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Volume 8 #10.
To Keep Temptations Under Control ...
Watch and Pray, says Jesus
Jesus said ... Mt. 26:41 ... Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
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This means: be watchful, and when you feel your flesh starting to rise up start praying ...
It is sort of like when you feel a headache coming on you are aware of it and often will take preventive steps, such as two aspirin, before it gets full control of you.
Our flesh consists of various works which are tempted by things we hear and see or feel.
When we feel anger coming on in us and feel it start to rise up, we stop and pray, asking God not to allow that to happen. We must be "watchful", realizing we are in danger.
We "watch", stay awake, don't try to ignore it when you feel something of your flesh start to rise up.
The flesh is always there, just waiting to rise up in us and take over and produce its works which are always bad.
The flesh never improves. As long as we live on this earth in these present bodies, the flesh lies in wait.
So we have to "watch", be aware ... heading the flesh off through prayer. This is what Jesus is saying to us in Mt. 26:41
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Gal. 5 tells us various areas where our flesh rises up.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Consider the subject of "emulations" ...
Emulation means: to try to equal or surpass another person, typically by imitation
My housekeeper said to me: "Don't you ever feel like you have to keep up with the Joneses?"
That would be emulation.
If we do feel this about someone, that is when we need to pray ... when we first recognize this temptation ... don't push it aside ... pray! immediately!
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Rival is the root meaning of emulation.
In sports we often hear of "rivals" and it is considered a good thing by fleshly humans.
It is a strong tendency of the flesh to outdo others in some area... appearance, games
But it is a work of our flesh and control is needed through prayer.
Considering again what Jesus told us:
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
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Consider another very strong fleshly tendency ... variance
This means: to vary
- disagreeing
- quarreling
November, 2016, USA ... very strong feelings over US presidential election provoked the fleshly work of "variance" ... each side thought themselves right and this pushes the flesh toward variance and debating and quarreling, thinking themselves right ... but it is a work of our flesh when we fall into this trap.
If we recognize it coming, we can start praying and avoid this temptation through prayer:
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Sometimes the Holy Spirit will rise up in us to give us a scripture to fight the flesh ... such as
"My kingdom is not of this world." (Jesus said in Jn. 18)
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But the answer for us is prayer ... When we do have a scripture it must be by the Holy Spirit reminding us of that scripture in order for the power of the scripture to be there ... we can quote a scripture by our flesh and it becomes just words ... real power of God is by the Spirit of God, even behind a scripture.
So prayer is what we are to do to overcome temptation.
But we must be alert, watchful, and recognize when our flesh is beginning to be stirred up ... and then pray immediately.
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One work of the flesh is "uncleanness" ...
Paul defines "uncleanness" as the temptation to defraud another person ...
I Thess. 4 ... That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us HIS holy Spirit.
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