The Masked Church

1. Where there is no pre-existing appetite, be it an active or a dormant one, there is no temptation, period! To be actually tempted, one must first believe an initial presentation of a lie in thought that something is good, permitted, beneficial or necessary for us. When believers do not know God’s stance on a matter from His Word, do not realize their identity or authority, or fail to believe and take God at His Word, and instead choose to experiment out of curiosity or pride to see for themselves whether or not such is the case, then an appetite develops for a repeat experience. It is the repeat experience that is understood as temptation.
You see, a temptation requires a preceding inclination, that is, a natural urge, tendency, propensity, proclivity, disposition, a leaning towards or a desire to act or feel a particular way. A devil appeals to an inclination! Where there is no inclination, the process starts with a question.
There may even be a line of questioning to occasionally gauge interest. It is just that simple for, without an appetite, there is nothing to which the tempter can appeal or stir inside.
There is only a test, a test either to prove the Word we have received, to see if we truly have revelation of it, as the tempter presented to Eve, or a test to see if we can authoritatively display our identity of who we are in Christ, just as he presented to Jesus in the wilderness, and a test we, like He, ace if we’re living habitually in Abiding Presence! Those functioning in Jesus’ Empowered Immunity to any carnal appetite are only identity or rhema tested!
Matthew 4:1 says the very reason Jesus was “led” by Holy Spirit into the wilderness was not to be “lured into” every temptation known to man to see what it feels like, but “in order to reveal His strength against the accuser by going through the ordeal of testing” (TPT).
Jesus had zero carnal appetites, none active, none dormant. Therefore, Jesus had no inclinations for any carnal things whatsoever, and therefore nothing for Satan to “tempt” for a repeat experience, so all he could do was “test” Jesus with a line of questioning in thought to try and get Him to entertain the thought, for that is how carnal appetites are initially formed.
Furthermore, as a defense Holy Spirit also offers to us today, of which many believers are unaware, Matthew 4:1 says Jesus was “led up” (NKJV) to a higher level in the unseen realm, which enabled Him to discern, from above, inferior realities below which the devil offered.
If we do not know the Word, nor who we are in Christ, we fall for a devil’s lies in thought and start to develop an unhealthy appetite, or we allow him to stir up an active or dormant pre-existing one to resuscitate an inclination. To say that Jesus was lured or struggled mightily not to fall into temptation is to say He first allowed a carnal appetite to develop. For that to happen He would have had to step out of the Spirit realm and reject His communion with the Father in favor of the carnal culture, as masked believers often choose. That never, ever happened!
To be tempted, an appetite and inclination must first be present! Jesus had neither!
2. Galatians 5:16 plainly says: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” The word “walk” is the Greek word peripateo. “Peri” means “around,” and is the prefix from which we get the mathematical term, perimeter, the calculated distance around a figure. “Pateo” basically means to tread or walk in a habitual manner, as if we are occupied with doing so. “Fulfill” means “go over,” as in transfer from the realm of the Spirit to the realm of the flesh.
Therefore, if we are preoccupied with habitually walking around and around daily under Holy Spirit’s Lordship in Abiding Presence, we only face occasional trials and tests because we, like Jesus, find the unseen realm to be so sweet, peaceful and joyful that we will not dare want to exchange the benefits thereof by transferring over into the carnal realm to entertain an appetite that promises, at best, temporary and certainly less rewarding satisfaction. If we walk in the flesh, for any length of time, it is because we willfully choose to entertain an appetite.
Appetites prompt inclinations, and inclinations invite temptations; no appetite + no prior or present inclination = no temptation! Is the Bible true or not? It clearly says by walking continuously in the Spirit we will not cross that fence. In the realm of Abiding Presence, Psalm 91:1 refers to as “dwelling in the secret place” and “under the shadow of the Almighty,” we cannot be influenced by the tempter. While not out of sight, we are rather out of reach, and immune as Jesus perfectly exemplified. Conversely, in the appetite-driven carnal realm we are fair game. Inclinations are developed while playing under the tempter’s home field advantage.
3. This argument regarding temptation is completely based on WHEN! James 1:14 says “every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed” (KJV). This only occurs when an appeal to a carnal appetite and inclination is entertained.
“When” moments are optional! We CAN stop well short of “when!”
The Masked Church has mistakenly grouped every one of the tempter’s appeals into a single category and called it temptation, from Eden, to Jesus in the wilderness, to our struggles? It is because we, like Adam and Eve, have failed to authoritatively respond to tests, but have repeatedly blown past that stage, developed appetites and inclinations, and invited subsequent appeals to quickly advance to “WHEN” moments. Many falsely assume Jesus did so as well.