We are now entering into the next aspect of our relationship with God. We have been learning how to lay our life in God’s hands. We have gradually started waiting on the Holy Spirit to put Jesus’ thoughts into our mind and His feelings into our heart. As we trade our thoughts and feelings for His thoughts and feelings, we become more and more submitted to the decisions and plans of God. From there we face temptations and enticements from Satan to head in other directions. We are invited into relationships, financial “opportunities,” ways of gaining happiness, satisfaction, pleasure, and accomplishments that contradict what God is telling us to do. You will have waited on God’s ideas and direction and have received it; or you are still waiting on Him for an answer. In either case, an idea or some person suggests that you take a path that has unbiblical aspects to it. It may not be ALL wrong; it may not be real bad; it just would take a little stretching of the principles of God. You may have to tell a “little” lie, mislead someone a “little” bit, cheat someone out of a “little” amount of money, time, positions, or possessions.

Even though you have already submitted your life, in general, to the control of your heavenly Father, this is a moment where you need to submit this temptation you are facing to Him.

BEFORE you spend ANYTIME giving this “opportunity” some thought, you need to IMMEDIATELY take it to God for His examination. Be totally honest with Him; tell Him exactly what kind of dishonest things you would have to do to go in this direction. Let Him know how you feel about the “benefits” you think you would get from going in this direction. Then tell Him you want His will for your life in this matter. Tell Him you are saying “yes” to whatever He wants you to do. Even if you REALLY don’t want to say yes to Him (temptations have a very powerful effect on our emotions), just go ahead and tell Him you are saying “yes” to whatever He decides. That will open the door to God’s power to resist Satan as you take the next step in spiritual procedures.

Ask God to help you say “yes” to His will even when you are being faced with a tremendous temptation to do something a “little” bit out of Godly character. Ask Him to help you just go ahead and tell Him “yes,” even though you are feeling a great desire to go in a totally opposite direction. You may want something to be okay with God’s will, with what seems to be all of your heart. Satan may have presented you with something that has tempted every fiber of your emotions. But, while you are feeling the full effects of the temptation, just turn to God and say: “yes, I want your will.” It may seem like a “yes” that doesn’t have any real meaning or sincerity in it; but it WILL open the door to God’s power to resist.