Closer you get to God - Tempted more?

Hi soulsisterclaire:



Here are some scriptures that have helped me:


James 4:7

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you"

1Cr 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."


The devil is our enemy. I do not know what you are struggling with, but I have found James 4:7 to be very helpful. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Fight him with truth and with scripture. Do not listen to his lies. Stand on what you know is true.


God bless you
Roberta

Claire, this is what I think. I don't really think you are tempted more the closer you get to God. I think it just seems so, because the Holy Spirit is pricking our consciences. Whereas, when you are not walking closely with God, you sin more but don't really think about it so much as sin, or you try to excuse it to yourself, or you don't really even think at all, you just do it. I think when we are in a good place with God we are really aware of our temptations, because we are more aware of our sins. I have realized lately that I FEEL like I stumble into situations that tempt me more often---and I used to think maybe God was even testing me or something---but after thinking about it I realized that before I would have just gone ahead and committed these sins without even considering the temptation or the sin. And there aren't really MORE temptations, I just notice them more due to TRYING to be obedient.

Oh yes. I do think that. I think that anytime he sees a threat---and the stronger in the Lord we are, the more of a threat to him we are---that he does start working harder on us. But then the closer we are to God, the more able we are to resist him. I really even feel that today, more than ever, he is trying to attack the church--through greed, sexual temptation, etc. He wants to discredit Christ's followers, hoping to discredit Christ. In my post earlier, I was talking about fleshly temptations, because that is the kind I struggle with the most.

P.S. Claire, I am reading a book now about that very thing. It's by Beth Moore and it's called "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" It's about what Satan does to attack God's people "to exact revenge on God by wreaking havoc on His Children and to try to incapacitate the believer's God-given ability to overcome him." It makes my skin crawl to think of the way he prowls around trying to destroy our testimony. It also shows, for those already snared, how to be restored. I highly recommend it, anyway.

Hi soulsister; I agree with the above posters. To me, there is no greater fear than fear itself. If you <think> the devil is lurking around your door, then you will are likely to become more frightened of him.

There is great comfort in the bible.

I "resist" this kind of worrisome thinking completely; by not even making (satan/the devil/lucifer/etc) a part of my thoughts. Instead I concentrate on all of the positive aspects of Gods word, and what I can do to be a better person in his eyes. I also am thankful for the blessings that are in my life, and focus on my loved ones.

Are we tempted more when we draw close to God? No, not at all. Believe me when I say this; Hold close to your heart the love that you share with God, and there lies your confidence.

I Peter 3 says;

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
<<And who is he that will harm you>> if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

Hope this helps.
Wildfire

I think that this is true because, if you read James 1, he's saying that we will go through trials, or be tested. For the unbeliever, their trials are God trying to get them to come to Christ, while for the believer, God is making sure we don't slip.

The temptations do get worse, but the good news is that as you practice resisting them, the easier it gets to resist them.

Sort of like building up your muscles, the more reisistence you put up, the stronger you get and the less energy you have to use to resist.

I agree with Lambslove. It makes perfect sense. One who is closer to God is much more of a threat, plain. People who are close to God are those who are making an impact for Jesus (whether it be in their household or the whole world) and satan does not like that.

Originally posted by soulsisterclaire
So, ya'll don't think that Satan trys to tempt Christians more than non-Christians?

Click to expand...

Satan does not have to tempt those souls that are already his.

I once heard a man tell the following story:

There were two guys playing golf and one of them said "He wished Satan would just leave him alone and quit tempting him all the time."

The other man said "I don't know what you are talking about - Satan doesn't bother me at all."

The first man responded "Then he has you right where he wants you and there is nothing to bother you about."

Food for thought!!

Just a question..which soldier do you worry about. Is it the one mowing through your troops with a machine gun leading in the battle or the one on the backlines not doing anything at all and being complacent?

I have had dreams that were very similar.

It's not just about fighting the effects of Satan- you must fight Satan himself. Take joy in fighting him- like a punch-bag, except RESPECT YOUR ENEMY: Satan is a clever old devil (excuse the pun, I'm kinda bored).

BUT he has already been defeated, at the cross, and we need to keep that in mind. He just tries to cause what disruption he can, in the small amount of time he has left. It can be quite significant disruption, however, so we need to arm ourselves with all the power of Jesus.