Very true! I am brand new to Christianity but even I learned that quickly. Accepting Jesus is just the first step. I have been trying so hard to not even be tempted to sin. The more I learn the easier it has been getting. Praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
may the Lord bless us with his wisdom and love
There are a couple of different levels that you'll go through experiencing temptation.
The Lord will always allow the Temptation only to the level that you can handle. And as you grow deeper in the Lord, as time goes on you will find that The Temptations are a little more subtle and seem to be much more quiet but yet they're still there.
I think one of my personal favorite ones that the devil used to really throw at me a lot. I'd hear that little comment in my mind saying, its ok, just a little lie." Or "you know you can get that dog to look at you" ( i am a truck driver ) my response to the devil was always this, "who does it serve, God or me".
Whenever you have that question going into your mind where you're not sure if it's a Temptation or not. Ask yourself this question, about that thought or temptation. "Does it serve, does it serve me or does it serve God".
If I did Force the dog to look at me by using the gifts of the Holy Spirit, then I would be abusing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Because for the dog to look at me it's not really serving God at all it's only serving me.
The same thing is true for people that receive knowledge of the future. You have to think to yourself sometimes is it really good to tell people everything you know, or is it better not to. As an example, my dad used to bug me to death every week for years. Because he knew that the Lord gave me all sorts of things as far as knowledge of future events. And at first I used to tell my dad everything that was coming. But then I realized that all that knowledge wasn't really helping his faith. I mean yeah you know the future so what, but is that really helping somebody's faith to put their faith in God because now you already know what the future is?
So when I stop telling my dad all that stuff, he got a little angry with me saying that I was not honoring him. And I told him that I was honoring him, by not telling him the future because the future wasn't helping his faith. I could argue that your faith is for the Here and Now, versus wandering and keeping your mind into the future. Because everything that you do is now, right now.
But I'm not talking about not planning your future, like school or getting married or having a family with children and so on. That's a different thing all together
I'd say that the first stage of faith is a little bit more down to earth. Something of real substance like something that you can touch with your hands. But as you grow deeper in faith then it goes from what you can touch with your hands to what you understand with your mind and your heart in faith.
As an example, when I was new to walking in the Lord. I would hear the Lord's voice speak to me as if I were talking to you.
But then the Lord stop doing that, because he wanted me to learn to hear him internally. And I got to tell you it took me a while to learn to hear him from the inside. I had to learn how to experience God's love in my heart.
Having the baptism of water welcomes you into the family of God. But at some time in the future the Lord will draw you, or shall I say the holy spirit will draw you to itself. It's then when you seek out the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Having the baptism of the Holy Spirit will change you completely. Now I'm not saying that you'll have every knowledge of every single thing right off the bat when you get the baptism of the spirit I'm not saying that you can't do that but often God works a little slower.
But it's always good to find a good family of Believers, a church that understands that the baptism is real, and that people should work on using those gifts to understand those gifts.
May God be with you always in your adventure.
If you have any questions feel free to ask
