“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Today we shall be studying 2 scientific forces which work in the universe and then explore how two other similar spiritual processes also work together to impact our spiritual life.
We shall be looking at centripetal and centrifugal forces and how two similar processes in Scripture works: temptation and God’s faithfulness.
In the context of planetary movement, centripetal force is defined as the force acting on the planets in their orbit directing their motion towards the Sun. Centrifugal force on the hand acts as a counter force which drives the planets away from the Sun.
Using these scientific terms as our analogy, we can submit that God’s faithfulness to His children work to ensure that they are not sucked into the fiery world of temptation and nor are they pulled away into the dark and cold dungeon of Satan as they navigate the dangerous curve of this world.
While temptation seeks to draw us away from His desired purpose for our lives, God’s faithfulness on the other hand powerfully keeps us in the orbit of His love. This is the secret of the third force of the universe that keeps us rooted in God. This secret power is only available to those who believe in Jesus.
But there is an exemption to this rule and it is where the analogy stops. It is therefore critical for us to examine this exemption to the principle of the centripetal and centrifugal forces as we walk with God.
Jesus himself set the tone for this exemption saying: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”. (John 15:7).
We can only remain on orbit as long as we dwell in the word of God and also allow the word to dwell in us. The word of God serves as a safe conductor as we navigate through a dangerous, destructive centrifugal and centripetal world.
The same word of God activates God’s faithfulness when believed and obeyed.
Men, created in the image of God is vested with a will which other elements of creation do not have. If the planets have a will we would one day wake up to disorder and destruction in our world with all the planets deciding to go their own ways.
Psalm 8:3 confirms that God’s command keeps the planets in orbit and they have no say in the matter: “ When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place”.
But man under the trial of temptation (which must visit all men in the world) has a free choice of being faithful or unfaithful to God. The truth is that without the indwelling power of the word of God man cannot overcome the centripetal and centrifugal forces of sin and temptation.
The Psalmist knew this too well when he asked and also offered an answer : “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word”.
When Satan applied the forces of temptation on Jesus, encouraging Jesus to deviate from God’s plan, Jesus used the word of God to resist being pulled away from God’s ordained orbit for his life.
Beloved, the Big Question is this: are you obeying the word of God? The hour of temptation must come to everyone but the determining factor would be how much of the word of God you have in your heart and how you use them to activate God’s faithfulness.
Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
