My wife and I both noticed that he stared at several women in the restaurant and occasionally made suggestive comments about them. Throughout the evening we saw a side of our friend that we had not seen before. When we dropped him off at his hotel at the end of the evening, I said to my wife, "We need to pray for that man. If he doesn't change, his marriage will be over in five years and he might lose out with G.o.d."

Sad to say, my prediction proved right. He did divorce his wife within a few years. The couple with whom he took vacations to Europe are also divorced.

Our battle against temptation lasts for a lifetime. We cannot let down our guard. The armor of G.o.d must be in place day and night. Satan will watch and wait for a weak moment to strike. He is not in a hurry because he is only interested in the end result: our downfall. He doesn't make those who are already his uncomfortable. He is after those he doesn't have. He is gleeful when he can tempt Christians into doing something that will eventually cause their fall. The devil's incitement will be full of excitement and promise, but yielding to the temptation will bring us great shame, guilt, and embarra.s.sment. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from G.o.d for the first time. They felt they just had to eat that forbidden fruit, and it became the most painful thing they had ever experienced.

The devil will offer different temptations for different seasons of life. Paul said, "Flee the evil desires of youth" (2 Tim. 2:22). New converts should not be leaders in the church because they "may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6). Young widows have unique temptations that older widows might not face (1 Tim. 5:11). Every chapter of our lives will bring its own set of struggles. C. S. Lewis said, "The long, dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather [for the devil]."19 When we begin to yield to temptation, things only become worse. We never quite find satisfaction, so the temptation demands more and more compromise. The alcoholic wants "only one more drink." The person who uses cocaine wants "just one more fix." The adulterer says, "Just one more night, to say goodbye." The p.o.r.nographer thinks, "Just a brief look will not hurt anything." Alexander Maclaren said, "The temptation once yielded to gains power. The crack in the embankment which lets a drop or two ooze through is soon a hole which lets out the flood."20 Overcoming Temptation.

WHEN ASKED HOW HE was able to overcome his drug addiction, Johnny Cash said, We prayed a lot.... I'm a free man now.... every once in a while I meet with a youngster who knows I used to be a drug addict, as he is now. He asks what he can do to kick the habit. I tell him what I've learned: "Give G.o.d's temple, your body, back to Him. The alternative is death."21 One of the most comforting verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 10:13. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And G.o.d is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

The apostle Paul a.s.sures us in this verse of several truths: Our temptation is not unusual. Other people have experienced the same thing we have. We are not weird or different because we are going through a time of temptation. Many have gone before us, and many are suffering with the same problem. The devil likes us to think that our struggle is unique, because then we are weakened and lack the a.s.surance that we can win. G.o.d has delivered-and is at present delivering-many people from the same temptation we are wrestling with, whether that is substance abuse, stealing, a bad temper, or s.e.xual immorality. Do you feel all alone? You're not, and your temptation is not unusual.

G.o.d will not permit us to suffer more than we can bear. G.o.d knows what the devil is up to. He will not let the enemy give us more than we can endure. When we trust G.o.d with our lives one day at a time, He will continually bring us victory. If we are facing intense temptation, we have to hold steady: Keep praying, read the Bible, and attend a Bible-believing church. We can trust G.o.d one moment at a time and have the confidence that our loving heavenly Father will never let the pressure become more than we can handle. Sometimes people give up and say, "What's the use? This is the way I am!" But that is just another lie from Satan.

We are created in the image of G.o.d, and He will get us through. G.o.d did not create us to fail; He created us to be victorious and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

Teen Challenge is a worldwide ministry that, in part, works with young people who are hooked on drugs. Its program has an extremely high success rate of helping people to get free and stay free of drugs. The governments of many countries have invited Teen Challenge in to help their people who struggle with drug addiction. The basic strategy of the program is to introduce addicts to Jesus Christ and then help them overcome their bondage one moment at a time. Often these desperate people become Christians because they have tried everything else and nothing has worked.

Teen Challenge workers understand that the addicts who become Christians have resources and abilities they never had before. Now Christ lives in them. At first the drug problem can seem overwhelming, and the person will feel like giving up. The Teen Challenge worker helps the person to understand that this will pa.s.s. Some recovering people are placed in halfway houses to be with others who have made it. Encouraged by these examples, they become stronger and more disciplined in not using drugs. By the end of the program, they know that G.o.d will not allow more temptation to come into their lives than they can bear. They realize that they can make it by trusting G.o.d one moment at a time. We must rest in that truth.

With every temptation, G.o.d will show us a way out. No matter what temptation comes to us, there is a way to overcome it and get away from it.

Joseph, the Hebrew young man sold into slavery by his brothers, was falsely accused for attempting to rape his master's wife. This accusation landed him in prison. His G.o.dly behavior and impeccable integrity cost him his freedom-temporarily.

