THE VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN

By Mrs. Myrna A. Deal

Trials and temptations are things common to mankind since the days of Adam and Eve. Whether saint or sinner, everyone is tempted, but he does not have to yield. Trials are in some manner essential to our growth in grace, as by resisting them we grow stronger. Has not the poet said?

"Yield not to temptation,
For yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you
Some other to win."

We dislike them very much, but really they are blessings in disguise. The Lord must allow us to be tested and proved before He can use us, and He uses trials as a means of accomplishing this.

We should remember, too, that God has His eye upon us when temptation and trials come our way. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him," so an Old Testament writer said. In Heb. 4:15, 16 we read these comforting words: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, makes it plain that we do not have to yield to temptation. He says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it," I Cor. 10:13. St. Peter tells us, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy," I Peter 4:12, 13. He also informs us, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ," I Pet. 1:7.

These Scriptures plainly teach us that God's eye is ever upon us, and that through the process of trial He is developing us for higher usefulness.

We shall here present a few ways of overcoming temptation:

1. By Prayer and Watching. "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Matt. 26:41. Jesus spoke these words to His disciples just before His betrayal and crucifixion. He knew that this would be hard on them that loved Him, so He gives them warning. He knew that the "spirit was willing but the flesh was weak"; hence, He exhorted them to watch and pray.

Prayer may well be termed the breath of the Christian. It is essential to spiritual life. We must pray or die, spiritually. The enemy watches our weakest spot, and we should keep it well guarded by prayer at all times. Someone has said, "The devil trembles when the weakest saint kneels in prayer."

The world will lose its glitter when we get in touch with heaven by prayer. The more time one spends with God in prayer the less he will care for the things of the world. We find from the life of Jesus that He spent much time in prayer, yea, even whole nights. If it were necessary for Jesus, the very and eternal Son of God, to pray, how much more needful is it for us, the descendants of a fallen race, to pray! Prayer is an indispensable prerequisite to Christian living. Paul admonishes us to "Pray without ceasing," I Thess. 5:17. "Be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer," I Pet. 4:7.

2. By Reading God's Word. "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee," Psa. 119:11. If you will turn with me in your Bible to Matthew, chapter four, and read the account given of the temptation of Jesus, you will find that He answered every time with Bible. He knew the value of the Word of God. We read, "Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him." If you want the devil or his servants to leave you, give them Bible; they cannot stand that very long, because it cuts like a two-edged sword.

God's Word is a mirror and it will reflect our faults and shortcomings if we will gaze into it, thus helping us to improve and become better Christians. It will be more beneficial for us if we look into God's Word more and at people less. Jesus' prayer to His Father was, "Sanctify them through Thy truth, Thy word is truth," John 17:17.

The Bible is food for our souls. There is "the sincere milk of the word" for the new born babes in Christ, or those recently saved; bread for the hungry, and strong meat for full grown Christians. The Psalmist exclaimed, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth," Psa. 119:103.

The Holy Scriptures is a mine of wealth. God's word is "more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold." If we will read and obey its teachings, it will not only help us spiritually, but also physically, mentally and materially. The Lord honors those who honor Him.

3. By Testimony. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony," Rev. 12:11. Tell to the world what God has done for you. If the tempter comes to you and tells you that you do not have salvation, point him back to the place where you were saved and tell him that you have it right now! The more you tell it the less you will be tempted to doubt it.

You will find that by testifying to what God has done for you in the past, it will encourage and strengthen you for the temptations of tomorrow. Do not allow the enemy to cheat you out of a single testimony for Christ. Testify anywhere and everywhere you have an opportunity to witness for your Saviour.

4. By Spiritual Songs. "And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God," Psa. 40:3. The children of God are a happy people. They have everything to which to look forward; therefore, His praise should be continually in their mouths. Has not God said, "All things work together for good to them that love God"? Rom. 8:28. But this is one thing the devil hates. Methinks that nothing gets on his nerves much more than for people to praise and glorify God. The next time you are bothered with Satan, chase him away with a good song, such as "When the Battle is Over, We shall Wear a Crown," or "Amazing Grace."

Remember, this is one thing you are to do, even when you do not feel like it: praise God. The Psalmist said, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord," Psa. 150:6.

On this point St. Paul admonishes us in Eph. 5:19, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord." In Col. 3:16 he further states that in doing this we admonish one another.

5. By doing Good for Evil. "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good," Rom. 12:21. The story is told of an old woman who said she would do good for good, but this was all she would do. How true is this of the world in general! But this is not God's plan for His children; He wants them to go a little farther. The Christian is to go the second mile, love his enemies, bless them that curse him, do good to them that hate him and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute him. See Matt. 5:39-44.

When Jesus was on the cross, He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," Luke 23 34. By acting the Jesus way we will be enabled to overcome any temptation. By doing good for evil we will put our enemies under conviction, and therefore have an opportunity of winning them to Christ.

6. By Persistent Resistance. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," James 4:7. Mother Eve brought the greatest curse ever known upon the human race because she failed to resist the devil. She listened to his questions and began to try to answer them, and finally got to believing his lies and consequently fell into sin. Beware! Take warning. The devil is a sly, subtle old fellow. Let us take the advise of St. Peter, who said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith," I Pet. 5:8, 9.

Jesus, while undergoing temptation, commanded Satan to get behind Him. This is a splendid example for us to follow. We are told to "shun the very appearance of evil." We should not put ourselves into places where we will be subject to temptation, when avoidable. When Peter "followed afar off" and warmed by the devil's fire, he got into trouble. As children of God and joint-heirs with Christ, we should shun everything that would in the least tempt us to stray from the love of God. Let us "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. 2:12, 13.