The Fighting Temptations I Know

[Marianna]

Thebest example we have to follow is Jesus. He faced the same temptations you and I have, and yet, He never gave in. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is going to show us how Jesus overcame temptation and what that can look like for you too.

God always makes a provision. He promises a way of escape. Now that way of escape may be the grace to endure. God has made provision for us to be triumphant over temptation. So we need to recognize our need for His protection, cry out to Him for grace, and cooperate with Him in resisting the evil one and running from sin.

Dannah: So good. As Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth just pointed out, God does not leave you alone in your temptation because you cannot overcome it with your own strength. We need Him. We need His Word, which arms us and strengthens us for the battles we will inevitably face.

I'm going to just say this to you the way I say it to tween girls: Sisters, my friends, your thoughts are the boss of your feelings. Whatever you are thinking about is going to be how you feel.

I don't know if you've ever had one of those days or months or summers where just a lot of things converge, and you come to a breaking point. I came to that point, and I got to a place where I just couldn't think on anything good. All I could think on was all the bad. Have you been there?

I remember sitting there and thinking, My life is terrible. I'm a bad mom. I'm a bad wife. I'm a bad teacher. I'm a bad blonde. (laughter) You name it. And the thing is, it was a deep, thick heaviness.

So I walked out to my barn. (It was a bit of a temptation, because there were baby goats out there, and that could also help with peace, love, and joy.) And I held a baby goat in my arms. (That poor little thing, because I began to praise the Lord.)

And I want you to know something: I was feeling it. I was feeling the unfailing love. I was feeling the forgiveness. I was feeling the full redemption. Full redemption, Sisters! That is better than Walmart's guarantee. (cheers)

I was feeling it because I had put His Word in me, then I could put it on me. But I had to do the work of it, Sisters. I had to do the work of it, Sisters. You have to do the work of it, Sisters. In the dark night when everything is crumbling in on you, you have to do it.

I remember for me, and the way I put it for folks is that I had to get a few decisive victories under my belt. I had to get where I could feel what it felt like to overcome in the moment of temptation. I remember those three or four of them very specifically.

At Revive Our Hearts, we want to help you fight temptation and live in freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. And that means equipping you with biblical tools and encouraging resources, like this program.

We all struggle with temptation, and we all give in to sin. Luckily for us, God knows our hearts, and He knows what we need and when we need it. He also knows when to show us the way we need to go, and He gives us direction. I believe that is exactly what He did when He gave me this message that I share here.

The temptation will come at you looking like something beautiful and desirable. It will be something that looks good, makes you feel good. It will come across as someone speaking well, someone who sounds as if they have a lot of wisdom, and it will make sense to you at that moment

When the door of temptation is opened, we allow others to become a part of it. For example, if you are married and you are tempted to cheat, you unknowingly invite that deception and temptation into your home and your marriage and this happens before you have even acted on the temptation. Your spouse also becomes tempted, a riff is caused between you and neither of you can understand where the trouble in your marriage is coming from. Temptation looks good and feels wonderful and makes you feel good. That is how the cracks are created within your life.

What I take away from this verse is that it reaffirms that marriage is a 50/50 partnership between a man and a woman. It tells me that we take care of one another in every way so that we are not tempted by the world and by Satan in cheating on our spouses spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. We need to take care of each other in all facets of our relationship. That is my interpretation of the above verse.

This verse says that the temptation will come but God will provide you with way to overcome it. God gave us free-will; we have the choice to give in to temptation or fight it. The power is already given to us but the choice still has to be made.

This is why we fast, so that we can deny ourselves and our bodies of the things of the world. In this way, we make room for the Holy Spirit to take over. We make room for the Spirit of God in our lives. When we are tempted in any way, we should pray, keep watch, be aware of all the different types of temptations that can sneak into our lives.

