Quoting Scripture

Have you ever felt tempted?
Ever felt sad?
Ever felt lonely?
Depressed?
Condemned?

I think so! We all have times when we feel that we can't go on, when Christianity is something that only a minority of people do. Sometimes we feel condemned, even after having repented. We feel tempted and don't know what to do. The list could go on and on.

What is the answer, how do we counteract these feelings, how do we convince ourselves that we are doing the right thing??? How do we know that God has forgiven us when we repent??? This is how......by reading His Word (the Bible). The advice I would offer is to literally quote scripture.

After having fasted for forty days and forty nights the devil came to Jesus and began to put Jesus to the test. The way Jesus handled the situation was to quote scripture as answers to the devils questions (Mat 4).

The devil says: 'If you are the son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves'. But Jesus replied, 'Scripture says:

Human beings live not on bread alone
but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God'

The devil then took him to the holy city and set him on the parapet of the Temple. 'If you are Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down; for scripture says:

He has given his angels orders about you,
and they will carry you in their arms
in case you trip over a stone.'

Jesus said to him, 'Scripture also says:

Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. And he said to him, 'I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage.' Then Jesus replied, 'Away with you, Satan! For scripture says:

The Lord your God is the one
to whom you must do homage,
him alone you must serve.'

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels appeared and looked after him.

You see the way Jesus managed to win this battle with the devil was to know the scriptures and to quote them out loud. To answer some of the questions I asked before, we simply have to use scriptures, and to to really believe that it is the Word of God.

For example, if we are really sorry for our sins and have repented of them, but we still feel condemned of our sins, then we must quote scripture and claim God's promise. In this example an appropriate quote is 1John 1:9:

'if we acknowledge our sins,
he is trustworthy and upright,
so that he will forgive our sins
and will cleanse us from all evil.'

If we are feeling tempted to go against God's will, but even though we know it is against his will, we find the temptation too much, we must acknowledge the devil at work in this situation and then quote an appropriate scripture. In this case 1Corinthians 10:13 would be suitable:

'None of the trials which have come upon you is more
than a human being can stand. You can trust that God
will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength,
but with any trial will also provide a way out.'

If you feel incapable of doing something, and everyone says that you cannot do it. Do not be persuaded so easily, but turn once again to the scriptures and accept the promise - Phillipians 4:13:

'I can do everything through him who gives me strength.'

The Bible has all of the answers to your worries, so in every circumstance, it is advisable to find God's thoughts on your situation and to pray and consult Him. When you find His promises from the Bible, then you must accept that they really are the Word of God, and therefore He can be fully trusted to fulfill them.

Let the Word of Christ,
in all its richness,
find a home with you.
Teach each other,
and advise each other,
in all wisdom. (Col 3:16)