Key point: Satan wants us to cease praising God and follow him to our own destruction. Satan will not allow a  temptation to be turned into and opportunity for praise. If you don't want to sin, if you want to  succeed in declaring God's praise, the way to defeat Satan is at the point of  temptation.

For all of our similarities as human beings, each one of us is a unique creature - even our fingerprints are ours alone. Have you ever thought about the fact that our sin natures are totally unique as well? It's true. God revealed this to us through Isaiah who  wrote, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to  his own way" (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).  Ever wonder why "the way is narrow that  leads to life," but "the way is broad that leads to destruction" (Matthew 7. 13-14 NAS)? It's simply because Jesus Christ is the only  path to salvation (see John 14. 6), but  each one of us has our own wandering path of sin that leads us away from  intimate fellowship with God. The "way"  has to be broad to accommodate all of us!

Although our actual sins may not be unique, our reasons (excuses!) for sin will differ from person to person. I may  tell a lie because I am afraid of the consequences of the truth. You may tell a lie simply to confuse or  aggravate the hearer. The one thing that  unites all of us creative sinners is that each and every one of our sins happens as a result of a temptation that is not deflected by the shield of Faith. The sad fact is that we tend to look backward on our sins and think, "how could I have done that?" or "I didn't see that  coming - I sinned before I really thought about it. It is not typical for Christians be alert to the many disguises that Satan wears when he tempts us. While we may regret them and hope to repent of  our many sins, we rarely devote much effort to preparing for the temptations that come into our lives on a daily basis.

While we often go to bed at night convicted of our sins, we do not usually wake up in the morning realizing that we will be tempted. Wouldn't it be better to start the day right rather than end it with what went wrong? Be Prepared! This preparation is illustrated by a fascinating situation in the life of Paul. Understanding the "Agabus Principle" has encouraged me greatly in the area of being prepared to face temptation and avoid  sin. Consider this passage from the accounts of Paul' missionary travels:

And as we were staying there for some  days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound  his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this  way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him  into the hands of the Gentiles. '" And  when we had heard this, we as well as the local residents {began} begging him  not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul  answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not  only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 21:10-13 NAS)

First, notice that Agabus is led by the Holy Spirit to say what he did. That is key to understanding this passage.  He speaks words of caution to Paul, but Paul can't figure out why Agabus would say such a thing. Since Paul is perfectly willing to die for Christ, words of warning would never dissuade him from completing his mission.  The fruit from the seeds Agabus sowed is harvested when Paul arrives in Jerusalem. Before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, Paul is  cool, calm, and collected. Not only is he extremely persuasive in his speech (see Acts 26. 28), but Paul has even had the time to formulate an "exit strategy" which would take the gospel all the way to  Rome at the Roman government's expense!

"Forewarned is forearmed" the saying goes. That is the "Agabus Principle"! God commands us to be alert to the wiles of our  adversary, Satan (I Peter 5. 8), and He will help us be alert. We know we will be tempted daily. Shall we succumb to the temptation or prevail over it? The choice is entirely ours and it is a choice that depends on how much faith we put in the sufficiency of God's  grace. Just as the Holy Spirit through Agabus prepared Paul to face a difficult situation with God's purposes in mind,  so too we should expect the Holy Spirit to guide us to trust in the sufficiency of God's grace, flee from sin, and much more, find a way to praise God in the midst of the temptation.

Every Christian needs to learn to identify "his own way" - the common pattern of temptation and sin that plagues his life and prepare to meet Satan head on with faith when the temptation is presented. Remember, "whatever is not from faith is  sin."  Our only hope of resisting  temptation is to call upon the grace of God through faith. Take a few minutes right now to write out a list of the sins that you find recurring in your life. It won't be hard and it won't take long. You need to confess "your way" of doubting the sufficiency of God's grace and replace that doubt with faith. When your list is complete - well, when you get  writer's cramp and need to take a break - you are ready to attack the sin at the  point of temptation and begin to have victory over that predator Satan. Remember, Satan will not allow a temptation to be turned into an opportunity for praise. He will remove the temptation rather than allow  you to praise God through the temptation.

Effectively Praying In Advance of Temptation

Here are some things to confess, to agree with: 

I want to declare God's praise.

Satan wants to interfere with my praise.

I know that I am going to be tempted today.

Rather than anticipate prayers for forgiveness of sin at the end of the day, I want to start this day with prayers which prepare me to triumph in faith over temptation.

If those statement are true for you, then reword these prayers so that  they are your own. Make Satan wish he had never tempted you today!

Lord, I know that I am weak in certain areas of my life. Here is a list of sins that immediately come to  my mind. I know that there are specific circumstances or people that I will encounter today that will pose roadblocks to my walk of faith. Help me be alert to the  temptations so that I recognize them and let the Holy Spirit remind me of the sufficiency of your grace.

If I encounter the temptation of lust today I pray:

If I encounter the temptation of greed / covetousness today, I pray:

If I encounter the temptation to be proud today, I pray:

If I encounter the temptation of self-doubt today, I pray:

If I encounter the temptation of bitterness or resentment today, I pray: