Temptations/Sins

James 1:12–18

Loving God Under Trials

^12 kBlessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive ^lthe crown of life ^mwhich the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, ⁿwhen desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, ^obrings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ^17 pEvery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, ^qwith whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ^18 rOf His own will He brought us forth by the ^sword of truth, ^tthat we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

When people say that they struggle with “demons” or “vices” that they wish they didn’t have and yet expect God to just take them away, it goes against scripture. Some have said “if I wasn’t supposed to be doing this then remove it from me”. There may be some out there that say God caused them to be tempted.

The Lord cannot tempt you! Only your desires can tempt you, you can’t be tempted if you didn’t already have a desire to partake in whatever it is. That would be like ‘tempting’ a millionaire with five dollars…there is no point because they already have that and then some so it isn’t a desire. However if you used to like to smoke cigarettes and you have stopped for 3 months and then one day someone lights one up next to you and then that person asks you if you would like one, and you say yes….that’s on you! Not on God. As long as those desires are there, there will be temptation in those areas.

Temptations always lead to sin-now were aren’t talking about being “tempted” to eat a slice of cake even though you’re on a diet-temptations are those things that if you do it you have already set yourself up for a sinful course, like stealing a dollar from a tip jar leads to stealing twenty dollars to possibly stealing a cd from a store and so on. There is progression that takes place, it’s up to you to nip it in the bud after you have fallen into the temptation and repent of it and make a conscious effort to not do it again. It may take time to do, but STILL do it!

Friends

1 Peter 4:4-6

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. ⁵ They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Like most Christians, you will HAVE to lose some friends-this isn’t a “I can’t be your friend anymore because I’m a Christian now” type of situation.

The losing of friends:

They stop hanging out with you or staying in contact with you

They start to act funny around you

They get upset if you decline to do something that you would have done prior

They get upset if you bring up anything Christian related

AND/OR

You realize that you are being delayed in life by being connected with them

Old behaviors by them are no longer acceptable in your eyes

You can see the foul spirits operating in them and don’t those spirits to come on you

            (in this case you have to separate yourself and pray for them)

You are going to have to expect those who knew the old you to have something to say to you or about you now that you are saved and have changed. Change is inevitable so don’t say that you won’t change as a person because you will. Just know that it will happen and that if it happens to be a close friend be prepared to let them go or at least leave them at a distance. If you try to hold onto these relationships all you are going to do is sabotage your new walk and possible hinder them from being able to find their own.

To be continued….

Suffering for Christ

1 Peter 4

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us^[a] in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

Our separation from those things that we enjoyed doing, but were sinful, causes suffering because it’s a depriving of your flesh of what it thinks it needs to be satisfied. Trust me if you haven’t been separated from something you like or makes you feel good then you can’t understand the struggle of leading a ‘pure’ Christian life.

There is NO such thing as a perfect Christian in these times, however we strive for the best. Just because you can’t partake in all the things that you liked prior to becoming saved doesn’t mean that you live the rest of your life miserable or failing at every turn. The whole purpose of becoming saved is that you become a new creation and can go to heaven to be with Jesus, the perks of being saved FAR SURPASSES those fleeting moments of excitement in things/activities in the world. I rather give up listening to certain type of music,watching certain types of movies, not have premarital sex and so on in order to enjoy the many frequent blessings, healings, miracles, meeting the right kind of people, have peace, have joy, get to use my once hidden gifts, help others, tap into the supernatural, be forewarned of things to come, speak to God, hear from the Holy Spirit, have prayers answered, bind demons, spend ETERNITY in heaven and much more!

Now if you ask me, suffering-not even physically suffering- but suffering from not doing what you used to do is sooo much more worth it when you way what you gain in return.

Proverbs 15:22

Proverbs 15:22

New International Version (NIV)

²² Plans fail for lack of counsel,
    but with many advisers they succeed.

In a world where you have to keep things to yourself for the fear of someone stealing your joy or your idea. However in the body of Christ we are to share and seek counsel from one another and not just keep things bottled up unless the Lord tells us to keep something in until a certain time.

We are to seek counsel if we heard a word from God about doing something or moving somewhere. We can’t just act instantly on a word we get and rush into things, get anxious to jump on things right away.

But also be wise in who you seek counsel from, you seek counsel from those who you trust and are in the church. Not your neighbor who is an atheist or the coworker who is a Buddhist. The unsaved cannot give sound advice as to how to act on a word from God.

Because some people act so quickly on a prophetic word that they receive they end up getting off course and out of God’s will. You have to have confirmation and to get that is through counsel with other believers and through prayer. 

Marriage

Marriage

Why is it that so many people stay in relationships for long periods of time or have children, but don’t get married? Why is it so prevalent amongst my generation in general? I have actually been wondering this for a little over a decade now, but never cared enough to spend time thinking about it.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Value of a Friend

⁹ Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
¹¹ Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I am surprised at how my generation has almost completely diminished the sanctity and importance of marriage. There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t hear someone say “why get married you’re already with the person.” Or “If you get married you’ll end up in divorce .” When I hear all of this it makes me frustrated because I believe marriage is an important and beautiful commitment that anyone can make, of course after getting saved.

If you are one of those who think that marriage is a set up for divorce, think about your relationships, how many times have you broken up with someone whether you are still with the person or not…now replace the word ‘breakup’ with ‘divorce’. Isn’t divorce a separation of two people? Well then technically you’ve been divorced several times over, so why not get married? What’s the worst that can happen…you breakup with the person.

If divorce/separation is your biggest fear, then make better mate decisions! No relationship is ever going to be perfect so stop thinking that marriage is only for those who ‘think’ they have a perfect relationship or were trapped into getting married.

Ephesians 5:25-29

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Commitment is necessary in life and in Christ. You can’t run away from marriage forever, you will have to choose to be equally yolked with someone or be in and out of relationships like you did in elementary school.