Archive for October, 2022

A Way Out of Temptation

Jesus was tempted three times by Satan personally.  The threefold appeal dramatically struck at basic needs we all have.  Jesus was in all points tempted like us.  He resisted and was victorious.  Believe it or not, many modern Christians are both tempted like you and victorious. 

Temptation can be the body of another person.  Expressions such as, “What a hunk,” “Look at that body,” “What a stud,” reveal such an attitude.

Temptation is a pressure situation, when everybody kids you and urges you to do something you really don’t want to.

Temptation is a challenge to prove what you are or can do by being other than what you ought to be.

Temptation is anything which, if we follow it, causes us to do something contrary to God’s will.

James 1: 14, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own desires.”

I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to beat it.”

Every passion, desire, and appetite of everyone of us has a tempter lying in wait for it which desires to misuse it.  Even vices often wear the robes of virtue.

Every decision has a consequence. That’s the bottom line. You have to be accountable for your actions, no matter who you are.

The Bible instructs us to “Flee temptation.” When you do, be sure you don’t leave a forwarding address.

The term “flee” means to get away so fast you kick up dust. If you have an improper friendship, here is sage advice. That is, a relationship you know the Lord does not approve of. Break it off permanently immediately.

When you encounter temptation, always turn to the right. If you are not going on the flight stay off the plane. Don’t flirt with temptation.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:13).

Whatever you know about yourself, know this, you are dreadfully like everyone else.

Corinth was a sea port. The term translated “way of escape” was a nautical expression. It referred to a ship in peril in a storm. The only way it can survive and ride out the storm is to lighten its load. Therefore, some of the cargo has to be thrown overboard. To avoid being overcome by certain temptations we might well have to throw overboard certain things in our life. Get certain things out of your life and your life out of certain things.      

Christ taught us in the Model Prayer to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.”  From this we learn we should pray daily, “Lord, keep me from the assaults of Satan. Keep me from being blind sided.”

God Has a Free Will

“… our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace… But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Daniel 3: 17, 18)

Don’t try to put God on the spot in praying. Often people are heard to say, “I know God is going to do (whatever). I have prayed and have faith so He is going to do it.”

In a local church a group prayed for a miraculous healing of a friend who died soon thereafter. A minister who was in that group said God didn’t heal the person because somebody in the group didn’t have enough faith to believe He would. A teenager in the group thought she might have been the person with insufficient faith and committed suicide. 

If you could obligate God to do your will, you could manipulate Him and you would be God.

Not only do you have a free will, so does God. Don’t tell people what God is going to do. Neither fail to tell people what He can do. Our God is able.  

When threatened to be thrown in the fiery furnace  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego declared “ …our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace….” Daniel 3: 17)

        They did not say He would. They did acknowledge He was able even to do that.

        He has the ability, being the all powerful God.

He has the wisdom to know and do what is right, being the all wise God. The choice and ability to perform what He knows to be right is His.

The question has been asked: have you ever thought what a mess the world would be in if God answered all of your prayers with an affirmative response?

If God does not when you say He will, it is you, not God who is responsible. Don’t try to manipulate God by implying He is accountable for answering your prayer because you have enough faith to say He will. That is not the only requirement for proper prayer.

There are nine reasons listed in the Bible as to why prayers are not answered and every one is on this end of the line.

God is great and God is loving regardless of our obligatory statements as to what He is going to do. Give God the time and right to be God. 

Reaction – Action

Often there is action we need to take, want to take, and intend to take, but have done little to take. Most often there are things to be done to get off center and take action.

Step one is attraction. First, there needs to be attraction strong enough to overcome inertia. Interest in the desirable action must arouse enough initial energy to get started. What is there about the action that appeals to you? What will it result in that will be beneficial? What will it accomplish?

The greatest hindrance to accomplishment is distraction, not obstacles, objections, or offenses. Often an initial few steps in the right direction are taken but something or some things detract us. Around rail yards there are frequently side tracks on which railcars are parked for some time. They were pulled off there because it was thought they served a better purpose than if they had continued on down the line. The purpose may have been good, but it kept the car from a further destination.

Numerous Bible characters got sidetracked and renewed the effort for which they were intended. David decidedly did and after praying for the Lord to renew his joy for the journey prayed, “Lord restore the joy of my salvation.’ Once restored David became a major achiever.

When you get sidetracked and are facing friction remember you are not alone. When you try and meet opposition don’t quit. Renew your energy and effort by realizing the Lord is your helper in every worthy cause.  Ask Him to help you stay focused.

Good things often keep us from better things. Failing to list and follow our priorities we frequently are side tracked by things of lesser importance. Often they are things of importance, but out of order.

