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But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
— (KJV)
The Bible says that you should resist the devil, and he will flee from you (). Elijah is one character in the Bible who really exemplified this principle of resisting the devil. He stood against everyone who opposed God, including the king and all the prophets of Baal. However, when a woman, Jezebel, decided to go after him, he did not stand to resist her; rather, he fled. When the devil decides to tempt you with a member of the opposite sex, don't stand and fight; flee!
In , the Bible says, "Flee youthful lusts." Child of God, when it comes to sexual temptation, don't fight it; instead, run! I always warn my male children that if the devil comes against them, they should tell him to get lost in Jesus' name. However, if a lady approaches them smiling seductively, they are the ones who should run. You must flee from lust, because you cannot win that battle by standing; you can only win it by fleeing. If you are a man and you find yourself being seduced by a lady, you must flee. It does not matter how anointed you are; run fast! The anointing does not turn the body to stone. Even though Samson was anointed and once single-handedly killed a thousand soldiers, he was overpowered by a woman, and this led to his untimely death.
To the ladies, when a man approaches you with words like, "You look more radiant than the sun. Your smile is brighter than the brightness of a million stars put together," don't be carried away by his flattery. He may be calling you sunshine, but when he finishes with you, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between sunshine and sunset. The Bible says that a flatterer sets a net for his or her neighbour's feet (). My daughter, flee!
Even at my age, I am still running from every appearance of evil. This is because the closer you get to the finishing point of a race, the more careful you must be. The devil doesn't relent in his schemes to bring people down because they are old; instead, he wants to put an end to all the great work God has done through them and tarnish their legacies. Beloved, do not toy with sin; flee all forms of lust! God did not tell you that His grace will be sufficient for you when it comes to lust, He asked you to flee!
Prayer point: Father, please give me the grace to flee every form of lust and to pursue righteousness, in Jesus' name.
Hymn
Yield Not to Temptation
Verse 1:
Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.\
Chorus:
Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.
Verse 2:
Shun evil companions, bad language disdain;
God's name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.
(Chorus)
Verse 3:
To him that o'ercometh, God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Savior, our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.