At the conclusion of Chapter 27 of The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren presents the third and fourth keys to defeating temptation (as always, the author’s words are in bold type).
3. Resist the devil. In its entirety, James 4:7 reads: “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We are not to passively resign ourselves to Satan’s attacks- we are to fight back, using the Word of God as our weapon. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He countered Satan’s temptations by quoting Scripture. It is futile for us to argue with Satan or attempt to bluff him with logic and opinion. Only God’s truth will make Satan tremble.
4. Realize your vulnerability. We must proactively avoid placing ourselves in tempting situations. As Rick notes: “It is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.” St. Paul counsels us: “Don’t be so naïve and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (The Message)
Tomorrow’s blog- “What’s the rush?”