There needs to be renewed traction, something to get us moving. Keep in mind there is no traction without friction. For a wheel to start rolling there must be friction against the surface on which it is to move. That very friction is a catalyst. It overcomes the impediments in order to move. The same is true if we are to take any action. Expect friction, opposition and make it work to your advantage.

Attraction, distraction, and traction enable reaction. They put you in a position to act and motivate reaction. You are then in position to overcome whatever has kept you from action.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 12 – 14)

Get on track, expect friction, don’t be distracted and ask the Lord to give you a time table and keep you on time in order to achieve the action He guides you to take.

Jesus and the Woman Caught in Sin

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery, in the very act. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say? This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.” (John 8: 3 – 6)

This account raises several questions. It appears it is wrong to condemn sin.

What the scribes and Pharisees did was done publicly in order to try to discredit Jesus as openly as possible. According to custom they did not have to bring the accused, but did so as to afford the maximum awkwardness. 

The motive of the group clearly is not to preserve morality, but to impel Jesus on the horns of an impossible dilemma.

If Jesus said not to stone her He would appear to disobey the law of Moses. An outcry of the Jews would have resulted.  

If He said stone her He would have been advocating violation of Roman law for the Romans had stripped the Jews of the right to execute. There would have been an outcry from the Romans.

There did not appear to be an answer that would have satisfied everyone.

In interpreting the situation a vital aspect is often overlooked. There were two distinct matters involved. At play was a legal issue and the other a moral issue.

According to Jewish tradition for a person to be executed for adultery there had to be more than two persons who actually saw the sex act in progress who gave the exact account of it. In reality rarely was a person executed for adultery because of it commonly being a private sin there was not enough proof.

For her accusers to have “caught” her it would have been a set up. Her male accomplice was not charged implying he was a party to the setup and allowed to go free.

Twice Jesus knelt and wrote in the dust. What He wrote is only speculation. It evidently had a compelling influence. 

Their accusation was of an act considered by Mosaic Law a capital offense. Jesus turned the table on them by challenging them, “He who is without sin (moral conduct) let him cast the first stone.(legal action).”

“Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one….” (John 8: 9) Thus, the capital charges were dropped.

The legal matter being dealt with Jesus now turns to the spiritual, that is the moral issue. Jesus asked the woman, “Has no one condemned you?” When she answered “no one,” Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; (legally) go and sin no more’” (morally). Thus Jesus was saying neither do I condemn you of the capital offense.

He continued in that same statement  noting her conduct was “sin.” It was not of sin that He forgave her. He exhorted her to “sin no more.” Thus, He identified the act for what it was, an act of moral disobedience to God’s law. If she became obedient to Jesus’ exhortation and turned from her sin that would indicate a repentant heart. However, at this point the sin was condemned and forgiveness was yet to be determined.

Changing Times

 “The Times They Are A-Changing” was a popular Bob Dylan hit in 1964. Indeed they were. However, today the rate of change is on steroids. America is not the America of old and never will be. The times, they have changed dramatically.

1)  30% of adult Americans are not affiliated with any religion. 10% higher than a decade ago.

2)  Protestants have the greatest decreases.  Catholics held steady.

3)  29% of the adult Americans consider themselves atheists, agnostics, or nothing. Up 6% from 5 years ago.

4)  63% of our population claim to be Christian. Down from 75% a decade ago.

5)  40% of our population is Protestant. Christian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Nazarene, etc.

6)  26% of adult Americans are Catholic.

7)  Americans are praying less. 45% say they pray daily. That is down from 58% 5 years ago.

8)  Only 24% of US adults claim to be “Born again or evangelical”.  That is down 6% from 5 years ago.

9)  51% of Protestants attend church at least monthly. 35% of Catholics attend at least monthly. 

10)  Only 4 in 10 US adults consider religion important in their lives. That decreases every year. 

Not one of those statistics is positive. Alone they are cause for concern. Compounded together they are highly disturbing.

The survey was conducted by the highly respected Pew Research Center. They shout an awakening call.

Additionally, there is no nationally respected voice calling us back. The church collective seems to be inept and unable to issue a clarion call to America.

There is some concern about our political climate and the way the government is trending. This is a legitimate cause for additional concern. Religious faith has been the sentinel in previous times, but that voice is not being heard, instead it is a whimper or a snivel. The flagging zeal and lagging faith within the churches indicate little desire to call the society back to the Lord. Judgment begins at the house of the Lord.

One day there will be a cleavage in the sky and a trumpet will sound. That will be a glorious day. However, between now and then the sky is growing more cloudy.

I have not lost faith, but I am a realist. Except we repent ….

This an appeal to pray daily for spiritual renewal.