Step 2 - Belief
Yesterday I said that we need to be aware of how the enemy might tempt us, so that we don’t let sin take root in our hearts, leading to actions and thoughts that dishonour God and separate us from him.
But awareness isn’t enough, which is why the next step in my little strategy is the word Believe.
And I’m not talking about self-belief. Because truthfully, in and of ourselves, we have no power to fend off the enemy’s attacks. I’m talking about belief in God’s Spirit who is in you and empowering you to resist.
One of my favourite verses is from the Old Testament prophet Zechariah. It says “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV). And so it’s not self-belief in my might, or my power, but it is belief in God’s Spirit who has given me the ability to walk in freedom.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Overcoming Temptation
Of course, you need to be Spirit-filled to enjoy this blessing. You need to be a child of God who has been born again and filled with His Spirit. And more than that, you need to be baptized in the Spirit.
Now, there is some disagreement from church to church, pastor to pastor, Christian to Christian about the nature of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I believe that the baptism of the Spirit happens after you first come to Christ. The disciples were all followers of Jesus, changed by him and counted as part of God’s family, judging by Jesus’ own prayer for them in the Garden of Gethsemane, and yet it was at Pentecost that they were baptized in the Spirit into a new power, a new holiness. And I discovered in my own life that I was a Christian, certainly I had the Spirit in me, but it was a much later moment that I believe I received that baptism of the Holy Spirit which ‘unlocked’ a new power and spiritual vitality in me.
I’m telling you this because in my moments of temptation I recall this moment of being baptized in the Spirit. And I believe that in that moment I was cleansed and given new power over sin. And so in that moment of temptation I remind myself: I am free! I am not a slave to my sin anymore! I am dead to sin through the power of the Spirit of God!
This element of faith is all important in fighting temptation. If we believe it is up to ourselves to muster up the strength to resist, we will fail. Our moods, our feelings, our frailty will get in the way. But if we say “not my might or power, but by the Spirit, I am free!” We can walk in faith.
Finding Victory Over Temptation Through Trust in Christ
There’s an old Nazarene hymn that I recorded as part of Canaan Melodies project that says this in one of the verses:
I remember how I fought the tempter
And tried to hold my vantage ground
But when I gave my struggling over
I trusted Christ and cleansing found
I loved those words: when I try to fight the tempter and hold my own ground, I get nowhere. But when I give my struggling over and TRUST Christ, I find cleansing. And freedom.
So friends, be aware of the temptations that come your way, and then believe with all your heart that the Spirit will give you victory because He is stronger than the enemy.
