temptation

Temptation

October 6, 2024 by Bill Leave a Comment

“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 it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Have any of us been tempted? Of course, we are all tempted at different times and in different ways. But God has given us options to keep us from falling. I got this from one of my devotion booklets.

First, there is God’s Word. Knowing the Word helps us discern right from wrong and declaring the Word, the Sword of the Spirit, (Ephesians 6:17), is a powerful weapon. Know the Word.

Second, we can avoid places and situations where we might be tempted. Don’t go there!

Third, we can avoid people who might pressure us to participate in sin. “But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother, (or sister), but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a person do not even eat.” (1 Corinthians 5:11).

Fourth, don’t allow your eyes to roam. Don’t look! You might say, “Oh, that caught my eye.” Well, it can’t catch your eye unless you cast your eye upon it! Don’t look! Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman, (or man).” (Job 31:1).

Jesus said three times when He was tempted in the wilderness, (Matthew 4:1-11), “It is written!” We must have God’s Word sharpened and ready to use when the enemy comes with his temptations. Submit to God, resist the devil, put on the full armor of God, receive the authority and backing of Heaven and …stand!

The Door

April 21, 2024 by Bill Leave a Comment

“I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

This verse paints an interesting picture of who Jesus is and how He acts. The Bible gives several examples that God will not force Himself or His “rules” on us but gives us the “free will” to do as we see fit. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”(Joshua 24:15). “If you don’t agree with Me then you’re free to do what you want.” “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) “These are your choices, you pick.” So here is Jesus standing at our door knocking. We don’t know who it is, (unless we have a door camera), but we still have to go to the door and let the person in or tell them, “No, not today.” It’s our choice. But what if our camera shows it is Jesus or we open the door and recognize Him, we should surely let Him in. He won’t just barge in; He has to be invited in through our open door.

This reminds me of what happens at our front door. We hear the door bell ring or the knock and we have to go to the door to let the person in or see what they want. But, there are a few people who knock or ring then just come right on in. They are family and they know they’re always welcome. I would hope Jesus is treated that way when He comes to our door. “Yes Lord, come on in.”

There are so many people who have not let Jesus in. You may be reading this and realize you’re one of them. Today is the day to say “Yes” to Jesus and let Him in. You can’t imagine the blessings He brings with Him. Do you hear Him knocking? What are you going to do?

Watch Out!

August 20, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: “ (John 10:10)

The enemy is always out to get us so we need to be aware of his tactics and our surroundings. The Bible says he comes around “like” a roaring lion, (1 Peter 5:8), he tries to fake us out. Don’t go for it, watch out.

When I directed the Foster Grandparent Program at MEOC, we had a speaker once who taught the elderly participants to “be aware of your surroundings”, so as not to fall. I’m reminded of this every time I back out of a parking lot. My car has the backup camera and it beeps when something is behind me. It frightens me though when I’m in my truck with no camera and have to use three mirrors and turn my head both ways to see my surroundings. And when I pull out onto a roadway, I look both ways…twice. Watch!

But what about going forward? Which way do we go? “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). We need to listen and follow that voice behind us. God’s people know His voice. (John 10:27). “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133). Then there are our thoughts. The enemy will try to surround us with sinful thoughts so he can get us off the Path. But the apostle Paul says, “Think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8). Go read them.

We were in China in 2012 visiting our son and were in Tiananmen Square in Beijing when our son pointed to a man and woman looking at a wallet the man had. He said they were pickpockets. The woman would go up and talk to someone while the man would pick their pocket. Be aware. “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18). We have to know the Word, listen to God’s voice and be aware of our surroundings.

Decisions

July 8, 2023 by Bill 1 Comment

Every day we make decisions. When to get up, what to wear, what to eat, what program to watch, which way to go, what to say, what to look at, what to do, family decisions, job decisions, Spiritual decisions and more. Research says that we make about 35,000 decisions per day! And what do we base those decisions on? Something we’ve experienced, something we’ve read, something we’ve been taught, something someone has told us? And, sometimes, we make wrong decisions. Some wrong decisions may not affect us very much but other wrong decisions can mean life or death. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5, “Lean not on your own understanding.” Good advice. The point here is to lean on God’s wisdom and not our own. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, (Isaiah 55:8). God knows what’s best for us and wants to help us with our decisions especially those that could result in harm to us. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5).

There is a constant battle going on pitting our flesh against our Spirit. Paul says in Romans 7:19, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” That’s the apostle Paul saying that! The devil is always trying to get us to decide with our flesh and not our Spirit. But the devil can’t “make” us do anything, as I wrote last week. It’s our choice, we must decide. The temptations of life will bombard us every day but God will give us a way out if we’ll listen to Him, (1 Corinthians 10:13). The devil is out to “steal, kill and destroy” us, (John 10:10) but we must make the right decision when he comes around with his lies. Now let’s look at those 35,000 decisions we make daily. Most of them aren’t going to kill us, unless we mishandle a gun or disobey traffic signs or something like that. But there is one decision that we have to make that is more important than all of these. That is the decision of where we’re going to spend eternity; in Heaven or Hell. If you haven’t made that decision, do so today. Repent and ask Jesus into your heart. You may not have another chance. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

The Devil Made Me Do It!

June 30, 2023 by Bill Leave a Comment

This saying was made famous by comedian and actor Flip Wilson in the late 60s and 70s. The comic idea was that he didn’t want to do it but the devil made him. Some people today want to use that same excuse when they’re caught in sin. The truth is, the devil cannot make anyone do anything! Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” The same power that created the universe resides within us. As a result, Satan has no true power over believers in Christ. He can only temp us, he cannot MAKE us do his will. He didn’t take the fruit from the tree in the Garden and make Eve eat of it; no, he tempted her. “Your enemy the devil prowls around LIKE a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). He tries to deceive us. Sometimes he will be allowed to test us as he did Job but God was in control. He tempted Jesus in the wilderness and we know how that came out. Satan has no control over us unless we give it to him.

So, what do we do when we’re tempted? We focus on God, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.” (Psalm 16:8). We keep our eyes on God and the Path ahead so as not to be distracted. We submit to God and resist the devil, (James 4:7). We use the weapons and strategies God has given us to resist. We stand, but not in our own power, we stand with the full armor of God on! (Ephesians 6:13), especially “the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God,” (Ephesians 6:17). We need to declare to the devil, “God only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved!” (Psalm 62:6). We can pray as in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lord, lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13).

Might I suggest that we prepare a battle declaration prayer when temptation jumps out on us while on the Path of Life using these and other scriptures? Say, “Not today devil!”, and quote our declaration. Be aware of our surroundings and take charge with the power of the Holy Spirit in us.