TEMPTATION ​

/*This article has no affiliation or whatsoever with "AGGREY MEMORIAL AME ZION SHS", the "AME
ZION CHURCH" or "The Ghana National Association Of Adventist Students" but is a sole property of the
Author—Ebenezer Akutteh,with Christ being the master producer ...*/
Most scriptures here are from the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible*/

Temptation is that thought which serves as an urge or drive or influence to do what one has placed in his or
her heart not to do.

In a different context it can be said to be being influenced, persuaded or convinced by someone into an act
one is prepared/unprepared to do.(Depending on the situation)

Examples include wanting to steal someone's item while you don't plan on doing so since you know it is sinful
or harmful both to you the victor and the victim.

When God created man,he gave him full authority and dominion over all on the face of the earth but the fall
of man led to all that authority given to the devil that's why Jesus referred to him as "the ruler of this world"—

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John14:30-31 and moreso why he said he will give Christ the kingdoms of this world if he will how to him.—
Matthew4:1-10

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TWO MAJOR ACCOUNTS OF TEMPTATIONS IN THE
BIBLE THAT HAS AFFECTED HUMANITY NEGATIVELY O
AND POSITIVELY.
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It sounds weird or out of the norm to say that temptation produces a positive effect, but it's true the account of
that temptation is observed critically and is seen in the context of it happening after sin came into the world

1.The Temptation in the Garden of Eden(Gen 3:1-7)

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It's true that satan was the first being to fall short of God's glory but his story is not the first account of sin in
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the bible...
The temptation that occurred in the garden is the first account of temptation in the Bible and first in the old
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testament and it leads to the fall of man — which is a negative effect of temptation since they fall short of
God's glory,are sacked from the garden and now pacification has to be initiated by sacrifice ( blood ).– Read
Genesis 3:21; Leviticus 4:1-3

2.The temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10;Luke 4:1-13)

This is the second major account of temptation in the Bible and the first in the New Testament.
This is the temptation experienced by Christ himself of which he won,we see clearly in the above scriptures
that "The Spirit was mightily upon Christ" and "led him to the wilderness to fast forty days and nights..."

He was able to overcome that temptation and a positive effect came out of it since it made him "without sin"
making him worthy to die for our sins. Hebrews 2:18 says that since he has suffered and been tempted,he is
able to help those who are being tempted and it's true.

So the negative effect of man's temptation is death and pacification by sacrifice.

The positive effect(speaking contextually) of Christ's temptation is establishing him indeed to be "...the lamb of
God who takes away the sins of men"—(John1:36) forever...

— Thus, creating a permanent solution to man's fall.(We know that in the past the animal used for the
sacrifice had to be without spot and blemish and christ was without spot and blemish)... Leviticus 4: 1-3

Another positive effect to be noted is the enabling of Christ to helps us when we are being tempted.—Hebrews
2:18

QUESTIONS
1.Why Did God Use Death As The Penalty For sin In The Garden?
Remember,God alone knows the answer and the Bible clearly tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that God's ways are not
our ways neither are his thoughts our thoughts and his ways and his thoughts are higher than ours.

Deuteronomy 29:29 also tells us that " the secret things belong to the LORD our God,but the things that are
revealed belong to us and to our children that we may do all the words of this law..."

Knowledge of why God using death as a penalty is not necessary for us ,he knows what he does ,let us just
focus on what's important and that is doing his will.

Remember in John 20:31,the Author states that all that is in the Bible about Jesus is written for us to believe
and have life...

Meaning the things that are not revealed are not necessary for our salvation and God not wanting us to worry
and "occupy ourselves with endless genealogies" gives the scripture in Deuteronomy 29:29 above.

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1 Timothy 1: 4 tells us that we shouldn't occupy ourselves with "... endless genealogies which promote

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speculations rather than divine stewardship, that is in Faith"

And if we are to receive our answers now,what then will we ask God when we go to heaven?
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Most of us have a lot of questions in our hearts we want to ask God,and he gives us the hope that he will come
again and draw us to himself (John14:1-3) and thus this gives us a greater longing and thirst for righteousness
that we may seek him and be with him and then ask him our questions when we meet him in heaven....
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Hallelujah
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This helps us obey him when he says"set your minds on things above and not on things that are on
earth"— Colosians 3:1-2
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2.Why Did God put the tree of Knowledge of good and evil in the Garden
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for them to be tempted?