Do you ever find yourself revisiting goals that you haven't achieved? You started working on that goal, but somehow along the way you got derailed and had to start over? Well you're not alone. My struggle has always been with my body, particularly weight loss. Every few months I find myself setting the goal of having a nice six pack. I work hard in the gym for a few weeks. I begin to see results, so I get excited and "treat myself". After all, I've been working so hard, what harm would some Popeyes chicken and biscuits do? I've noticed that my cheat days become cheat weeks and eventually a cheat month. Then I'm back at square one trying to accomplish the goal of having a lean six pack.

All it takes is ONE moment of temporary satisfaction to kick off a season of long-term unfulfillment. Queens, it's time for us to stop letting short term pleasure affect our long term progress.

In "Journey to the Crown", I announced that I would be an official contestant for the upcoming Miss Illinois USA 2016 pageant. For the past few weeks I've been training hard to be in the best shape possible for the pageant. I recently decided to give up breads, pastas, and rice for lent, as well as do the 10 day master cleanse detox. For those who aren't familiar with the master cleanse, it's a liquid diet where you only can have this spicy lemonade concoction (mix lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and water) or water. No food or juices. During the cleanse, I remember thinking, "Why can't I just eat all the Popeyes biscuits and chicken I want and have a nice lean set of washboard abs!!!" But then a word popped in my head: sacrifice.

Too often, we want the blessings without putting in any work or sacrifice. I wanted the nice set of washboard abs, but I didn't want to give up the fried chicken and biscuits. You want a King, yet you don't want to give up the peasant that's been taking up space on your throne for too many months/years. You want to become a wife, yet you keep allowing yourself to be The New Side Chick or maybe the Original Side Piece. You want that promotion on the job, yet you don't want to put in extra work. You want to have an extraordinary life, but you don't want to have extraordinary faith. I think you get the point I'm trying to make.

We've become lazy and victims of instant gratification. However, we must realize that nothing worth having will come quick and easy--the temptations, seasons of discomfort, extreme amount of work comes with the journey to success. God is not your genie in a bottle. Faith without work is dead.

Some of you may be thinking, "KING, I put in so much work and I'm STILL waiting to see the fruits of my labor." I can totally relate. I know what it's like working out hard and still not having your dream body. I know what it's like striving to be a virtuous woman and still remaining single. I know what it's like to submit job application after application and still remain unemployed.

But remember, patience is a virtue in all that you do. I still have to remind myself that my body won't transform overnight, and whatever you are wishing to attain won't either. Don't get discouraged by what the eyes can only see. True change and progress first shows within, underneath the surface. Sometimes I just want to quit and go back to my comfort zone. But I then remind myself that a Queen never quits, she just works harder.

We have to learn to stop focusing solely on the extrinsic reward (weight loss, a husband, employment, etc), and start embracing the intrinsic gains (resilience, unbreakable faith, discipline, self-control, etc). If you're internally motivated, you will have a greater chance fighting the external temptations Satan likes to give.

I was recently faced with the ultimate temptation when I had to meet my family at one of my favorite soul food restaurants, while still on the master cleanse. I had to watch them savor chicken, waffles, catfish, greens, and Mac and cheese, while I sipped on my spicy lemonade drink. Leaving that restaurant without a dab of food touching my lips was a powerful moment for me. Here I am, a huge food lover at one of my favorite restaurants, and was not weakened by the presence of temptation.

Queens, you are more powerful than you think you are. Stop letting your temptations, obstacles, and insecurities derail you. Have will power! Have determination! Have strength! I promise it's worth it! So far I've lost 15 pounds and 2% body fat in 5 weeks. I'm learning that consistency in the gym and kitchen is key to living a healthy lifestyle. I will not say that I'll never eat another Popeyes biscuit and chicken ever again because that would be a lie. However, my desire to indulge in that food has decreased significantly. Portion control and moderation are key for long term success.

You are the master of your fate and captain of your soul. Regain control of yourself--mind, body, and spirit. Stop finding excuses as to why you can't and start finding reasons as to why you can. Don't let the "chicken and biscuits" (temptation/obstacles) stop you from getting your "abs" (reward). We don't have time to revisit any goals because we're too busy checking them off as "achieved"! I'm rooting and praying for you along the way! Fight those temptations!

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