Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (ESV)
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV)
So search your hearts every day, my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, and make you unresponsive to the living God. This is the time to encourage each other to never be stubborn or hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:12-13 (TPT)
1. The temptation to conform to the patterns of the world.
2. The temptation to believe facts over truth.
3. The temptation to put our affection on the things of the world. The enemy knows he can defeat us if he gets us to worship anything/anyone other than God.
4. The temptation to conform to the patterns of the world.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (ESV)
In being tempted to conform to the patterns of the world, we are often tempted to walk in the flesh instead of the Spirit.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV)
Another way we are tempted to conform to the patterns of this world is to take matters into our own hands, especially when it comes to avenging ourselves.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:14-21 (ESV)
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22 (ESV)
In heaping coals on your neighbor you are helping them and you are turning their hearts away from hatred and toward reconciliation.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh words stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)
The point is, if you don’t submit yourself to God, you will not be able to face these situations and be happy with yourself when you look back at how you handled them.
Do you have anger? Submit it to God. Do you have bitterness? Submit it to God. Do you have unforgiveness? Submit it to God. Do you have pride? Submit it to God. Do you have lust? Submit it to God. Just because a thought enters your mind does not mean you have to follow it.
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