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We should first of all note that the purpose of that tree was not for man to be tempted but was for man to be
obedient.
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Remember,there were and still are laws in heaven and God wanted man to also have laws in his existence to
guide him even though he gave him free will — Deuteronomy 30:19-20

God giving man free will meant man could do all he wanted,but the law of God gives a guide as to how to live
it and thus prevents man from harming himself or his neighbour. Psalm 14:7 says "The law of God is
perfect"....

The law in the garden was to prevent man from doing anything to harm himself and God,to be disciplined...

In one of Ellen White's writings,she says that that tree was the least and the basest among all of the trees in the
garden and so why should Eve crave for it's fruit (because was not content with what she had and what God
had given she and Adam and wanted to be like God.)—Gen3:6-7

Also, God works in mysterious ways ,he knows why he does what he does, let's just focus on him,Christ tells
Peter in John 21 to stop worrying and thinking about unnecessary stuff and to "follow him.". —John
21:20-22

3.The Bible says the spirit of God was mightily upon Christ when he
overcame his temptation,At the time of creation the Spirit of God wasn't
given,so if Christ won and man lost, isn't it a norm?
We should first of all note that at the beginning,man's nature wasn't sin and so there was no need of the Holy
Spirit to help us conform to the pattern of righteousness...
The Lord talked to man one on one, remember Genesis 3:8 tells us that God visited the garden...
The days after the fall of man are different from the days of the beginning...

And we should also note that the battles Christ fought are different from the one's Adam and Eve fought and
that which we are fighting.

Remember he asked John and James if they were "able to drink from his cup and be baptized with his
baptism"— in other words,can you overcome the temptations I've been through?,can you endure the trials I
endure?—(Mark 10:35-40)

Let's note that taking a critical analysis of whatever went on in the garden,Adam and Eve had every chance
against the devil to win (two are better than one) and they had been given dominion over everything on the
face of the earth — Gen1:26-17

They lost because of disobedience,Adam could have prayed to God for forgiveness of Eve's sin... and the story
continues

Friends, let's not confuse ourselves with "endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the

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divine stewardship, that is in faith".

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4.When we are tempted,does it mean we have sinned?
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Many people often confuse temptations with sin, when we are tempted it does not mean we have sinned ,it is
when we yield ourselves to that temptation that sin takes place and so next time a "passing" thought comes
into your mind to steal someone's calculator or whatsoever, it does not mean you've sinned but when you
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allow yourself to be moved while Christ says you're more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) and you steal it,
that is when you have sinned....
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/*The purpose of this article is not to focus on the faults of man but rather
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the solution to his fall and so we move on to how to overcome

temptations...*/
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5.What Do I do When I Am Tempted?

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As I stated early on, being tempted is not a sin, it's yielding to it that makes it a sin.So what will one do when
he is tempted — ask for strength.
Someone may say he can't pray in public— yeah that's right.People may think you're crazy but you can pray in
your heart,in your mind and ask God for wisdom and strength — this mostly works or is applied when you're
dealing with temptations from friends or influences from the outside world...
For someone struggling with addictions such as ponography,masturbation,alcohol and so on and forth,the best
option is to isolate yourself from people (family or not) who engage in such practice and then isolate
substances or items that trigger the desire for those stuffs.
We should also never forget the subject of prayer and faith in God— that we are going to get out of the
addictions we are in.— Psalm 34:7 says "the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,and
delivers them"
Ellen White says "What human wisdom cannot do, God's grace will accomplish for those who give
themselves in loving trust"...
If you're willing to trust God for the healing that he died on the cross to give to you — the healing of all sin,
addictions,guilt, shame, condemnation then he's willing to help you...(1Peter 2:24—"By his wounds you have
been healed").
God is love,never forget that...

HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATIONS

Temptations are every where and the devil is willing to do all he can to even cause the elite in Christ to fall
away and we therefore have to "lift our dropping hands and strengthen our weak knees that what is weak
may not be put out of joint,but rather be healed" and then "look into Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our
faith"—Hebrews 12:12-3;2

1. Walking by the spirit

(Galatians 5:25 says if we live by the spirit,let us also walk by the spirit)Matthew 4:1 says the spirit of God was
mightily upon Christ.

All these show the essence of the spirit

John 14:16-20 tells us that the Spirit of God is our counsellor.
We are to depend on the Spirit for strength, Wisdom,advice, comfort and all that we need.

Philipians 4:19 tells us that"and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in
Christ Jesus."

The point I'm trying to make here is that we should cast all our cares unto Christ.We are to depend on him to
win the day's battle and temptations.

The Lord says the Spirit will convict us of sin and guide us into all truth and so he helps us spot temptations
and helps us flee from it.

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Friends,let us live by the Spirit
Hebrews 2:18 tells us that since Christ has suffered and been tempted he knows all about such and will help us

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if only we are willing to avail ourselves unto him as living sacrifices,holy and acceptable to him(Romans 12:1-
2) and as instruments of righteousness since you we not under the law but under the grace (Romans 6:12-14).

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2. Don't argue with the devil
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Ellen White says God forewarned the couple in the garden about the adversary. If Eve hadn't gotten into any
argument with the devil and had done what God said immediately— (Psalm 1:1-4 says,"Blessed is the
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man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord") ,Eve wouldn't have even gone near it for satan to deceive her.
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We should do our best and instead of getting into an argument with satan let us instead like Jesus use the word
— the sword of the spirit to fight him...
If we get into an argument with him ,he finds a way to deceive us and in the end we may end up
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compromising our Christian standards.

We should resist the devil upfront and we can't do it without God's strength
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3. Flee from immorality

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1Corinthians 6: 18 tells us to flee from immorality which links to Psalm1:1 which says:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits
in the seat of scoffers."

If only we are to choose our friendship circle wisely we are not to fall.

I do not say to hate your enemies for even the Lord says to bless thine enemies,love them and do not
curse them and to also pray for them to come to the Lord.(Luke 6:36;Romans12:14-21)

Like Joseph,let us flee from Potiphar's wife and say"...how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against
God"— Gen 39:9

The Bible tells us in 1Corinthians 10:12-13 that" no temptation is greater than man and he is faithful and
won't let us be tempted beyond our strength but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape
for you to endure."

The scripture uses the word "endure" for a reason.

Until our last breaths,the devil is not going to give up tempting us and so God wants us to endure every
temptation and overcome through HIS STRENGTH that we may see his power and the one which he has given
us.

Friends,we ought to know the power Christ has given us... He says in the book of Luke 10:19(that Behold, I
have given you power to trample over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy,and
nothing shall by any means hurt you.)

May God help us know and exercise the divine power which he has given into us ....

4. Holding on to the promises of God

There are numerous scriptures in the Bible which tells us what we are to receive when we overcome
temptations and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus — Revelations 14:12

This is just a handful of them...

Such scriptures include
James1:12
Rev:(2:7;2:10;2:17;2:26;3:5;3:11;3:21;)
Romans 2:6-10;John14:1-3;Romans8:17

And many others...

Nevertheless,we are not to do our best to fight temptations necessarily because we want a golden crown
or want to go to heaven but because we love God and we want to please him and "present ourselves to
him as a living sacrifice,holy and acceptable".

John 14:15 says "if you love me,you will keep my commandments" and not "if you want a crown" .

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By saying this,I don't mean it's wrong to hope in God for heaven,I'm saying that we should learn to seek

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God not just because we don't want to go to hell but because he is God and he loves us and we love him
back... Amen

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5. Having a strong will
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This is especially to those struggling with addiction.
It's true that the flesh has nothing to do with the spirit but if we don't set our minds on things above and have
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the will and the desire to seek them,how then are we going to overcome son.
Though Christ is ever willing to help us ,if we don't have the will to do away with sin,how will he.
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Ellen white says:"Place for yourself a high standard and strive earnestly to reach it".
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6. Staying strong in the LORD

The Bible makes it clear that the weapons used to fight the evil one are not worldly,but are mighty through
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God to destroy strongholds...

