Facing a Satanic Attack – Dr. Charles Stanley

to, first of all, identify what you are

facing

as a sin, that it does not fit your life, that it is not from God and that it is destructive. . It can't bring you anything good. You have the Holy Spirit. The person who is not a believer does not have that. And the word of God is our greatest defense against the devil because we do not have to choose sin. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, He promises it. You have the Holy Spirit. What does he do? He makes you aware of temptation, reminds you that maybe it is with some Scripture or something He has already done in your life, that God will give you the victory.

He reminds you that you don't have to give in to this. It's a choice you make. And we can blame other people: "Well, my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, my friend, my friends, this, that and the other." That's not the problem. If you want to continue living in sin, all you have to do is close this Book and not open it, you can only open it once a week, that will not stop you from sinning. God has given us, look at this, He has given us His Word written from Him and He has given us the Holy Spirit to live within us to interpret that Word for us, to remind us that the wages of sin is death.

And so, we all have to face temptations, only you know how to handle them. Someone says, "Well, you know, I think God understands." That is not our excuse or our explanation for living in sin because God wants the best for us. And the Christian experience does not mean that you will never sin against God. We all at some point in our lives do things or say things or see things or whatever, we know they are not from God, what do you do? In other words, you just give up and say, "Well, you see, I tried to live a Christian life, but I can't, so forget it." No, the apostle Paul never claimed to be perfect.

The only person who can affirm that is Jesus. But a true believer, when he is tempted, turns to God. "Lord, this is what I'm

facing

, I don't want this in my life. This is how I feel, help me Jesus, help me, help me, help me Jesus." Whatever is needed. You say, "Well, what if I give in anyway?" You ask God to forgive you, to strengthen you, to make you aware that this is an area of ​​weakness in your life. And if I ask you, how many of you know at least one area of ​​weakness in your life?

Don't raise your hand, no, please don't. But how many of you know at least one area of ​​weakness in your life? We all do it. Anyone who says no is not telling the truth. You know when, for example, if it's gossip, if it's lust, if it's overeating, if it's the way you spend your money, or if it's your lack of fidelity to each other, whatever it is. And also, remember this, God knows. In other words, you never have to go up to Him and say, "God, by the way, let me remind you of something." No, He knows our areas of weakness.

I think about how many families are destroyed when someone gives in to temptation, whether it's a teenager or parents. I think about people who go to jail because they fell into the temptation of stealing. They could justify it, other people have it, they don't have it and therefore they will just take what they want. You can go through the list of every sin in the Bible, we could make an excuse for it, but it is not acceptable to God. Now, this is what I want you to see, you don't have to see it. Someone says, "But I couldn't help it." You have God to help you through anything you face.

You say, "Well, suppose I sin, and then what?" This is what He says: "If we confess our sins." That is, we agree with God about the nature of our sins, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just," to forgive me for my sins. Because? Because Jesus Christ is my Savior. I have surrendered to Him as Lord of my life and this is a point of failure and I ask You, God, to forgive me, not because I deserve it, but because the shed blood of Jesus atoned for my sin and I have another chance. God erases our guilt.

Now you say, "Well, I've gone to God for the same thing over and over again." Well, God knows if you are really committed to Him or not. And some sins, get this, some sins leave scars that you can't erase. Remember this statement, the scars of sin can last a lifetime. Only the blood of Jesus can atone for them. But you know what? The scar is still there. And we have to thank God for his amazing power that allows us to overcome them. So, I'm simply telling you, whatever weakness is in your life, you must take it to God.

Will it help you get over it? Yes. So I would simply ask you to consider in your own life: "What effect has temptation had on my life? Why have I reasoned that I could excuse myself? Why have I told God over and over again that I am different?" "I grew up in a bad situation, I grew up with parents who didn't teach me. I grew up with alcoholic parents who were married three or four times," God understands. Listen carefully, God understands, but God does not excuse sin. He is willing to face it, he is willing to forgive, he is willing to give you the strength you need.

But first you have to come clean to Him. "Lord, here I am and I am weak in this area, I desperately need You to do something for me in my life in this area, in the name of Jesus." Will He answer your prayer? Yes he will. You say, "Well, are we supposed to be perfect?" No, no, that's why He says, "If we confess our sins," we agree with Him about them, "He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." And, some sins, we have probably all confessed over and over again. But we have the Holy Spirit living within us to allow us to be strong enough to say "no." And the more times you say "no", the stronger you become.

You always have God training you, warning you, and strengthening you to be obedient to God. Amen? Father, we thank you for your love for us. We thank You that in the midst of this dark generation that we are living in there is a wonderful light that is eternal, that shines within our hearts, that makes it possible for us to live godly and walk clearly, plainly and lovingly before You. per day. I pray, Lord, this morning that someone sitting here who is going through some terrible temptation or maybe trapped by it right now, that you would give them this grace, God, the grace to remember that they can be delivered and the grace to remember that You love them despite everything, and the grace to remember that Your power is greater than the temptation they face.

We love you, we praise you, we thank you, we trust you daily to be our Guide, our Savior, our Lord and Master of our lives. Show us how to live above sin, Lord, in every way, in the name of Jesus, amen.