Don't Be a Fool and Take the Bait!
Yesterday, we began looking at the phrase in the Lord’s prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.” But wait! “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” Ja.1:13. Instead he guides us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Ps.23:3). So how can Jesus have us pray, “Lead us not into temptation?” We learned that it was an old way of saying, “Lead us away from temptation.” It is acknowledging that I am prone to wander. I need the good shepherd to lead me. He does so very well when we read and heed his word. Those who don’t are doomed. Yesterday we looked at 10 points of protection against temptation. Today, we will continue on and look at points 11-20.
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11.-Remember, you can never weaken your old sin loving nature. Fasting doesn’t bother it at all. So don’t get discouraged if when fasting the devil still tempts you. That’s when the devil tempted Jesus the most. Use God’s word to battle temptation. Jesus quoted scripture each time he was tempted (Mt.4:1-11). Aren’t you glad you are meditating on a new verse each day? You’re building up a great arsenal against sin and Satan.
12.-Know when you are most vulnerable-HALT. We are often most vulnerable to temptation when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. When I am low on sleep, I get attacked much more in my thought life. Thus, I’ve found that one of the most spiritual things I can do is take a nap if possible or go to bed earlier to recharge when I am drained. Our spiritual beings are intricately woven together with our physical beings.
13.-If something indecent comes on the TV, be quick to change channels. If you are a guest, then close your eyes or leave the room. “Turn from it” Prov.4:15; 2 Tim.2:19; 1 Pet.3:11. Have you ever walked out of a movie theater because the movie was trash? Good for you!
14.-Guard your eyes. Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). To look at a woman who is beautiful is not sinful, it’s normal. Even the writers of the Bible noted certain women were "very beautiful" (Gen.12:14; 24:16;2 Sam.11:2). But when the look becomes a long look, trouble is brewing. The lustful look may soon follow. So admit the obvious and then move on. Change your view. “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty.” Prov.6:25. Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Your body, including your eyes, belongs to the Lord. So we are to honor the Lord with our bodies (1 Cor.6:9-20). I’ve made it a game of sorts to turn my head away from lewd billboards, especially when my wife is in the car. I've earned her trust and I never want to lose it. And I don't want to grieve the Spirit of God either. "And do not grieve the Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" Eph.4:30.
15.-Hate what you love. Our sinful nature loves sinful, evil things. Yet the Bible tells us, “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good” Rom.12:9. We are to be controlled by God and our godly decisions, not our ungodly desires. Thus, I choose to hate what I originally may be drawn to. Often our first impulse is the flesh impulse. So declare what God and your new nature think of that which is seeking to deceive and destroy you. “I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” Prov.8:13. Say such things out loud. "I hate that!" What is expressed is impressed.
16.-Recognize that what we are first drawn to is often the deceptive and deadly thing. “Each one is tempted, when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death” James 1:14-15. Temptation has the seductive lure of a prostitute. Flee it. I also must accept full responsibility for my actions. It is my own evil desires that desire temptation. I can’t blame it on the devil, my friends, circumstances or my spouse. “If you were just a better spouse, this never would have happened.” Liar!
17.-Use hand signs as powerful reminders. Perhaps, put your hand up as a blinder to guard your eyes when you start to see something or someone you shouldn’t look at. Touch your wedding ring if you’re married. Pretend you're stabbing it to death (Col.3:5).This may sound silly, but I've often found that introducing a bit of comic relief is quite relieving.
18.-Pray for the person who is knowingly or unknowingly tempting you. “Lord, I pray that you would clothe her in holiness. She is someone’s daughter or mother." And pray for yourself, your spouse or your M3 teammates that they will be led away from temptation.
19.-Thank God for the good things you already have. Temptation works by making you think how good it would be to have what you don’t have. So let the temptation prompt you to count your blessings. It’s well near impossible to tempt a rejoicing, praying, thankful Christian. “Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 1 Th.5:16-18.
20. Pray continually (1Th.5:17). As we have seen, prayer is a powerful weapon against temptation. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” Mt.26:41. So pray continually. This doesn’t mean you are expected to be praying every minute of the day. Often you need to be concentrating at work, for example, on things other than prayer. To pray without ceasing means we shouldn’t take a vacation from prayer. It means we should be in frequent communication with God. Don’t wait until your formal prayer time to talk to the Lord. We need to turn our temptations into conversations with the Lord. Seek to cultivate a habit of touching base with God throughout the day. May our MP3 cards prompt us to do so all the more. God’s word helps us to find words to respond to him. It’s also been said, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.” Let’s choose the former.
G.a- Once again, there are plenty of passages that have been quoted or referenced. Pick one that especially grabs you, and share your thoughts on it.
G.b- Write a favorite portion of the verse you picked on your MP3 card. Then do the Did it.
G.c- How many individuals or groups did you share the riches of your MP3 card with since you posted yesterday?
Hey Dave, you said under point 11 that fasting doesn't weaken the flesh at all. But I thought that was one of the reasons people fasted.
I'm sure it is a reason many people set out on a fast. I just know from Scripture and experience that fasting doesn't accomplish that. The confusion comes about because certain versions of the Bible use the same word "flesh" to refer to our bodies (flesh and blood) and to our sinful nature. So some people try to starve the flesh. They may weaken their flesh (body), but not their flesh (sinful nature). The Bible's directives for dealing with the flesh, our old twisted desires, is what we have been enumerating yesterday and today. I don't recall a verse related to fasting that was associated with dealing effectively with temptation. Since we are on the topic of fasting, the emphasis of the New Testament is not on doing without food; it is doing. If you are going to subtract food, please add prayer. If you want to greatly increase your time in prayer and don't think you could fast for very long, try this to begin with. Use your body's natural desire for food to prod you to pray." I will not eat a meal until I pray for 15 minutes or more." Just going without food doesn't make you more spiritual. But it may make you more irritable and weak. So if you are going to decrease your food intake, please increase your godly intake of prayer and the word. Just a thought.
G.a- Once again, there are plenty of passages that have been quoted or referenced. Pick one that especially grabs you, and share your thoughts on it.
G.b- Write a favorite portion of the verse you picked on your MP3 card. Then do the Did it.
G.c- How many individuals or groups did you share the riches of your MP3 card with since you posted yesterday?
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Hey Dave, you said under point 11 that fasting doesn't weaken the flesh at all. But I thought that was one of the reasons people fasted.
I'm sure it is a reason many people set out on a fast. I just know from Scripture and experience that fasting doesn't accomplish that. The confusion comes about because certain versions of the Bible use the same word "flesh" to refer to our bodies (flesh and blood) and to our sinful nature. So some people try to starve the flesh. They may weaken their flesh (body), but not their flesh (sinful nature). The Bible's directives for dealing with the flesh, our old twisted desires, is what we have been enumerating yesterday and today. I don't recall a verse related to fasting that was associated with dealing effectively with temptation. Since we are on the topic of fasting, the emphasis of the New Testament is not on doing without food; it is doing. If you are going to subtract food, please add prayer. If you want to greatly increase your time in prayer and don't think you could fast for very long, try this to begin with. Use your body's natural desire for food to prod you to pray." I will not eat a meal until I pray for 15 minutes or more." Just going without food doesn't make you more spiritual. But it may make you more irritable and weak. So if you are going to decrease your food intake, please increase your godly intake of prayer and the word. Just a thought.
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