Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever done something that you knew you shouldn't do? Something that was just entirely out of character? Maybe you even tried to convince yourself, “I really shouldn't do this,” but you just felt like you couldn't help but do it? It's like when Paul says he knows the things that he should do, but he doesn't do them, and he knows the things that he shouldn't do, but he does. And maybe you've found yourself even jokingly saying, “the devil made me do it.” Maybe there's times where you aren't sure if that's a joke, that maybe it was the devil that led you to do something wrong.
We read in Genesis chapter 3 how it was Satan who deceived Adam and Eve into eating the fruit and breaking God's commandments. We've all been there, where we're breaking God's commandments and we're hurting the people around us.
A Personal Story of Temptation
In high school, I remember when I got my license, as I'm sure many of you remember. It's an exciting time and you have all the freedom in the world. At least it seems like that. My freedom was limited to when I could borrow my dad's car. I remember one day after youth group, my friends were there and they wanted to go out for dinner, and I wasn't supposed to be driving people. And I told them over and over that I couldn't drive people. But then I let my guard down. I thought, “just this once.”
We hopped in the car and we started driving, probably to Taco Bell, and we didn't get more than two blocks away from the church before I had an awful accident. Praise God everyone was okay, but I remember looking at my parents and them having disappointment in their eyes. All I wanted to say was that the devil made me do it, but in reality, it was me.
Understanding the Devil's Schemes
See the devil? He's crafty. He knows how to speak lies that lead us astray. But Paul also tells us that we're not unaware of his schemes. We know how he works. There's nothing that he could tempt us in that Jesus doesn't give us the power to overcome. I love this encouragement in our verse today from 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3, the apostle says, "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence."
God has called us to this way of holy living, and it is not in God's nature to call us into something without also giving us the ability to do it. And so when He calls us to live this holy life, He also gives us the strength to overcome temptation and to endure by the power of His Spirit. All of this comes from knowing Him. All of this comes not from trying harder or doing better, but by leaning into the character of God and freely receiving His grace and His Spirit that transforms our lives.
Knowing God Leads to Obedience
I love what the Apostle John says in his epistle. He says that we know that we know God when we obey His commandments. It's not that obeying His commandments allows us to know Him. It's that knowing Him will naturally lead to obedience.
What does it mean to know God? It means taking the time out of your day to read the word and understand His character. It means sitting in the quietness of your living room, taking the time to pray to Him. It means carving out margin to be around His people that keep you accountable and can encourage you. When we know God, it helps us to obey His commandments.
I want to encourage all of us to set our minds on things above. As Paul says in Colossians chapter 3, take off that old self and put on your new self, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Abide in Him as He abides in you, and watch as your life is transformed before your eyes.
