Every person has to deal with temptations in life, but it’s all about whether you can resist the temptation or not. How do you resist the temptation? What does the Bible say about temptation? When you have become a new creation in Jesus Christ, you will always have the ability to go back to the flesh and give in the temptation and sin. مسیحیان هستند, که می گویندیک بار ذخیره شده همیشه ذخیره می شود and that you can’t sin anymore, because Jesus has taken care of the sin problem and has taken all the sins away. But these Christians are fooling themselves and are living in a lie. Because if that would be true, then why did Jesus, پل, پیتر, John, جیمز, و غیره. warn the believers and instructed them to turn away from sin? Paul even commanded the saints, to not have fellowship with unbelievers and believers, who habitually live in sin (1 قرنتیان 5:11, 2 قرنتیان 6:4). If Christians would not be able to sin, then why would they write about it? Why did Jesus instructed the seven churches to توبه کردن in the Book of Revelations?
علاوه بر آن, if you have repented of your sins and believe that Jesus has delivered you from sin and your طبیعت گناه, دیگر در گناه راه نخواهی رفت. Because if you keep walking in sin, از چی توبه کردی? And from what has Jesus delivered you?
Are you delivered from sin and the power of darkness?
اونوقت چی بگیم? آیا ما به گناه ادامه خواهیم داد, این فیض ممکن است فراوان باشد? خدای ناکرده. چگونه باید, که برای گناه مرده اند, دیگر در آنجا زندگی کنید? نمی دانید شما نیستید, که بسیاری از ما همانطور که در عیسی مسیح تعمید یافتیم ، در مرگ او تعمید یافتیم? بنابراین ما با تعمید در مرگ با او دفن می شویم: مثل اینکه مسیح با شکوه پدر از مردگان بلند شد, حتی بنابراین ما نیز باید در جدید بودن زندگی قدم بزنیم (رومیان 6:1-2)
If you have truly repented and if you are truly delivered from sin and the power of darkness and your sinful past, and laid down your flesh and received His nature; روح القدس او, از طریق بازسازی, then you shall no longer walk after the flesh in disobedience to God in darkness and do evil (گناه). But you shall walk after the spirit in obedience to God, in the light and do the اراده خدا, که اراده عیسی نیز هست.
اگر به یک خلق جدید تبدیل شده اید, you don’t belong to the devil and the darkness. The devil isn’t your father anymore, and therefore you shall no longer obey the devil in the flesh and do his works.
وقتی دوباره متولد شد, تو مال خدا هستی. God has become your Father and therefore you shall از او پیروی کنید in the spirit and do His works.
در زندگی, there are many carnal temptations, which could lead to sin. Let’s have a look at some temptations.
How can you resist the temptation of power?
Adam and Eve were perfectly created after the image of God. They were spiritual and walked after the spirit. But God had given Adam and Eve a free will. به خاطر آن, they had the ability to become نافرمانی خدا. Adam and Eve walked after the spirit until the devil approached them through the serpent and tempted them in the flesh to sin.
They had a choice to believe the words of God and stay obedient to Him and to keep walking after the spirit, or to believe the words of the serpent and be led by the lusts and desires of the flesh and chose to obey the serpent and walk after the flesh.
The lust for more power and to become like God were more important to them than obeying the words of God and therefore they became disobedient and sinned.
How can you resist the temptation of food?
Esau was the firstborn of Isaac and inherited the firstborn right of his father. اما, in a moment of weakness, when Esau became hungry, Esau considered his carnal lust more important than his birthright. بنابراین, Esau freely exchanged his birthright for food (گوشت) and sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob.
در آن لحظه, Esau didn’t consider his birthright and the grace, which God had given Esau, valuable and important. But Esau was indifferent towards his birthright. Esau’s carnal lust was more important than the grace of God and by his deed, Esau rejected God. Esau’s action was an abomination to God (مالاچی 1:3, رومیان 9:13, عبری 12:16)
How can you resist the temptation of women?
Although God had appointed Samson for a special purpose, Samson loved women. Samson revealed his secret to an unreliable strange woman because his love for women was greater than his love for God. When Samson’s wife Delilah asked Samson twice about the secret of Samson’s strength, Samson lied twice to Delilah. By Delilah’s actions; by betraying Samson, Samson could have known, that Delilah wasn’t trustworthy and didn’t love Samson. But Samson had a weakness for Delilah and was blinded by his love for her. When Delilah asked Samson a third time, Samson revealed the secret of his strength. And so Samson’s action became his downfall.
Solomon also loved strange women. While God had commanded him to not get involved with strange women, Solomon couldn’t resist the temptation of beautiful strange women and fulfilled the lusts and desires of his flesh. His disobedience to God caused him his downfall (همچنین بخوانید: ‘‘How do you enter the way to destruction?').
