“‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’“ (John 8:31-32)
Perhaps the greatest way to strengthen our relationship with the Lord and be able to avoid and resist temptation is to spend a lot of time in God’s Word, reading it, meditating on it, studying it, and memorizing it. To the extent this is your delight and you invest time and effort doing it, you will grow strong in faith and be more able to see and avoid temptation. Jesus commands us to abide in Him (John 15:1-7), and He makes the incredible promise that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask whatever we wish, and it will be done for us (John 15:7). Jesus tells us that those who abide in His word are truly disciples of His and will know the truth and be free. Some of God’s greatest promises for us in this life are made to those who meditate on His word day and night (Psalm 1). This must become our desire, without excuses about not having time (how much TV did you watch today?), and it is a taste that must be developed and nurtured to become a habit. But once a habit in our lives, oh what a delight it truly is! If you are bored by or disinterested in the scriptures, it shows that you either don’t know what you are missing or you have desires for earthly things that crowd out the desires for the heavenly. Make time daily for meditation and study of the scriptures. God will bless you, and temptation will find it difficult to find a foothold in your mind and thereby will be more easily defeated.
· Meditate on God’s Word throughout the day; renew your mind in the Word.
Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, 63:6, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:16
· Abide in God’s Word, be a true disciple, and be free.
John 8:31-32, 15:7
· Develop an insatiable thirst for God’s Word; make it your delight; love it more than all riches.
Psalm 1:2, 19:7-11, 119:14, 16, 24, 47-48, 72, 92, 97, 127, 143, 174, Proverbs 16:20, 1 Peter 2:2
· Study the Bible so that you know all that God considers to be sin and can avoid it.
Exodus 20:3-17, 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Matthew 5:21-7:27, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:25-6:9, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
· Memorize Scripture to help you avoid sin, especially verses pertaining to problem sins.
Psalm 119:9-11, Proverbs 6:23-24, Matthew 5:22, 28, 6:24-25, 15:18-19, Ephesians 4:25-32, 5:15-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, 1 Timothy 6:10, 17, James 3:16, 4:1-4, 1 John 2:15-17
· Meditate on God’s Word that you may gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, especially the knowledge of His will.
Proverbs 1:7, 2:1-5:23, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12
· Believe God and His Word!
Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:20, 30:5, Mark 11:22-24, John 14:1, Hebrews 10:38, 11:6