Temptation

A born-again Christian who is being tempted and who has a strong fleshly nature is a person going through a trial whether the fleshly weakness is in sex, covetousness, lying, drugs, alcohol, smoking, fleshly music, or any other thing. People get born again with addictions. Some are set free from many things instantly. No one is made completely perfect the moment they are born again. When anyone is born again, they are born again as a baby in Christ and every Christian who is immature in Christ struggles against the fleshly nature. We are all immature relative to what God is bringing us to. We all struggle against something. There is some area where each of us easily tempted. When we compare ourselves to others, we usually compare our own strengths to the weaknesses of our brothers and sisters. We should be aware of our own weaknesses and turn them over to Christ.

As manifested sons, we will no longer have a fleshly nature since this is the adoption/placing of mature sons, which is the redemption of our bodies. If a person is sincere toward Christ, that person is looking for deliverance from the fleshly nature.

If a person begins to repeatedly obey the flesh, that person becomes increasingly enslaved to the fleshly nature. If this process of enslavement continues, then the Voice of God becomes less distinct over time. When that person doesn't hear God's Voice any more, faith stops coming, since faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the utterance of God. They walk away from Christ. They increasingly deny Him. Jesus said that whoever denies Him, He would deny before the Father. They may still go to Church, but they no longer have faith. I Some become Atheists. Some talk about serving God but their innermost mind is set against God and refuses to follow Christ. It is possible to belong to a Church and be an unbeliever.

If, at any time, that person begins to seek God again, they will again start to walk on the narrow way that leads to Life. They will become gradually more mature.

(Ezekiel 18:21-23) "But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live?"

If you are struggling against some temptation, pray. If you still struggle, God has built authority into the Church. Call for the elders if you have a Church that is following the pattern of Scripture. They can lay hands on you and pray for you and you will be set free. You may have to call on them several times.

For every temptation, God provides a way of escape. We are all having an inner conflict. Total deliverance from all types of sins cannot happen outside of the authority that God has placed in the Body of Christ. It is obvious in Scripture that there is an edification that happens within the pattern that God has provided. And there is also individual edification that must take place. This battle must continue until we are totally sin-free at the manifestation.

John says an interesting thing about a sin unto death. He says not to pray for that. The others, if we see our brother or sister engaging in them, we are to pray for them. If they are engaged in a sin unto death, say they are shacking up, we are to go to them. Right? If they won't listen to us, we are to go with another person. If they still won't listen, we are to bring it before the Church. If they won't listen to the Church, they are to be put out of fellowship--all in hopes that they will turn from their sin. They may stomp out of Church, but they were on their way out already. In their mind, they had already turned from Christ to follow their own fleshly nature. If they leave the Church, God will bring judgment on them--all to turn them back to Himself.

So, if you are tempted, seek God. Use the authority of the Church. Don't take temptation lightly or casually play with sin. Doing so could be the first step off the path that leads to genuine absolute fulness of life.

The complexity of God’s Way understood in a single diagram

Obey your flesh and descend into darkness

How can we know anything about anything? That’s the real question

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