داوود مردی بود بر اساس قلب خدا, but even in David’s life, there was a moment of weakness. In a moment of weakness, David was led by his carnal senses and sexual lusts and desires.
David sinned by committing adultery, but that wasn’t all David did. Because David’s carnal lusts and desires for Bathsheba were so big, David caused her spouse to be killed during the fight.
David’s behavior was an abomination to God. Although David was a man after God’s heart, God punished David for his actions.
How can you resist the temptation of money and wealth?
Judas Iscariot loved money. Although Judas was a disciple of Jesus Christ and did signs and wonders, Judas’ love for money was greater than his love for his Master. برای 30 تکه های نقره, Judas traded his Master (متیو 26:14-16).
These are just some of the many examples in the Bible, whereby the will of man and fulfilling the carnal lusts and desires of the flesh were more important than loving and obeying God. Although the examples, که در بالا ذکر شد, involve the old creation; پیرمرد, there are still many believers today, who keep living after the flesh and keep living in sin.
The love they have for themselves and for fulfilling their carnal needs is greater than their love for Jesus Christ and God the Father. Because of that many Christians ‘sell’ their birthright as sons of God to fulfill their carnal lusts and desires. They consider their temporary pleasures and fulfilling the lusts and desires of their flesh more important than obeying Jesus Christ and the Father and keep walking after the Spirit in holiness. But by their actions, they don’t exalt Jesus and don’t honor God, but the devil and give all honor and glory to him (همچنین بخوانید: ‘از بین بردن کارهای خدا به جای از بین بردن اعمال شیطان’).
Fulfilling a temporary carnal pleasure can have major consequences. در سراسر کتاب مقدس, we read about the consequences of walking after the flesh and disobeying God.
Not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New Testament, we read about believers, که به خلقت جدیدی تبدیل شده بود, but became apostate from the faith, due to the fact, that their love for themselves and for the world was greater than their love for God. متاسفانه, these days nothing has really changed (همچنین بخوانید: ‘I will give you the riches of the world’).
Scandals among Christians
Why do so many scandals occur among Christians? Why do so many Christians, including leaders of churches, fall? Because many Christians stay carnal and keep living after the flesh and are led by their flesh; حواس, احساس, عواطف, نفسانی (دنیوی) فکر, اراده, شهوات, خواسته ها, و غیره. They think they walk after the spirit, اما در واقعیت, they sit on the throne of their own lives and are led by the lusts and desires of their flesh. They use the grace of God to keep walking after their own will and to condone their actions, که بر خلاف اراده خدا پیش می رود. اما در واقعیت, آنها reject the grace of God for the lusts and desires of their flesh, درست مثل ایسو.
Many Christians don’t build their faith upon the Word and don’t stay obedient to the Word, در عوض, they wander, because they rely on their own insights and understandings and the wisdom and knowledge of the world.
As soon as a temptation (an opportunity and invitation to sin) arises in their lives, like power, شهرت, پول, ثروت, زن, مردان, کودکان, و غیره, they succumb and fulfill their carnal lusts and desires.
They speak and act piously and kindly in the presence of people. Some may be teachers or do outreaches and pray and lay hands on the sick.
But when they are home, they lead a whole other life, which is hidden from the outside world. A life, full of sexual uncleanness, زناشویی, نوشیدن, عصبانیت, خشونت, طمع, فریب, تقلب, غیبت, طب جایگزین, یوگا, هنرهای رزمی, gambling, بازی و غیره.
They don’t care about the spiritual well-being of other Christians and what consequences their hidden agenda has on the lives of Christians. با توجه به واقعیت, that they are unspiritual and led by their flesh, they don’t know what spiritual consequences their laying on of unclean hands have on the lives of others.
They don’t realize, that by laying on unclean hands they transfer unclean spirits that control their lives, into the lives of others. عوض, they remain a slave of sin and keep fulfilling their carnal lusts and desires and enjoy their temporary pleasures.
But this is not the life, that God has meant for the new creation; مرد جدید. God didn’t give His Son so that Christians can keep walking after the flesh and keep living in sin.
Jesus didn’t give permission to sin
Jesus didn’t give permission to sin, but Jesus died to deal with sin and the sinful nature of the old man. God has given everyone the ability and power to become a son of God in Jesus Christ, از طریق بازسازی, and to walk as a son of God after His will in righteousness and holiness. He has given everything to the new creation. به طوری که, the new creation would be able to keep walking after the spirit and resist every temptation in the flesh.
