I have been reading through an old Keswick book about missionaries, John and Betty Stam. As some of you know, Betty dedicated her life to Christ at a Keswick conference, and she and John were martyred on the mission field in China.
In a chapter about John's college years, there was a "nugget" concerning temptation that was very, very practical. I know that even though it was written many, many years ago, it will be very helpful for all of us:
He writes: There is a platform known as "EXPOSURE TO TEMPTATION," and all men stand there. From it, each one either goes UP or DOWN.
Seven Awful Steps Downward
1. Trifling with sin.
2. Yielding to sin.
3. Habitual yielding to sin.
4. Abandonment to sin: Ephesians 4:19
5. Abandoned of God to sin: Romans 1:28
6. Entering into alliance with the devil to tempt others to sin.
7. Hell: and you do not have to die in order to get there. Hell is character as well as location. The man who hates everything that God loves is in hell now, and hell is in him.
Seven Glorious Steps Upward
1. Resistance as an attitude: determining that sin shall not have dominion over you.
2. Overcoming sin, by faith in Christ.
3. Habitual victory over sin. The strength that comes from one victory helps in overcoming the next temptation.
4. Learning the secret of a victorious life, a life "hid with Christ in God."
5. Taken up by God into deeper fellowship. You trusted God, and now God trusts you. "O Daniel, greatly beloved," yet he was only a man!
6. Made a helper of others: like "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."
7. Heaven: and you do not have to die in order to get there. Heaven is character as well as location. The man who devotedly loves everything that God loves is in heaven now, and heaven is in him!
"I think, sometimes, we excuse ourselves when we fail, because we realize that the flesh is weak. If we could really see sin as God sees it, what a fight would be put up." -- John Stam
We need to nail this one to our foreheads, guys! This is good stuff. He concludes this section saying, "Reckon, reckon, reckon rather than feel -- YOU take care of the reckoning, and God will make it real!"
Powerful words from a man who deeply understood the message: THINK VICTORY! -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK
God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 27; 2 Chronicles 1-3; John 10:1-23
Great Quote: Are you weak? Weary? Confused? Troubled? Pressured? How is your relationship with God? Is it held in its place of priority? I believe the greater the pressure, the greater your need for time alone with Him. --Kay Arthur
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