Bryan Amit Prasad - Fighting Temptation - The Word Way

Fighting Temptation - The Word Way

Bryan Amit Prasad

Copyright 2014 Bryan Amit Prasad.

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Scripture quotations marked (NET) are taken from the New English Translation , the NET Bible, copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-5861-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5862-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5860-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014919542

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/21/2014

Contents

I have noticed for many years that whenever the word temptation is mentioned, the moods of people change. The word seems to instill fear and apprehension, since we know we all have been under its attack in one form or another.

To see preachers stay away from talking about it should not be any reason for me not to write about it by the grace of God. Jesus, our Master, said that it is a sure thing that temptation and offences will come to everyone.

You will have an opportunity to be tempted, tested, and tried; the question is what you will do when that happens. Being better prepared by the Word of God is the best defence we have against all the fiery darts of the Devil.

In this book you will learn the ways in which temptation is targeted toward us and how you can overcome it. What is the biblical way of living free from the power of temptations? God through his Word has defined for us what the Devil has been doing from the beginning in tempting humans; his ways have not changed, though his methods have evolved.

As we learn to walk and live by the prescribed way of the Master, we shall never fall when tempted. In the prayer that Jesus modeled for the disciples, he showed them how to pray, saying: May we enter not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Open your heart, and let us approach this book to learn and grow strong in living a life of constant victory. May the Lord Jesus grant you the power of His Holy Spirit to meet all the evil tendencies of the flesh by been spirit led.

Dear Father, help us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation. In Jesus name, we pray, amen.

Grace to you.

Bryan Prasad

I dedicate this book to all those who are seeking God for direction to overcome temptation and live free from guilt, condemnation, shame, and disobedience. Faith-righteousness is what they seek and not guilt and sin-consciousness.

CHAPTER 1

Why Study Temptation

Temptation is as old as the existence of humanity. It has not grown weak; rather, it has grown as strong as many have allowed it to become.

There was a day when a bright and shining angel, made for serving God, rebelled. He was self-lifted up in pride. Angels have the power to make a choice but not the right to make one. He did, and before he and one third of his followers could even think another thought, they were cast out of heaven.

In his anger and rage to fight back at God, which is never going to be possible, he went after the god-man. For man looked like God and had both the right and the power to make choices. The angel now had an opportunity to get even. Yet there was a problem: how could he speak to the man? Being a spirit, he needed a body.

One day he saw the man and womans talking pet, Snaky. He promised Snaky that if he would let the angel speak to man and woman through his body, then he would make Snaky the ruler of the animal kingdom, since Snaky was the only talking creature. The offer was too good to pass by, so he agreed. Snaky was also deceived, as were the one-third of the angels that supported the Liar.

Notice that when God made Adam, He made Snaky as his friend, yet God said it was not good for man to be alone without a comparable mate. Therefore, He made the woman. You see, Snaky was not comparable to Adam.

The angel got into Snaky and started to sow doubt into Eve. He knew if he continued to question and kept up a stream of fiery thoughts against Gods faithfulness, he could make them disobey God. He also knew that disobeying Gods Word was sinning against God, and then God would have to judge His man. Eve finally took the bait; she started to speak the words of the deceiver speaking through Snaky. Soon she was talking to Adam night after night about why it was all right to eat. Adam began to feel the pressure to give in, and eventually he did.

With Snaky and Eve leading the way, Adam did commit what would be known as the highest form of treason. One man would make all people sinners by his one act of disobedience. The Devil rejoiced uncontrollably: plan successful, temptation executed, man defeated. Adam did not realize what he had done by giving into temptation. With Eden lost and sorrow gained, he and Eve were expelled from Gods presence.

That was what the enemy of humanity desired. He was already judged and awaiting final sentence, but by this act of tempting man he bought himself six thousand years of humanitys lease on earth. He was enthroned as god of this world. People became his slaves: now he could cause God pain by using his weapon of temptation on the humans God so dearly loved. Not for the last time, temptation won by condemning people and ruling by guilt.

God always has a plan far better and greater than either people or the Devil can come up with. I call it Gods plan of redemption . The Devil had no idea what this meant, when God spoke judgment with His promised salvation. The Devil had no idea what was in the mind of God. You see, the Devil is limited, self-blinded to spiritual knowledge. Therefore, all his tests and trials are based on what one can see and feel.

Have you ever noticed that God did not speak to the Devil when judging Adam and Eve, because the Devil was in the body of Snaky while God was passing judgment? When God came to the snake, He first dealt with Snaky: On your belly now you shall move, and dust shall be your food. God also took away from Snaky the power of speech, splitting his tongue in two.

As for the Devil in Snaky, He said that the seed of the woman shall destroy the Devil, and he will bruise his heel. The Devil from then went after the most important, the firstborn, so as to remove the one to destroy his power and take the authority back which he took from Adam.