For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

 Aid those tempted:

 

Hebrews 2:18

18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

 

            We are all tempted. Sometimes it’s easy to resist. Sometimes it’s impossible without help. It’s “tempting” to say, “You’re God. You don’t know what it’s like to be tempted.” However, this verse says differently. Jesus, God in the flesh, was tempted. He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He was tempted through the words of Peter who said, “No way is anybody going to kill you!” He was tempted in the Garden to call on the angels to rescue Him. He knows what it’s like to be tempted. And yet He resisted. Thus, He is able to come to our aid when we are tempted. Corinthians says that God won’t let us be tempted beyond what we are able to resist. We know it is not God’s will that we sin and that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears and grants our requests. So, we know that when we are tempted, we can call upon Jesus who will hear and help us to resist the temptation.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You cannot succeed in life without Me. You cannot be an overcomer without Me. You will fail in life without Me. I know the way, for I have been there before you. You can never come upon anything that is too difficult for you; for I have been there and have succeeded. I will show you how to succeed if you follow Me. I did not fail, and neither will you provided you follow My example. I will guide you into the truth as you follow Me; for My Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.”

 

            39. When I am tempted, I am not alone in my struggle against that lure. He is there to aid me in not yielding to that enticement.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 Not walk in darkness – light of life:

 

John 8:12

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

            Some people are afraid of the dark. They imagine all kinds of bad things are lurking there waiting for them. When we follow Him, we don’t have to be concerned about the darkness because where He is, there is light. This light is not just to show the way, it is the Light of life. We have life when we follow Him.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Follow Me, My children and you will walk in the light of My Will. You will never stumble if you walk in My Will. It is the safest place for you. You cannot fall, and you cannot fail if you follow Me. I will guide you into all the places of safety if you walk in My light. There is a time of great darkness coming upon the world, and those who do not walk in My light will stumble and fall. As long as you walk in My light you will never fall.”

 

            38. Because I am in Him, I will no longer walk in the darkness of the world system, but will freely walk in the light of His life abiding in me.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

 Forgiveness of our trespasses:  

 

Ephesians 1:7-8

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

8 which He lavished on us.

 

            Some of us did many bad things before we made Jesus Lord of our lives. It is through His blood that we have been redeemed from our wicked way of life. We obtained forgiveness for all those trespasses we did before becoming a Christian. It was because of His grace that this happened. It wasn’t anything we did. He didn’t just sprinkle a little bit of this grace upon us … He lavished it on us.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I have bought you with a very high price. I gave My only Son on the cross for you. I did not purchase you to turn My back on you. I redeemed you that you might be a beacon for those in the world who do not know Me. I have chosen you to be a light unto the world. I want you to be My representative to the world. Trust in Me that I will use you as you allow Me to. I have chosen you for a life of freedom from the sins that you have committed in the past. As you allow Me to, I will forgive and redeem your past transgressions. I may not do it in the way you think I should, but I will do so.”

 

            37. I have forgiveness of all my trespasses. I am no longer in bondage to the things of the past.

The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

 Destroyed the works of the devil:  

 

1 John 3:8

8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

 

            We should not be sinning all the time if we’re born again. We should be putting the deeds of the flesh to death. We should be approaching the place where we don’t sin any more. If not and you’re sure you’re saved, you need to repent and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in your life. Jesus appeared for this purpose so that the works of the devil no longer show up in our lives. We should be doing the deeds of our Father, God, not those of the enemy.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Your father is not the devil. Do not do his deeds, but Mine. I am your Father, and I have desired that you do My deeds. The deeds of the devil will last but a moment. Mine will last forever. Do My deeds and you shall last forever too. You are of your Father. Do the deeds of you Father … for I have desired that you be like Me and do My deeds. Then all men will look to Me to be their Father too.”

 

            36. When Jesus died and rose again, He destroyed the works of the devil. I need not fear the works of the enemy ever again.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

 What Jesus does for us:

 

            Christ set us free:  

 

Galatians 5:1

1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

 

            We were once bound to sin with what seemed like an unbreakable yoke. But then when we believed, we were set free. This freedom wasn’t so that we could do anything that we wished. It was a freedom to choose to live according to God’s Word through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. We are free to be just as Jesus was when He was on the earth. To the people of the world, this seems like bondage. But, to those released from the slavery to sin, it is a freedom to be what God intended for us to be.

 

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You were not chosen to be slaves, but to be free in My Spirit. Your freedom is what will draw men unto Me. They will see that you are not under bondage to a set of rules … of dos and don’ts. You are free to be what I have called you to be. It is your destiny to be free. Do not squander that blessing, but avail yourself of its freedom. You are Mine, and I have chosen you to walk in My freedom. Do not use it to your own vainglory, but to glorify Me … for it is I who have given you this freedom. Use it to glorify Me.”

 

            35. It was for freedom, not bondage that Christ set me free. I am no longer a slave of a bunch of dos and don’ts.