The way of escape for Joseph was, at first, to refuse to even discuss the woman's invitation to sin. He repeatedly resisted her advances.

"With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against G.o.d?" (Gen. 39:8-9).

There is no question that he did the right thing. We cannot negotiate when someone raises an idea that would be displeasing to G.o.d. But one day the woman confronted him in the house when there were no other servants around. "She caught him by his cloak and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house" (v. 12).

When Joseph was backed into a corner by this person, he had no alternative but to run. He decided it would be better to suffer from offending his master's wife than from sinning against G.o.d. At this particular time in Joseph's life, his only reward for resisting sin was that he knew he was obedient to G.o.d. He could spend the rest of his life in prison-but he had peace in his heart.

G.o.d rewarded Joseph bountifully for his faithfulness. Two years later, the Pharaoh of Egypt needed someone to interpret his dream. No one could do it, except for Joseph, to whom G.o.d had given this ability. Through an amazing set of circ.u.mstances, Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret the Pharaoh's dream. With the interpretation, Joseph gave advice about what to do. The Pharaoh was so impressed with the wisdom of Joseph that he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. In a moment, Joseph was changed from prisoner to ruler. G.o.d provided an escape for Joseph -when he was sold into slavery.

-when an adulterous temptation came into his life.

-when he was falsely accused.

-when he was in prison.

No matter what came into his life, Joseph knew he could trust G.o.d. We can, too. In every temptation, there will always be a way out. We can choose the Christ-honoring course of action. We do not have to yield to temptation. G.o.d will not allow us to be backed into a corner where we have nowhere to turn. We can pray and ask G.o.d to show us the way out of our temptation.

Joseph Scriven had a life that many would describe as "filled with trouble." The night before their wedding, his bride-to-be drowned when she was thrown from a horse into a lake. He later began training as a military cadet, but poor health kept him from the career of his dreams. Scriven moved from Ireland to Canada and became a servant to the underprivileged, helping those who were physically handicapped and financially dest.i.tute. Tragedy came again when his second fiancee died of pneumonia not long after being baptized in a cold lake. It seemed that Joseph Scriven was destined to live alone and tolerate a career that was his second choice. For the rest of his life he experienced loneliness, meager pay for menial work, and physical illness.

Many people in Jospeh Scriven's circ.u.mstances would have turned bitter. We can imagine that he was tempted to become angry and disillusioned with life. Perhaps Satan spoke to him the way Job's wife talked to her husband when his life was falling apart: "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse G.o.d and die!" (Job 2:9). But like Job, Scriven didn't become resentful or angry. On the contrary, amid the tragedies, temptations, and trials, he wrote the beloved hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."22 What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged- Take it to the Lord in prayer.

In His arms He'll take and shield thee- Thou wilt find a solace there.

There is no question that in this life we will face trials and temptations. But G.o.d will help us through every one of them. It's our choice.

THIRTEEN.

Winning the Battle.

Even though Lisa grew up traveling with her father, Evangelist Lowell Lundstrom, she wandered far from G.o.d. She ran away from her ministry family into an insecure and dangerous world filled with demonic strongholds. Struggling to survive, she did the unthinkable and entered into a life of prost.i.tution at age seventeen.

Years before, the devil had encouraged Lisa to become bitter and resentful about her life. She became jealous of her brother and sisters, especially their musical talents. Very few people knew that inside Lisa was a growing pain and a spiritual downward spiral. This mental anguish would one day make her want to run from everything she knew to be true and right. She thought, I can make it on my own. Life's not that difficult. She was beautiful, intelligent, and sensitive and had a good personality-and the devil saw an opportunity to destroy what was precious to G.o.d.

Lisa encountered many strange men during her nine years as a prost.i.tute. One night she met a man who had a strangeness and deviancy she couldn't figure out. They met at a bar, then went to a secluded house. She soon understood why he acted so strange. Sensing danger, she dashed for the door. He grabbed her, put a knife across her neck, and ordered her to lie down on a plastic garbage bag. He was a serial killer who had murdered eighteen women. Lisa was destined to be number nineteen.

When Lisa came into the world, her loving mother had wrapped her in a warm baby blanket. Now she was to leave this world, filled with terror and wrapped in a cold garbage bag. For four hours the crazed man ran knives up and down her body. He was mentally preparing to take another life. His trancelike stare seemed to come from another world. Lisa knew that if she tried to escape, he would kill her quickly.

In that dark moment, Lisa remembered how to pray. Her memories took her back to her childhood, when she and her family ministered to others. Once upon a time, years before, she had known how to pray, too. Even though her behavior was completely opposite of what G.o.d wanted it to be, Lisa somehow knew that He would listen now. Deep within her heart she cried out to G.o.d. "O G.o.d, don't let me die like this. I don't want my family to learn it ended this way!"

