A minister parked his car
in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't
find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper
that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll
miss my appointment. “FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES." When he returned,
he found a citation from a police officer along with this note. "I've
circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my
job. “LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION."
These four things can help
you in your not falling into Deception!
Change Your Focus To Something Else! Fighting off evil thoughts in your own power isn’t going to help you to win! Nowhere in the bible does it say to resist temptation. We are told to “resist the devil.” “Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your mind. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it.” (Rick Warren) Place your thoughts on God who is bigger than your weaknesses. Friend, change the channel to another station in your mind. Turn your attention to something else. The battle to win over temptation is in the mind. David prayed, “Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless.” (Psalm 119:3a)
Reveal Your Struggle To a Godly Friend. God says, “If you fall, you have another one to pull you up.”(Eccl 4:10) That doesn’t mean that you broadcast it to the world! Prov 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.” Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. “The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life.” (Rick Warren)
Resist The Devil. We are to fight back. Don’t lay down and give in and let him run you over. I tried that one day when I dared the neighborhood bully to run me over with his bicycle. Guess what? He did! Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife who seduced him to get in bed with her. Joseph said, “How can I do this great evil against my Lord.” Never be ashamed to ask the Lord for HELP!
Realize Your Vulnerability. There is none righteous, no not one. “He that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.’ (I Cor 10:12) Any of us, in any given situation is vulnerable to a fall unless we realize how weak we really are. We are good at fooling ourselves. Admit that you need his power and strength to overcome and WIN over your own lust of the flesh.
Joseph was tested in a big way for several
years in many areas of his life. Would
he love and forgive his brothers who did him wrong? Would he stay on track with
his moral compass and be a man of integrity? Would he see that God had a bigger
purpose than his pain? Would he stay sensitive to God’s assignment for his
life? Satan doesn’t care how and where he gets you, just so he takes you down!
You may be
in a season of heavy testing and temptation but just know that God says, He is able
to deliver you from any demise that Satan creates for you. Paul says, “12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful
not to fall. 13 The temptations in your
life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will
not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Cor 10:12,13)
Change Your Focus To Something Else! Fighting off evil thoughts in your own power isn’t going to help you to win! Nowhere in the bible does it say to resist temptation. We are told to “resist the devil.” “Every time you try to block a thought out of your mind, you drive it deeper into your mind. By resisting it, you actually reinforce it.” (Rick Warren) Place your thoughts on God who is bigger than your weaknesses. Friend, change the channel to another station in your mind. Turn your attention to something else. The battle to win over temptation is in the mind. David prayed, “Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless.” (Psalm 119:3a)
Reveal Your Struggle To a Godly Friend. God says, “If you fall, you have another one to pull you up.”(Eccl 4:10) That doesn’t mean that you broadcast it to the world! Prov 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.” Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets. “The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life.” (Rick Warren)
Resist The Devil. We are to fight back. Don’t lay down and give in and let him run you over. I tried that one day when I dared the neighborhood bully to run me over with his bicycle. Guess what? He did! Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife who seduced him to get in bed with her. Joseph said, “How can I do this great evil against my Lord.” Never be ashamed to ask the Lord for HELP!
Realize Your Vulnerability. There is none righteous, no not one. “He that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.’ (I Cor 10:12) Any of us, in any given situation is vulnerable to a fall unless we realize how weak we really are. We are good at fooling ourselves. Admit that you need his power and strength to overcome and WIN over your own lust of the flesh.
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