"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 Corinthians 10:13)

A Christian always has the power to overcome temptation, for "greater is He that is in us, than he who is in the world." (1John 4:4) We are reminded in the book of Romans,that "whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13) The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

The problem of sin lies not in a lack of power, but in a lack of desire! We have not yet comprehended, thatwhosoever abideth in Him, sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin (habitual sin); for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1John 3: 6-9)

There are two types of sin defined by scripture. The trespass, which may be understood as unintentional sin, and the sin of presumption, which is sin committed with intent. A comparison would be our legal system, which defines murder by "degree." First degree murder is murder committed with foreknowledge or intent. Manslaughter, or second-degree murder, is murder committed without foreknowledge or intent. The taking of any life is very serious, but "premeditated" murder is judged more harshly under our judicial system than manslaughter or second-degree murder because the offender "intended" to harm or destroy the life of another.

When John writes, "he that committeth sin is of the devil," he is referring to rebellious acts, which are intentional or premeditated. Did not Satan plan his rebellion against the Most High? Did he not purpose to deceive Eve? Did he not plot against the Son of Man through Peter and Judas Iscariot? You may be thinking, I’ve never planned, purposed, or plotted against Jesus, which may be true, but what about the many times we’ve neglected the leading of His Holy Spirit? Would that not be intentionally disobeying Him?

Trespasses are unintentional sins committed without thought or contemplation. The unkind words, a critical spirit, failure to do what we ought, are all examples of a trespass for which we need forgiveness from God, and those we have offended. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12) Abiding in Him is the surest way to avoid being tripped up or caught by the snares of the devil. Jesus warned us to "watch and pray" lest we enter into temptation, but most of us are too busy managing "this worlds good" to give adequate time to prayer and reflection; therefore, as might be expected, we often struggle with temptation and spells of disobedience. Having defined sin as intentional or unintentional, it should be obvious that intentionally sinning against God is a very dangerous practice. To intentionally disobey is considered to be rebellion, and as serious as participating in witchcraft. Witchcraft is simply worshipping and serving demonic spirits. When we intentionally disobey, we are willfully aligning ourselves with the powers of darkness. "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:16)

The book of Hebrews is a letter of warning to those "who have believed." The author begins by reminding the reader that in these last days, God has spoken to us by a Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things. The Son is described as being the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person; the One Who upholds all things by the word of His power. Jesus is superior to all other created being including angels. The comparison to angels is significant because Angels have tremendous power and authority, and oversee vast realms of God’s creation. The writer reminds us that the "sons of God" are superior to Angels; having been begotten by the Father, they are more than created beings, they are heirs. Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister unto those who are the heirs of salvation. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul declares that "as many as are led (obedient to the leading) by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." (Romans 8:14-17)

The author of Hebrews points out that the sons of God, or more correctly, the sons of the resurrection, will be the ruling agents of the age to come, not the angelic host. You will recall that Satan lead two thirds of the angelic realm in rebellion against God in an attempt to seize His dominion. Fortunately, they failed; perhaps this rebellion was a factor in God opting to have His sons’ oversee the coming age. Of all His created beings, certainly His son’s could be trusted to oversee His kingdom, and act according to His will, couldn’t they? I say again, could not God trust His sons, who were begotten again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? Having sent His only begotten Son into the world, that they might live through Him, was it too much to think, that His sons would love Him, serve Him, and do good unto Him all the days of their lives?

We stated earlier that the problem of sin is not a lack of power, but a lack of desire. If we’ve forgotten that we have the power let us be reminded that God, "according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1: 3-4)

If we lack desire, then we must confess our faults, ask for forgiveness, and request that desire be restored to us. Psalm 51 is an excellent example of how this may be accomplished. If we lack desire, or if we've lost our will to please God, we might consider asking ourselves why this is so. Are we stressed out? Are we angry with God? Do we believe God has failed us? Are we displeased with the circomstances surrounding our life? What is not happening that we would like to see happening? God can surely provide the answer to all these questions and more. Remember, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Talk with God, do not murmur, complain or insult Him. Tald with Him, as you would a dear friend. Tell Him your trouble in a respectful manner and you will find that He will move heaven and earth to help you. He delights in you and wants you to delight in Him. Once you have reestablished the relationship your struggle with intentional sin will go away. But, "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) As James said so succinctly, "submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:7-8)

--D.Paul Montague