The High Cost of Giving in ……..to Temptation

-
John 10: 10 “the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

Good Day Men!

Over the years of being involved in Men’s Ministry, and discussing sin in various group settings, I have determined that we often read the verse for today in completion as if we run through it and not absorb the intended intensity that I believe Jesus Christ meant for us to understand.  So beginning today we will be stepping through each component mentioned here.

Today we will start with “the thief does not come except to steal…..”

Satan hates us as believers.  And yes, hate is a STRONG word.  Rightfully so because Satan is a strong, strong enemy, with strong, strong capabilities of consuming hate.  It is easy to ask God to give the same hate for sin as He has, and this should do it, right?  No! Not right.  Yes, Satan is a defeated foe, but that doesn’t keep him from attacking us as believers.  He comes to STEAL.  He wants to steal our joy, our love for others, our compassion for the downtrodden, our passion for living for the cause of Christ.  In short he wants us to feel discouraged all the time, and nothing can stop those evil desires in him.  We can stop him, but in order to do so we must be vigilant in our relationship with Christ. 

But when we fall, it leaves us feeling horrible inside and out and it is very difficult to hide the result of sin and I’ll tell you why.  When you fall down and not break the skin, most likely it will leave a bruise where you landed.  Satan knows this so he viciously continues his attack on our hearts and lives until we fall to temptation. Satan wants to leave a bruise on your soul and spirit and make you feel discouraged and the countenance on your face will often times reflect it.  You see this especially when someone asks if you are okay. Yes, your face and attitude shows something took place.  Yes we can ask forgiveness and yes God will forgive just like He has promised, however, did you repent?  No it’s NOT the same thing as forgiveness.  To REPENT is to turn away from the sin and toward Christ for the lifestyle He intends for you to live which means we will be CLOSE to Him, and not tethering ourselves out away from Christ and closer to temptation.  1 John 1:9 reminds us how completely God forgives and gives us new live.  But never believe for one minute that this is too hard and just let Satan have his way in your life.  Trust me, you can overcome Satan and his temptation and Jesus will give you the strength to do so.  Jude 9 is a great start in understanding the strength and power Christ has over sin if we just give God the opportunity to show us through His Word and prayer and time alone with Him.  With this prescription you will draw near to God and He will answer you with a strong and deep relationship with Him.  Yes this takes time but don’t most relationships.

Key Thought: Be strong and of good courage (Joshua 1: 6).  Let God build your spiritual strength as He guides you through His Word.  He will build your resistance to Satan’s temptation, but be sure it will take time, but all relationship do and this will be the greatest relationship ever.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, guide me into that deeper relationship with You that Satan’s temptation will no longer draw me to fail.  Help me to stand strong and in the power of Your might, not mine. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

Have a blessed day!

In Christ,

Rev. Ted J. Wilkins
Founder/Director of “Good News Brief For Men” Ministries


© 2017 Ted J. Wilkins, Good News Brief For Men Ministries

Comments

Post a Comment

Please feel free to share what God is doing in your life:

Popular posts from this blog

David Calls Out!

-
Psalms 55: 1   Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.  (NIV) David is going through some tough times here.  He is calling out to God for relief.  He knows God will hear him. We should approach God the same way.  It is clear that David has this unlimited trust in the Father.  David has a relationship with Him and God enjoys pouring out His love and grace on those who trust Him to do so.  At the end of this Psalm we see a new David.  Vs.23 closes with: But as for me, I trust in you. Regardless of any circumstances God is near and ready to hear you call out to Him.  Yes, our thoughts can trouble us.  As men we have a different thought life.  We know how bad it can be at times to concentrate on God in prayer only to find our mind wandering to an area it shouldn’t be.  Don’t worry God hears and knows your heart, and rescue is on the wa...
Read more

The Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper

-
  Promise Keepers 1993-2024-2 The attendance of that conference in Indianapolis Indiana at the Hosier Dome was a little over 70,000. Many conferences over the next several years averaged between 60,000 and 70,000. Several conferences were held throughout the year, mostly from early summer into mid-fall. Some conferences were held in open stadiums and others held in enclosed arenas. One was even held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before we get into the individual promises, I have listed the seven promises below to give you an idea of the direction we will be following. I am currently working on a biography covering the years I was able to attend the conferences. Several years we were able to attend more than one conference and sometimes three. At the time the individual admission was $72.00 per person. Most of the men were from young families and the admission price was hard to come by, plus we had to add the cost for an overnight stay which var...
Read more

Instructions Of A Father

-
Proverbs 4: 1   Hear O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, (NASB) As I look at this verse for the day I see the seriousness of our responsibilities as fathers to our children. Just as we are to look to our heavenly Father for His wisdom applied to our lives through His Word, our children look to us so that they too, in life, will  gain understanding .  How prepared are we as dads to reveal to our children the truths of life as revealed in the Bible. The first thing they see is our walk. We can say all we want, but unless our walk reflects what we say, our children will not take what we say seriously. At times they will test us and push us to the limit. We MUST stick to our convictions. We also must fulfill the promises we have made to our kids. If we told them we would be there for them at a game, or some performance, or activity, we better be there. If we are not, then the power of ...
Read more