OWN WHO YOU ARE

James 1:1-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I've been teaching on temptation just recently and one of the things that sticks out to me in this teaching is understanding who you are will produce the kind of results that God is expecting of us.  Let me explain.  When we are tempted, we are tempted by the enemy to do things that are contrary to the word and will of God.  We are not tempted by God, but by the enemy who has studied us and knows what our weak areas are.  After studying us he presents things in our life that he is certain will make us violate the plan of God for our lives.  He may use people who are close to us and always uses things that we desire or feel we need.  With single women it is many things.  Many of us struggle financially, with lonliness, have abandonment issues, have been hurt, etc.  The list could go on infinity.

The point being is that the enemy uses things that are familiar to us to try to draw us away through our own desires.  You've heard the term familarity breeds contempt, that's an expression the word uses.  What is meant by that is when you are familiar with something it can produce things in you that are normally out of character.  Usually this is produced by being comfortable with the thing that you are familiar with.  I said all of that to say this, familiarity puts us in a place where our guard is down and we back up from God's command of watching as well as praying (Matt 26:41).  When you don't watch as well as pray, you will find that things can slip in on you unaware like temptations that can lead you down a path of destruction.

What James has said here in this particular passage of scripture is that we know that we are going to be faced with things.  We know where the things are going to be coming from.  We should count it a priviledge for the opportunity to show the enemy that he can't push me out of my place in God.  We know that God does not present things to us that contradict his word.  With knowing all of this, why is it a struggle to know and do what the will of God is? When temptations come to us they are not to expose what we are not, but what we are.  So being a child of God, it should be pretty easy to say no to things that pull against the anointing on your lives.

The temptations come so that we can grow and mature in God and understand who we are.  One thing that I need to make clear is: We are not on the same level as the temptor, therefore, we have to come down to his level and submit to the decrease in order for the enemy to even get an advantage.  The enemy can't come up on our level, because God has placed Christ far above all principalities and powers and put all things under his feet and made him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body (Eph 1:20-23). If we are his body, the principalities and powers are under our feet as well.  Where are we: "far above the enemy".  Where is the enemy: "far below us".  He sends temptations, but for us to accept we have to step down from our position of authority and submit to the subordinate authority of the enemy. That's why the word says to watch as well as pray so that we do not "fall into temptation" (Matt 26:41).

The next time some things fly your way that you know contradicts the will of God, you've got to remember that's beneath me and I don't have to submit to things that are under my feet.  There's a reason why its under there and let it remain in its place.  Whoever has a problem with you being the wonderful woman of God you are and cannot respect the God in you and wants you to come down from your priestly place, just let them know this: When the enemy offered Jesus the world he failed to remember that the earth is the Lord's and fullness thereof and all they that dwell therein (Ps 24:1).  How can you offer something to someone who already owns it? Jesus owned who he was!

Own who you are and don't submit to anything less than what God has entitled you to.