09/04/2018 - Sin, Temptation, and Recurring Prayer
How is it that we are saved? How is it that the sin which rules our flesh is ever overcome? When I realized that without Jesus Christ in my life each and every day, I would naturally revert back to the creature I once was, my faith began to change at once within me. I came to understand that temptation and sin did not go away when I first believed, but instead must be held at bay, and I am allowed a moment by moment victory over it through Jesus.
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”
Romans 7:18 ESV
“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.”
Romans 8:7 ESV
The sooner we come to grips with the fact that sin is inherent within us, and that we are at war against it, the sooner it is that we can begin to defeat it successfully. Let me begin with a simple truth... praying three times a day is not enough. Praying five times a day, or ten times a Day is not enough. It falls short because temptation doesn’t come against us at certain times, but constantly, all day and night; thus the scripture...
“pray without ceasing,”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV
When we read this verse it is actually two words in the original Greek; it is the word for pray, and a second word “adialeiptos” which means constantly recurring.
When cities used to come under siege they were often shelled by artillery to destroy the will of the people within them. However, if those barrages came at fixed intervals then the inhabitants would adjust to them, and retreat into their safe places at those specific times. But... if the bombardments came at random times, without pattern or apparent reason, then the strategy would serve its purpose and demoralize the populace. So it is with sin in our lives, it doesn’t have a pattern, or some predictable schedule, it arises at random, and requires that we react to it in like manner... it can demoralize us; unless that is we have a constant expectation of safety, a safe place that we can retreat to that defeats the artillery... a sure way of defending ourselves against the temptation of sin.
We do have such a safe place, and a champion who defeats the sin within us... Jesus Christ, and we have prayer as a means by which we request His presence and aid... “adialeiptos” or constantly recurring prayer. What good would it do the citizens of a city under siege if they could only enter the shelters three, five, or ten times a day, but were being shelled off and on all day and night? None! Prayer instantly makes our shelter, and our defenses, available to us. Prayer is our call for Jesus and God, and we do so with assurance... faith... that He will answer immediately.
So we stand against sin in our lives knowing that we are under a constant state of siege, and yet we don’t lose heart, and we claim victory against satan’s forces one screaming artillery shell of temptation at a time. This is Jesus in the desert during His 40 days of temptation, this is what we see in His constantly recurring prayer life... and even as it worked in His moments of temptation, it works in ours...
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:15 ESV
If we are being tempted, we should utter a prayer for help, and once that temptation has subsided then pray a prayer of thanks. If, God forbid, we should succumb to that temptation then we must pray a prayer of contrition and ask for forgiveness... so that we can begin the battle anew; not demoralized, or with a faith that has been defeated, but fresh, and revitalized by God’s mercy and grace... washed clean once more by the blood of Christ.
So, every day we face our own inherent sin, and every day the temptations come, but we are not to be afraid or dismayed, but to call out to Jesus all the day long... we are not alone, nor without help.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your mercy, and faithfulness. Thank you for your constant answer to my recurring prayers as I lift them up in the name of Jesus and war against the temptation and sin which confronts me at every turn. Holy Father you know that I am a creature marked by sin, and yet you have made provision for me through your Son Jesus, and love me even as I struggle against my nature. Praised be your name Father, for without you I have no hope; without you I am lost. But by your perfect plan, and will, I have been sent a Redeemer in Jesus who lifts me above my sorrowful self and instills in me the power to resist the temptations of my flesh, and this world. Help me Father as I constant wrestle with my sinfulness, and call out for your assistance all day and night. Hear me as Jesus prays intercession for me in my dark moments, and see me through to the light once more by shielding me from evil, and its temptation. You are a great God, and my firm hope in the midst of my tumultuous sin and temptation. You are the Holy, Holy, Holy, God of salvation and rescue. You are my God who defeats sin and lifts me beyond the snares of temptation. I pray all the day and night as I am tempted, and thank you for every relief you provide me. Blessed are you now and forevermore.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:10 ESV
Rich Forbes