For years, the Lundstroms had known of their daughter's plight. They were heartbroken, ashamed. They continually questioned what they could have done wrong-which simply means that the devil was working on them as well because he will take advantage of every heartache, mistake, and tragedy. They never stopped praying, believing, and demonstrating their love in every way possible. They were sickened with Lisa's behavior but in their hearts they longed for her return. They knew her life was at risk in that kind of lifestyle. As the family traveled from city to city in the evangelistic ministry, Lowell would read the obituary page in the newspaper, fearing to see his daughter's name. As he spoke to thousands of people across the United States and Canada, he would ask Christians to "pray for Lisa."

Even though Lowell and Connie didn't know what was happening that particular evening, they sensed that their daughter was in desperate need of help.

As Lisa watched the eyes of her a.s.sailant, she knew death was near. One slash of the steel blade would sever her jugular vein. She tried with all her strength to hold back panic and continued to cry out to G.o.d. She remembered the presence of the Holy Spirit that she had experienced as a child-and in this critical hour she began sensing His presence again. She felt the power of G.o.d entering the room and pushing back the demons of darkness. Slowly the killer began to change his mind about taking her life.

Suddenly a miracle happened. With no explanation, the killer let Lisa go. A few minutes later, instead of taking her life, he killed himself. G.o.d had heard the prayers from all over the nation on Lisa's behalf. And G.o.d had heard Lisa's prayers. He had never left her.

This near-death experience shook Lisa to the core of her being. She also knew beyond any doubt that G.o.d had intervened for her. Yet, in spite of this realization, she kept running from G.o.d, who kept reaching out to her. It took another six years for Lisa to reach the bottom.

Lisa knew she was approaching a point of no return. G.o.d used the birth of a nephew to reach Lisa's heart. She wanted to see the boy grow up. She wanted to be an aunt he could be proud of. So this newborn baby rekindled a tenderness in Lisa's heart. This softening enabled her to rededicate her life to G.o.d.

Even though it was difficult to think about calling her mother and father, Lisa knew they would do whatever they could to help her. She called and said she wanted to come home. As she hoped, her mother and father forgave her immediately. Lowell dropped everything and drove two thousand miles-nonstop from Manitoba, Canada, to Houston, Texas-to be reunited with his precious daughter. Lisa's surrender to the love of her family led to her complete surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Now several years have pa.s.sed. Lisa speaks regularly to young people about the dangers of running away from home and the heartache that rebellion will bring. Drawing on her experience, Lisa says, "Sin will take you further than you've ever been, make you stay longer than you ever intended, and soon you're doing things you never dreamed you would do.1 We must never forget that the devil "comes only to steal and kill and destroy," but that Jesus came to give life "to the full" (see John 10:10). There is no situation under the control of the enemy of our souls that our loving G.o.d cannot take back. We might think that it's too late for G.o.d to help us-that He's mad at us because of our behavior, or our problems are too big and have gone on for to long. Because the devil is a deceiver and a master at intimidation, he would like us to think that G.o.d can't or won't help. But Satan been defeated, and Christ can help.

G.o.d's Love: The Secret of Victory.

THERE ARE THREE THINGS we must understand about G.o.d's love before we can feel confident of Christ's victory over Satan in our lives.

We can't earn G.o.d's love. It doesn't matter how good we try to be, how many times we go to church, how much we put in the offering plate, how often we read the Bible, or how much we pray-we cannot earn G.o.d's love. He loves us with an everlasting love. We cannot "work up" more love or acceptance. He is committed to us and will not give up on us.

We might say, "Well, I know that G.o.d loves Billy Graham or people like D. L. Moody or Susannah Wesley or the great men and women in the Bible. But He will never love me that way." Not true! G.o.d loves us in the same way He has loved every one of the men and women we admire and respect. G.o.d has no special people-only unique roles for ordinary people in His kingdom.

The playing field is level for all of us. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). We all have a sinful nature and therefore need to be forgiven. G.o.d has provided a way for this to happen through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

At one of Billy Graham's crusades, I was talking to him behind the platform before it was time for him to go out to preach to the waiting crowd.2 As we conversed, I asked him a question I had wondered about for years. I said, "Billy, everywhere you go in the world to preach, tens of thousands of people come to hear you. How does this make you feel?" I could have antic.i.p.ated his answer. Without hesitation, the evangelist replied, "It makes me feel like a worm." I think I knew what he meant. He was saying, It doesn't matter how many times I preach, or how many people want to hear what I have to say-my righteousness and my works are like "filthy rags."