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Paul tells us in verse Ephesians 6:10-18 to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might and gives
us advice on what to do,he tells us we are to put on the:

1.Breastplate of righteousness (symbolizing Godliness)

2.Shield of faith(faith in bad times to wait for God's divine providence),
3.Equipment of the Gospel of peace(peace in oneself,with God and with man)
4.Belt of truth(Telling the truth and doing everything truth)
5.Helmet of salvation (to be able to plant yourself in God and block anything in your path that may work
against your salvation— Philippians 2:12 tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling...)
6.The sword of the spirit (the word of God which is sharper than any two edged sword and piercing to
the division of soul and spirit,,of joints and marrow and discerning between the thoughts and intentions
of the heart(Hebrews4:12)
7.Prayer
We ought to be prayerful.Jesus Christ tells us to "watch and pray lest you fall into temptation".

He knew what he said when he said we should pray for prayer is the only way we can talk to God about our
weaknesses and ask him for strength to overcome them. Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray unceasingly

we are to pray for strength, faith and peace to overcome the devil's wiles and evil temptations...

All the above are symbols and directions concerning how to live a life "worthy of the 'high' calling to which we
have been called"...

7. Be aglow in the spirit

Do the will of the Lord always.Romans 12:11-12 tells to "Never flag in zeal,be aglow with the spirit,serve the
Lord.¹²Rejoice in your hope,be patient in tribulation,be constant in prayer"...

We are not to give up in the midst of temptation for it is then that our faith is tried and tested...

We are to rejoice in our hope,what is our hope? Christ is our hope and he gives us the promise"Be thou
faithful...and I will give thee an crown of life."—Rev2:10

Notice again the subject of prayer in the last sentence,we are not to trivialize prayer in the least.

May the Lord God help us to fight the battles we face,for it is his and victory comes from him alone.

8. Making God A Priority

The Bible clearly outlines that we should let our desires to please God exceed that of man.Peter says in the
book of Acts that "we must obey God rather than men".

If Adam had let his desire to please God exceed that to please Eve I'm sure he would not have eaten that fruit.

He loved Eve so much and decided to die with her instead of obeying God,thus he chose death of all the
options God gave him. — Deuteronomy 30:19
And his choice has affected all his descendants till today ,as the prophecy says in the scripture above...

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We have to learn to please God in all circumstances and make him our priority even if "all men will despise

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us".

May the LORD help us take that bold step.

TAKEAWAY
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Friends,there is a God in this world and he is the only God, besides him no other God was created...
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And then there is a devil in this world who "opposes everything God does"—2 Thess 2:4...
Let's obey God's word and do what he says that we may have life — and have it abundantly— and that life will
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also be given to our descendants...

"God sent Christ in human form and not his divine form to show us how to live and after his work he
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died to reclaim the power Adam had given to satan and so we have power." — Joyce Meyer
Ellen White says in "The Great Controversy" that satan knows and is well aware of the fact that the least
person or smallest person in the Kingdom is more that a match against the host of darkness.
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You have authority — (Like 10:19;Psalm91:13)and satan wants to take it from you,will you give it to him or will
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you stand firm and live your life as Christ lived that you may be victorious.
You are strong and like Paul,you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you for you are more than
a conqueror and Christ gives you the victory,(Phil4:13; Rom8:37; 1Cor 15:57).
The only way to live that life God has for us is to obey him and resist the devil in his grounds and let him know
who he is...
God bless you for your time and I hope you'll take God's word at heart. ❤️

PRAYER:
Dear God,
I thank you for your word today on temptation,help me to heed to your word and wherever evil
speculations rather than divine submission to your word may rise in my heart ,help me be able to fight
it to your glory,help me hold on to your wonderful promises about my life and trust that soon I will be
united with you in heaven where sin will be no more,may your grace help me to endure and overcome
all the trials that may come my way,thank you for loving us to draw us back to you even though "like
sheep we have all gone astray".AMEN.

©2024—Ebenezer Akutteh,Aggrey Memorial GNAAS chapter

 Contact at nezerakutteh@gmail.com

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