Flee from Sin and Temptation
ICS Daily Devotions
Living in this world means we are subject to all kinds of temptations. Thankfully, God has given us the ability to walk in godliness, but we also need to actively apply our faith based on our conviction to flee from them.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV) Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Though we are saved by grace through faith, it doesn’t mean that the law is no longer important. In fact, through the born-again experience, God has enabled us to walk within the law. He has given us a new creation in the spirit man and His nature. In addition, He has given us the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and empowers us to yield to Him. Because Jesus is the Lord of our lives, we can submit to the Lordship of Christ.
There will be a victory if we truly want to be free from habitual sin, but it has to come from a pure heart. It must be a desire (“want to”) rather than an obligation (“have to”) out of fear of being monitored or caught. We must not deceive ourselves by having a dead faith, which has a mental assent that we believe in God, but deny the resurrection power in us to overcome the temptation. The devil also believes and trembles at the name of Jesus. Therefore, we must be convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead and His resurrection lives in us and empowers us. We must stand on the Scriptures that say we are free!
Once we know that we are free and the devil no longer has any stronghold over us, we will disassociate or distance ourselves. Therefore, flee from any places, movies, or websites that cultivate the sensual craving! Flee from unwanted approaches, suggestions, and flirtations! Flee from suggestions to visit drinking holes that lead to an inability to control our senses and entertainment joints that have sleazy activities! Flee from friends and companies that influence you negatively! Don’t be an ostrich that deceives itself by burying its head in the sand, pretending that nothing is happening, thus allowing the devil to steal, kill, and destroy! The simple term for flee is run away quickly, and that is active faith!
You are blessed when you act on your conviction that you are free and no longer need to identify yourselves with all these activities, and you will get stronger spiritually as you build your faith muscle every time you listen to the Word, believe it, and act on it!
Sermon Series: Faith with works
