All Virtue comes from God PRESENCE and being IN HIS PRESENCE!!!

All Virtue comes from God PRESENCE and being IN HIS PRESENCE!!!

I’m sure all of us agree that the enemy is out to tempt us to sin. He is making war against our souls – his hatred towards God is enough to fuel his fiery attacks against those that bear God’s image. Ever wondered why this Christian walk is so hard? Jesus warned us against temptation and sin:

Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Only by abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit will we be able to withstand temptation. We are weak, but Christ in us is strong enough to withstand it. It has already been proven – He has a 100% clear track record of His life on earth, remember? So if we fail, what are the reasons? I’m convinced that there is only one reason: we don’t spend enough time in His presence. Relying on your own ability will fail for sure.The enemy knows you struggle with that addiction. He waits until you’re physically and spiritually drained until he sends the temptation over your path. But do we see what’s going on behind the scenes – in the spiritual realm? No. We are caught up in our earthly lives and struggles, trying to get through Monday to Friday. People, do we get this, that there is a war going on, a war for our souls, to steal our eternity with God? It doesn’t end with deeds. What about our thoughts? Jesus said hating your brother is as good as committing murder. And:Matt. 5: 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. “

Sure, it’s easy to stay faithful to your spouse, to not kill someone, to look like a follower of Christ from the outside. But God sees our every thought! So how do we do it??
1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Really! Wow. Then why do we fall? Could it be that we don’t talk to God and ask Him to deal with it? Do we trust him at all? If we are in His presence the moment when temptation arrives, will it even be an issue? Do we understand walking in the Spirit? Only in His strength can we have power over the enemy and sin – and yet we try and do it in our own strength. No wonder we struggle!

James 1:12 "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. “Did you notice that temptation came knocking on Jesus’ door right after His baptism and he started His ministry? But He remained standing because He was praying and fasting, abiding in the Father’s love, quoting Scripture to the devil who could but flee the scene with his tail between his legs. Praise God!

Let’s look at DECEPTION. The oldest trick in the book used against mankind is the TWISTING OF TRUTH. Gen. 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” NOW THAT’S A LIE. Deception came before temptation. The most obvious deceptions to us as believers are the “big” lies like Islam. Satan took a small piece of truth and twisted it into a religion of hate. Today it is one of the biggest religions on earth! Then there are the day-to-day lies we hear every day – more than we’ll ever know on this earth! Here’s an example: I may not have time to spend with my child – again, and the enemy is right there telling him that no one loves him, that he is unloved. Or, me and my husband may have a misunderstanding, carefully orchestrated by the enemy, who hates to see a happy marriage. Satan can’t get enough of adultery, divorce, abortion, etc. He will leave the unsaved alone, because why bother? They’re already lost. No. He goes for the children of God Almighty! Through lies, deception, misunderstanding and confusion he creates heartache and chaos.What about false teachers and false doctrine? I am horrified to see how so-called preachers of the gospel proclaim that homosexuality is okay in God’s eyes. They take the Word, twist it, and justify their deeds with THE WORD!! Now THAT’S deception!! Others preach that Jesus was just a good teacher, a holy man who showed us how to live. Still others believe that all roads lead to God, like the Oprah Winfrey fan-club. These are all examples of horrible deceptions carefully planned by Satan to get millions of people separated from God in hell for all of eternity.2 Cor. 11:14: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” How do we watch against deception and false teachers? 2 Cor. 10:4:”For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

Here are a few warnings from the Word:1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do not be DECEIVED: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 2 Tim. 3: 12: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, DECEIVING and being DECEIVED. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”Matt. 7:15: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”John 10:4: “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.””John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Children of God, let’s remember that there is a war going on that we can’t see with our physical eyes. We are fighting a battle and we need to be ready 24/7. If we are being tempted or facing deception and we are not fed with the Word of God at that moment, abiding in Christ, we may not have the spiritual discernment that we desperately need to see through his lies and deceit. Just as the anti-Christ will deceive the whole world in the very near future, many anti-Christs are in the world already, deceiving millions. Make sure you are in Christ and following Him and His voice alone, 100%.