متاسفانه, the focus in most churches is primarily on the supernatural and spiritual manifestations, علائم و شگفتی ها, سعادت, and enrichment of ‘self’, به جای مردن به "خود", تقدیس, و پرورش شخصیت خداپسندانه. به خاطر این, many Christians don’t build their faith upon Jesus Christ; the Word and don’t mature in the spirit. But they build their faith upon their feelings, عواطف, تجربیات, and the experiences and wisdom of other Christians.
As soon as temptations arise, they are not able to stand and stay obedient to God and resist the temptation, but they give into the temptation of their flesh and keep sinning.
A lack of strength
Most Christians have become indifferent toward sin and don’t see the harm and evil of sin. They are aware that sin is not good, but because many are unspiritual, they don’t see the effect of گناه در زندگی مردم. They keep sinning, with intent and have a mentality of: "اوه خوب, it doesn’t matter if I make a mistake. I just repent and ask forgiveness and Jesus will forgive me. It’s that simple.”
But this is a weak mentality and a lack of strength of character of the old man, who is ruled by his flesh and not able to resist the temptations of the flesh, که بر خلاف خواست خداست. Just like you’ve read in the examples above of the old man.
But our example is Jesus Christ, Who walked after the Spirit and resisted every temptation. Most believers have not resisted unto blood, but allow their flesh to dominate their lives (عبری 12:4). That’s because they are not focused upon Jesus Christ and are unspiritual, and don’t see the effect of sin.
How can you resist temptation?
پس خود را به خدا بسپارید. در برابر شیطان مقاومت کنید, و او از شما فرار خواهد کرد (جیمز 4:7)
The temptations derive from an unrepented heart and take place in the flesh. As long as the flesh is not crucified and laid down in Christ, a person shall remain the old creation and shall give in to the desires and lusts of the flesh and keep living in sin.
The only way to resist temptation is to lay down the flesh and submit to Jesus; the Word and keep walking after the Word and the Spirit, and don’t get involved with the things of this world. As long as you stay in Christ and keep walking after the spirit you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Walking after the spirit means that you walk after God’s will, که در کلمه نوشته شده است. That’s why it’s so important to study and to know His Word and to ذهن خود را تجدید کنید با کلمه, به طوری که, you will get to know Him and find out what His will really is. Only when you get to know His will, you will be able to do His will. Because without God’s Word, it’s impossible to know His will and therefore, you will not be able to live after His will.
هدف هر مؤمنی شبیه شدن به عیسی است. This doesn’t mean that you have to seek and search for the supernatural, and focus on signs, شگفتی, و معجزات. زیرا اگر انجام دهید, then it won’t be long before a new age spirit will control your mind and your life. You have to be very careful, with what things you get involved in.
But walking like Jesus means, walking in self-sacrificial love. This means that you have گوشت تو را مصلوب کرد and your own will in Jesus Christ and live after His will. چون, that’s what it means if you عیسی را دوست داشته باش and God the Father with all of your heart, روح, و ذهن.
Walking in love means, that you obey the Father in everything and do what He wants you to do.
You shall hate sin, درست مثل خدا, عیسی, و روح القدس, and therefore you shall turn away from sin
پیروی از عیسی means to پیرمرد را کنار بگذار و مرد جدید را قرار دهید, که به صورت خدا آفریده شده است. It means to develop a godly character and walk in holiness and integrity, در برابر وسوسه مقاومت کنید, and don’t sin. به طوری که, you exalt the Name of Jesus and stay faithful to Jesus and honor the Father. The signs and wonders of the Kingdom of God will automatically follow you. But you shall not flaunt, because as soon as you do that, pride shall arise and manifest in your life.
How did Jesus resist temptation?
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, که به آسمان ها منتقل می شود, عیسی پسر خدا, اجازه دهید حرفه خود را محکم نگه داریم. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; اما در همه موارد مانند ما وسوسه شد, هنوز بدون گناه (عبرانیان 4:14-15)
Jesus was tempted in every way; غذا, زن, قدرت, ثروت, شهرت, status, پول, غرور, و غیره, but Jesus didn’t sin. Jesus resisted every temptation because Jesus knew the Word and the وصیت پدرش and Jesus had subjected His flesh to His spirit.
عیسیloved God the Father above all and therefore His love for His Father was greater than the love He had for Himself and His flesh.
عیسی می دانست, that the carnal pleasures were only temporary and Jesus knew what the consequences would be if He would give in to the temptations, namely obedience to the devil, bowing down to him, and disobedience to God causing separation from God.
Jesus gave up His own life out of love for His Father and served His Father. به خاطر عشق زیادش به پدرش, and by seeing the love of the Father for mankind, Jesus served man and gave His life; His blood for them.
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