Facing Temptation, Head On

Good Morning!! This world offers us thousands of way, to commit thousands of sins. And our sinful nature, assaults us from inside our own heads, with a complex and varied, array of lusts, fears, ambitions, and doubts. Yet Jesus' simple, balanced admonition is an effective weapon against every one of these temptations to sin,...watch and pray. Lest we expect God to do all our fighting for us, we are told to watch. It is our responsibility to keep our spiritual eyes open (which sometimes means keeping our physical eyes closed, or averted) for any avenue by which sin might gain entrance into our soul.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."—Matthew 26:41 (NIV)

We'reto guard our heart from disloyalty, and our testimony from indiscretion,...by actively engaging ourselves in the relentless pursuit of purity and goodness. On the other hand, we cannot possibly expect to overcome our ever-present inclination toward sin, or the age-old cunning of Satan,...by our own strength. And so we must pray. We must rely on the sustaining grace and purifying power of the Holy Spirit's work within us. Because our flesh is so weak, no matter how willing our spirit may be it is imperative that we be in a constant posture of watchfulness and prayer.

You may think that you're only doing a little wrong, or doing wrong just a little,

...but the truth of the matter is; there is simply no way to do wrong, right.

 

Holy Spirit of God, help us to see the direct correlation between our prayerful watchfulness, and our ability to withstand or avoid temptation. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

"The Lord calls for us to stand,...but not always to understand."

Strong, In And By, Faith

Good Morning!! It's very common in human experience, to run up against things that are bigger than we are,...things that we simply cannot overcome by our own strength. It may be a lust that threatens to consume us, an addiction that repeatedly overcomes us, a resentment that is growing inside us, or a sorrow that seems to paralyze us. It can be equally common to try to grit our teeth, hunch our backs, and seek to make it through by shear determination. We tell ourselves we can overcome,...if we just try hard enough. After all, isn't that what being a good Christian means?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

Yet here is the mighty apostle Paul admitting that his strength does not come from himself, or from his own willpower. He is not trying to do it on his own. Rather, he is looking to Jesus Christ for the power and deliverance he needs. How can you make it through this trial? Through Christ. How can you overcome that temptation or addiction? Through Christ. How can you rise above your grief or depression? Through Christ.

There is nothing that we cannot do through the strength, that Christ has promised to us.

Holy Spirit of God, help us, to turn to Christ, and find for ourselves the confidence, the joy, the strength that Paul found. Amen.

"The Lord calls for us to stand,...but not always to understand."    

Knowing God

Good Morning!! The first thing that many schools throw out of any discussion or pursuit of knowledge, is God. Yet here we see that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,...we cannot hope to attain any real understanding of our world,...its purpose,...or our place in it, without first turning to learning about,... and from God.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.—Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)

Do you look at the world through the lens of God's Word, and with a fearsome understanding that it was created for the glory of God? If so, then intellectual pursuits, family relationships, job opportunities, and every other area of life will fit into place. On the other hand, if you don't begin with the fear of the Lord, then life will seem like a crossword puzzle with the wrong answer already scrawled across its middle; nothing will seem to fit.

You know what we need in school, more than guns?...God!

Holy Spirit of God, pave our paths to Higher learning, and a better God pleasing life. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

"The Lord calls for us to stand,...but not always to understand." 

Patience and Hope

Good Morning!! Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I don't doubt that your trials are real, that your burdens are heavy, or that your discouragement is deep. But put your eyes upon this promise, wrap your mind around this Word: when we wait courageously on the Lord, He will strengthen our hearts. God is never late and He's never insufficient. We're still on our own timetable, and we are still running madly ahead of God and hoping He will catch up to our plans,...but that is not how God works.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.—Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

We wonder; What will the future bring? Wait on the Lord. When will this sorrow end? Wait on the Lord. How can I survive this ordeal? Wait on the Lord. How should I handle this decision? Wait on the Lord. The answer echoes through the tunnel of time and from the soundboard of millions of satisfied saints. Wait, I say, on the Lord. Our trials may not go away overnight,...but neither will the strength that God has promises us. Our pain may not diminish much this year,...but neither will His grace.

