Our key Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
Our lesson today is titled “How to Overcome Temptation, Part 8”
In this section of our Onward Christian Soldiers discipleship class, we have been looking at some Bible verses that can be used to overcome the temptations that we face. Hiding the Word of God in our hearts and using it when we face temptation as Jesus did is the key to being victorious. Today, we are going to begin looking at specific temptations that are, as the Bible says, “common to man,” and we are going to review what the Bible says about those sins so we can be aware of the dangers of those sins and so that we can hide those Scriptures in our hearts to use when we face these temptations.
Lord willing, over the next few weeks, we are going to go through a list of 12 temptations. (We will add more if the Lord leads us to do so.) This list comes from two sources — one ancient and one modern. The first source is a list that was developed by monks in the early church called “the seven deadly sins” or the “cardinal sins.” The second source is a Barna survey from 2011 which tracked the top temptations Americans admitted to struggling with.
That being said, the first temptation that we are going to look at is the sin of “pride”. Pride is really the original sin because it is what caused Satan to lift his heart up against God and attempt to take God’s place in Heaven. Pride caused him to be cast out of Heaven and that is what began the mess the world is in today. People today exhibit pride when we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We rebel against and think we know better than human authorities and we even rebel against and think we know better than God.
The Bible has much to say about what God thinks of pride and those who are proud. The next time you are tempted to think that you know better than God and the authority that He has placed over you, please keep these passages of Scripture in mind. (Remember, the text of this lesson is made available online after each class, so you can go to our website GLHOPI.com, click the “Onward Christian Soldiers” banner on the home page, and begin to learn these verses by heart throughout the week.)
Proverbs 11:2 reminds us of the consequences of pride. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” People who are proud often think that they are wise and/or smart. But, in reality, they do not have any wisdom — certainly not any of God’s wisdom. God gives His wisdom to those who are humble enough to realize that they are not wise and that they need God’s help.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proud people are blinded to the destructiveness of their own ways. Because they are so focused on their own supposed importance or rightness, they do not see the pitfalls right in front of them. God allows these people to stumble and fall so they will realize that they are not all that they think they are.
Proverbs 16:5 tells us of God’s opinion of those who are proud. The verse reads, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” Pride being the original sin, God sees it as a great crime — an abomination. When you think about the fact that you had nothing to do with your own existence, that you are sitting on a planet (one of potentially an infinite number of planets) spinning and speeding through empty space, and that you can do nothing to preserve your life beyond the date that God has set for you to die (which you have no knowledge of), you will realize that it is quite foolish to be proud. We are, as Jonathan Edwards put it, spiders dangling by string from God’s hand. We have nothing to be proud of. We are in control of nothing at all.
If you struggle with pride, take these passages to heart and begin to use them the next time you face that temptation.
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If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
The Gospel Light Minute X 