Second Friend Day - Elmer Towns

the blade sprays dust that gets in your clothes and covers your skin. A relaxing shower revives
you and makes you feel good all over, just to wash the dirt off. In the same way, the Bible cleans
up the tempted Christian. Jesus said, "Sanctify (cleanse) them through thy word, thy word is
true"' (Jn. 17:17). Again the psalmist said', "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way'?
By taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Ps. 119:9). After working around filthy-mouthed
men all day, you might be influenced by them. Read the Bible; it's like a refreshing shower.
2. You can have victory through faith. The problem with this principle is that faith is
usually weakest in the throes of lust. The tempter knows how to turn eyes away from Christ.
Temptation is looking at the things we shouldn't see. So it is difficult to have faith in temptation.
Your faith can be stirred when you know how everything will work out. A mischievous
boy wouldn't turn out the lights when his mother told him to go to bed. He loved reading Dick
Tracy thrillers. His favorite detective would be captive in a dungeon filling with water and
inhabited with alligators. It was hard for him to obey when Dick Tracy was in a predicament.
You will find it hard to obey when temptation threatens. The little boy learned that if he read the
last chapter, everything came out all right. The Christian can overcome his temptation when he
knows God will work all things to his good.
But faith is more than looking at the last chapter. Faith is looking to Jesus Christ now.
Paul claimed his victory by faith. He knew Christ had died for sin. "But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I
unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). Daily, Paul took his place in Christ, the world was crucified to him.
The secret is simply Christ in you and you in Christ. This is a faith promise that you must claim.
When purchasing a car you usually ask, "What is the horsepower?" Power is necessary to
move a ton of steel down the expressway. We have God's power in us—Jesus Christ. Faith
releases the power to overcome.
3. You can have victory through resisting the devil. God blesses old fashioned
hardheadedness. A snaggletoothed old bachelor asked the single schoolteacher why she had
turned down his 25 proposals of marriage. "Because I don't want to marry you!" she replied.
You should have that determination. Know the type of person you want to be and stick to your
guns.
The biggest two words in the English language are, "Do right." Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., used
to add, “Do right even if the stars fall." Your spirituality is not measured by how many tears you
shed at the altar, how high you jump or how loud you shout "Amen!" Your character is measured
by how straight you walk when you come down and how often you talk about Jesus.
The Lord never forced His cross on anyone. It's your responsibility to take it up; this
involves resisting the devil. The Lord never promised He'd take a stick and run the devil away,
like the old farmer had to run the dogs out of the yard so friends could come visit. It's your job to
resist the devil.