The theme for Open Heaven Daily Devotional July 31 2023 is Overcoming Lust and Temptations.
SCRIPTURE: Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
What is leading you in life? Is it your flesh or the Spirit of God? Whenever you allow the flesh to give you direction, it will always end in regret, but when you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all things, you can be sure that all will be well. The first step to overcoming lusts and temptations is submission to God, which supplies the power you need to resist the devil, and he will flee from you according to James 4:7. Moreover, the good news is that the faithfulness of God will not allow His children to be tempted above their ability, without making a way of escape for them.
In our Bible reading today, we saw that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and He will always make a way of escape for us. That is so reassuring. It is for this reason that James 1:2-4, and James 1:12, admonishes us to count it as joy and a blessing, when we are going through diverse temptations. This is because God uses it to perfect the patience of His children, and also as promotion exams for them to receive the crown of life.
In spite of the assurance above however, if for example, your eyes are always glued to seductive images on the television, the internet, and your surroundings, you are merely feeding the lust in your flesh and such will lead you to hell. Don’t fall into it. If you still tolerate ungodly desires to dwell and grow in your heart, heavenly thoughts, divine visions and inspirations cannot find expression in you.
All believers are required to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. Your body is the temple of God, not a showpiece for people. If you choose to dress in a way to stir lust from the opposite sex, you can no longer claim to be a child of God, but an instrument in the hand of the devil. Whoever you honour with your appearance, determines who you truly serve. God has provided us with everything we need to overcome lusts and temptations through Jesus Christ, all we need is to follow His example. Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus our High Priest was in all points tempted, but He scaled over them all without a sin. He has given us the power to resist the devil and to live above lusts and temptations. Hallelujah!
Open Heaven 31 July 2023 Prayer Point:
Father, please empower me to overcome lust and temptations, in Jesus’ name.