Both our salvation and the divine help we receive to defeat the enemy are love gifts from G.o.d. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of G.o.d-not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). We can't clean ourselves up or defeat the enemy in our own strength. We have to trust Jesus. We can't earn more grace or favor from G.o.d. We need only to have confidence in what He has already done for us. R. P. C. Hanson said, "Grace means the free, unmerited, unexpected love of G.o.d, and all the benefits, delights, and comforts which flow from it. It means that while we were yet sinners and enemies we have been treated as sons and heirs."3 Perhaps you grew up in a home where you were abused or you had a father who rejected you. Sometimes parents put unreasonable pressure on their children to achieve perfection in athletics or on the report card-and thus make acceptance conditional. Perhaps our brothers or sisters were continually putting us down. It may be that people we wanted as friends spurned us and treated us cruelly. There are also many single-parent homes today in which children feel an emptiness in their hearts because they have not received one parent's blessing. For any of these reasons we might have felt rejected our whole childhood and yearned for someone to say, "I'm proud of you. You're doing great! I love you!"

Listen: G.o.d does not reject us. He loves us with an everlasting love. He will forgive us of anything we have done. He will protect us from the enemies of the soul. And all these blessings are free. All this is called grace. We only need to receive His love and trust Him to protect us.

G.o.d has given me places of leadership that I never antic.i.p.ated or sought.4 He has given me the opportunity to lead thousands of ministers and millions of members in a church fellowship. I don't deserve this, and I am not good enough for it; however, I humbly accept whatever the will of G.o.d is for my life. I understand that the devil would like to attack me and bring me down, but I am not afraid of the devil because of G.o.d's incredible love for me. He will protect me, and I can rest in that. We all can. He will be the Father who says, "I love you and I am proud of you!" He will be the friend who wants to spend time with you. He will be the mother who will hold you in His arms. He will be your defender when the devil himself attacks. We cannot earn this love. We just receive it. Martin Luther said, "I believe in G.o.d the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." What does this mean? I believe that G.o.d has made me and all creatures; that he has given and still preserves to me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses; also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and child, land, cattle and all my goods; that he richly and daily provides me with all that I need for this body and life, protects me against all danger and guards and keeps me from all evil; and all this purely out of fatherly, divine, goodness and mercy, without merit or worthiness in me; for all of which I am in duty bound to thank and praise, to serve and obey him.5 When the enemy attacks with temptation or trials, Jesus will be with us. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). To put this another way, Know that as long as you live in this world, there will be trouble and trials; but be confident and take courage because Jesus Christ, who lives in you, has overcome this world.

Isaiah saw G.o.ds abiding presence when he reminded Israel that the Lord would never leave them: This is what the LORD says-

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you pa.s.s through the waters,

I will be with you; and when you pa.s.s through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isa. 43:1-2).

Isaiah was reminding Israel that G.o.d would be their defender and their protector-not only physically, but mentally and spiritually, also. When the devil came against them, to bring discouragement or to overwhelm them, G.o.d would be there to help.

Three G.o.d-fearing Hebrew men were thrown into a blazing furnace because they refused to compromise their faith. When King Nebuchadnezzar watched the fire in the furnace, he said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the G.o.ds" (Dan. 3:25). The fourth man was Jesus! Not a hair on the heads of the Hebrew men was singed, and they didn't even have the smell of smoke on their clothing when they came out of the furnace.

In this world we will face rivers of trials and fires of temptation, but we will not face them alone. Jesus will stand with us. The river will not drown us, nor the fire burn us, if we trust G.o.d. Oswald Chambers said, "It is not our trust that keeps us, but the G.o.d in whom we trust who keeps us."6 When we feel that the temptation is too strong and we are about to give in, we must remember that Jesus will not permit more than we can handle. We can trust Him to get us through another day. When the devil knocks at our door with fear and anxiety, we can ask Jesus to answer the door!

No one knows what kinds of trials life might bring, but we can know that no matter what life brings, G.o.d will get us through it. Hold steady. Don't quit! The fire will not burn us.

We are a delight to G.o.d. In Psalm 18, David rejoiced because of the protection that G.o.d had given him. David said, He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a s.p.a.cious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me (vv. 16-19, italics mine).

David was literally being chased around the countryside by King Saul, who was jealous of him and wanted him dead. Numerous times Saul had tried to kill him, but David always found a way of escape. Saul put a price on Davids head, causing him to live a life on the run, sleeping in caves, using rocks for pillows and the earth for his mattress. David said, In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to my G.o.d for help. From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him into his ears (v. 6).

Saul was only a puppet in the hand of the devil. The enemy of David's soul wanted him out of the way. Satan was using Saul to attack David because he knew that if a G.o.dly king ruled Israel, it would ruin the devil's work.

David said, The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

>The cords of the grave coiled around me;