“Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” –John Owen
Here’s a thought worth giving some serious consideration: If you were the devil, how would you tempt you? What bait would you put on your hook?
Would you tempt you with something obvious like sexual sin, having power over others or making an idol out of money? Or would it be something more subtle (but just as deadly), like comfort, bitterness, or putting on a religious persona while your heart feels cold and far from God?
Whether we realize it or not, all of us must do battle with temptation every single day. The power of temptation rests in the same lies Satan used on our first parents Adam and Eve in the garden: sin will satisfy us, and that God is in the way of our joy. Temptation to choose our way over God’s is like a chocolate-covered grenade: it tastes delicious until it inevitably blows up in our face. So we don’t flirt with temptation—we fight it!
Every single person to walk this earth will pick a fight: they will either fight God because they choose to love their sin, or they will fight sin because they are loved by Jesus.
We fight sin by looking to a mighty Savior who was tempted in every way that we are, yet walked sinlessly (Heb. 4:15), died as our substitute, and rose again by the same power that now lives in us through the Holy Spirit. For those who belong to Jesus, we don’t fight sin to get saved—we fight sin because we are saved.
Over the next few weeks at Mars Hill Students, we will be teaching students about what it means to expose temptation for the baited hook that it is and to destroy the lies of our enemy with the truth of God’s Word.
If you are a student in 6th–12th grade, we’d love to invite you to join the movement of students in Mars Hill Church who are following Jesus, growing as leaders, and living our lives for Jesus’ fame! Go to the Connect Desk at your local Mars Hill church on Sunday to get in touch with your local Student Ministry lead about how to get involved.
