him to escape the punishment for sin. Also let me explain that we define sin as any wrong or amoral action or thought.