Most of the time, the reason that we do not see or feel the Lord, in our daily actions, is because we're not waiting on the Lord.

Holy Spirit of God, help us to trust and lean on the promises of the Word, Amen.

"The Lord calls for us to stand,...but not always to understand." 

L.I.G., And Open Up

Good Morning, My Friend!! Too often we are ready at the smallest provocation to give up, or to verbally beat up, on another member of the church. But that is not the way followers of Christ,...who when He was slapped, beaten, scourged, and killed, never struck back. This is how we are to behave ourselves. Through the strength of the Spirit of Christ,...which is in each of His children, and which empowers the church as a whole,...we know that we can overcome any obstacle, forgive any offense, release any grudge, and love any sinner. It is this Spirit-led, Spirit-induced unity, not the false unity of spiritual compromise or false pretenses, that we are to labor for with supernatural determination and exertion.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.—Ephesians 4:3 (NIV)

Embedded in the phase is the idea of struggle, taking pains to reach a specific goal. For the church of Jesus Christ to succeed, and be a witness in the world for good, it is necessary that we strive, to the point of exhaustion, for peace and unity within the body,...and all other relationships, as we are to be examples of God's Love for people. We are never to give up this noble goal.

We take offense, and so we give offense,...but that's not God's way.

Holy Spirit of God, help us to reach out and forgive, just as we have been forgiven. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

"God does not want us to live lives that are paralyzed by fear,
...He wants us to trust Him." 

Help Yourself, By Serving Others

Good Morning, My Friend!! Our first reaction to someone else's troubles might be: "Don't nobody want to hear about your drama,...people got drama of their own! ". The surest way to deepen your dark times, is to crawl into, and think more about yourself. Joseph is perhaps the best example in the Old Testament of a selfless, servant-spirited saint,...and it's no coincidence that, in every situation in which he found himself, he continually rose above his trial,...and glorified God.

And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.—Genesis 40:6 (NKJV)

It's so unlikely that Joseph would have notice the sadness of his cellmates,...after all, he had plenty of problems himself, without taking on anyone else's. His brothers had sold him into slavery and then his boss had fired and imprisoned him, on false charges. Yet, Joseph noticed and cared about others. Somehow, he understood that the surest way out of a personal pit of discouragement, was to think of, and serve others.

There is never a shortage of opportunities to be of help,...and each and every one of them, is potentially a way out of your own darkness.

Father God, even in our pit of darkness, let us see our way to help others, and glorify You. Amen.

"God does not want us to live lives that are paralyzed by fear,
...He wants us to trust Him."  

 
 

Decision, God's Way

Good Morning!! Knowing that every choice we make,...even a seemingly small one, can have a lasting impact on the course and tenor of our lives, today's scripture shares with us the key ingredient to the decision-making process. If we truly desire a soul-satisfying life, we can be thankful, that the key requirement is not education, IQ, or market research. And the one ingredient that every soul-satisfying life has in common is this: the fear of the Lord.

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. They will spend their days in prosperity,—Psalm 25:12,13a (NIV)

In other words, an awesome and imminent view of God will lead to a joyful and fulfilling kind of life. Our first question, before making any decision, must be "what would be most pleasing and glorifying to God?" Shouldn't all our decisions reflect or at least be based on this wonderful and generous and joyful revelation from God?...and shouldn't our choices, then, be made in the reverent fear of God? 

Whatever is most pleasing and glorifying to God will also bring the most satisfaction and joy to us!

Father God, we thank You for Your gifts and instruction, that move us to a better life, through seeking to please You. Amen.

"God does not want us to live lives that are paralyzed by fear,
...He wants us to trust Him."