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]. (1 Cor 10:13)
I was asked a question yesterday with regard to being "saved" and still blatantly disregarding God's commands. The question was (in a nutshell): How can you say you are saved and still have an affair with a married person?
Part of my answer was very simple. I cannot and will not judge another person's spiritual relationship with God. I don't know who is saved and who is not. And it's not for me to decide if they are or not. What I can tell you is that the acceptance of God in you life changes you! Sin is what we are are. The temptations that we face come from the enemy (who is a very busy creature). What we do with those temptations, how we react and the feelings they stir come because we are human. We are fallible. God is not.
When the Holy Spirit is awakened within you, many changes begin to take place. As I've said before, things I once found humorous, I now find utterly disgusting. My priorities changed. My outlook changed. My desires changed. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God is living in me - no longer laying dormant buried under a ton of indiscretion! Through constant prayer and the study of his word, I began to grow spiritually. What God tells us throughout the Bible is the blueprint to a life that is walked on his path. Salvation is not a light switch that you can turn on when you need to light up your life and turn off when you need to hide in the shadows. Far too many people have gotten the idea that it's okay to deliberately disobey God, confess those sins and move on the the next.
In all of our temptations, especially the little ones thrown at us, God offers us a way out - there is always an "escape pod". We are all tempted - in one way or another. What we choose to do when tempted defines the strength of our character and faith we have in our Creator! We cannot hope to even begin to know anything about God if we don't read his message to us! We don't get there by prayer alone, nor do we get there by constantly trying to outdo the guy next to us!
Place your focus on what it good, what is right - what is of God!!! Read his word daily! Study it and commit it to memory if you can! Ask him for the strength to overcome temptation. Go to him in prayer for everything (even if you think you know the answer). Be alert to the trappings designed to take you away from his will. They can come at you in the most beautiful forms! Don't be too quick to dismiss the knowledge others have gained through the reading and study of his word, when you yourself have not even bothered to open the book! There are no cliff notes available for this one and the abridged version leaves out details that are significantly important to the reader!
Put your life totally in his hands! Let him show you the beautiful life he has waiting for you. Don't waste your time worrying about someone else's salvation - worry about your own - and if you are questioning whether or not you are saved...well, let's just say that you may want to hit your knees and offer your life to him! You'll be amazed at what he can do, even with you!!!
