“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Why does God allow us to be tempted like that? It is only through testing that we become strong spiritually. God has great things that He wants to do through each of us, but its only as we are strong that He can do these. Remember the verse that we went over earlier. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance,” (James 1:2-3)
How does our faith become strong? “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” (Romans 19:17) Jesus told his disciples. “Consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.” (Luke 8:18) The word “has” in the original language means “to take hold of until it’s yours”. It’s that truth from the Bible that you believe and trust God you will receive. Many Christians go to church for years but do not really “have” God’s truth so that they can trust him in difficult circumstances. Many think that because they “know” Bible doctrine, they are strong. This is a deception. It is ONLY as we believe truth and trust God that we are strong.
We are “self controlled” only as we choose daily to yield control of our lives to God, trust and obey what He tells us to do, that we are really strong spiritually. Self control comes as we choose to let God take control of our hearts and wills.
“We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)