THINK VICTORY! DEALING WITH TEMPTATION BIBLICALLY

DEALING WITH TEMPTATION BIBLICALLY

“No temptation has OVERTAKEN you but such as is common to man; and God is FAITHFUL, who will not allow you to be tempted BEYOND what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of ESCAPE also, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

I’d like to unpack this verse over the next several days because everyone of us faces temptation. But for men who want to THINK VICTORY! – we can have victory over temptation.Working with men who are bound in addiction, we see the power of temptation sometimes on a grander scale. They are being pulled by the enemy of a daily basis to go back into their sinful lifestyles that brought them to the Colony of Mercy. But every one of us faces temptations. No one is exempt.

What is temptation? Rick Jenner in his book on word studies, Sparkling Gems, says that temptation is “any outside source that appeals to a weakness in your flesh. The appel pulls us like a magnet; it lures us mentally, emotionally, and sensually; it fascinates the imagination; it entices the flesh to take a closer peek. If you don’t stop this process, it will set it’s hook in your soul and haul you right smack in the middle of some kind of sin.”

Temptation is a trick of the enemy that goes right back to the beginning in Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that is was a delight to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and that the tree was desirable to make one wise (the pride of life) …

I knew a godly man in his 90’s whose life was so immersed by his walk with Christ that you felt like you were in God’s presence when you were with him. He helped a good friend of mine in ministry through a difficult separation that resulted in a divorce. The day after my friend resigned from his church, the three of us were having breakfast. Pastor Conant asked this young preacher if he had faced sexual tempation during the separation. My friend shared that he never faced those issues during the three year period. Pastor smiled and said, “Matt, I prayed such a hedge of protection around you that you couldn’t have gotten your pants down if you tried!”But I will never forget the next comments. Matt said, “Pastor, it must be nice to be at this age when you no longer face these temptations in your life.” This godly man, in his late 80’s responded, “Matthew, I maybe old, but I am not dead!”

Friend, everyone faces temptation. Even Jesus faced it (see Matthew 4)! In fact, that is why He is there, ready to help you live victoriously so that you can overcome temptation. He knows. He understands. He’s been there – done that! – “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)We all face it. Tomorrow we will look at how to overcome it and live in victory.

Great Quote: Just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. If worship does not propel us into greater obedience, it has not been worship. To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change. Resentments cannot be held with the same tenacity when we enter his gracious light. As Jesus says, we need to leave our gift at the altar and go set the matter straight (Matthew 5:23, 24). In worship an increased power steals its way into the heart sanctuary, an increased compassion grows in the soul. To worship is to change. Richard J. Foster

Join us this weekend for our Memorial Day Weekend conference which begins on Friday evening. Dr. Richard Allen Farmer will be speaking in the evenings, and Dr. Jim Jeffrey, will speak in the mornings. JAARS will be on campus to talk about mission opportunities as well as offering helicopter rides for our guests on Friday, Saturday and Monday. Check out the website for details: www.americaskeswick.org For information, call 732-350-1187.