When you believe what’s true and right, guess what.. you can better walk and right without stumbling or fallin’ into any painful-nasty traps, believer. Why walk deceived when you really don’t have to?
Note to self: Ich muss meine Bibelverse auf Deutsch wieder auswendig lernen, damit ich meinen geist erfrischen sehen, und mich davon fernhalten kann -- die Sünde, es zu überwinden.
I need to prayerfully.. re-memorize some Bible verses in German (and English too) so that I can refresh my spirit, soul, mind and then just steer clear of all evil to overcome sin.
"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." (Ps. 119:9-16 & 165. Also see Ps. 1, Josh. 1:8).
I say choose to enJOY Jesus and His abundant life daily, believer! Be too busy seeking Him and to do His will to become busy with lesser things that can pull people down.
Believer, regular Bible truth-input with the Spirit's illumination and wise application (walkin' in God's will by His grace), that's in direct correlation with victory outflow over the deceptions of the world, over sin, and over Satan!
You and I don't need any fake news ever! Let's do what we can to verify what we are hearing, thinking and reading is all true.
Every time you or I act wrongly regarding temptation it's because of deception on some level, even if it’s because you have lied to yourself. Your old fleshly nature inside typically will be in favor of you responding wrongly to temptation confronting you, but that’s why each one is to die to self and to this corrupt world system. Christians are crucified to the world. I’m dead to the world and the world is dead to me.
Temptations, they're not just a '70s American vocal group noted for singing with smooth harmonies and intricate soul choreography. Temptations can mean real trouble depending upon your response or mine.
"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell. 6 Lest you ponder her path of life—Her ways are unstable; You do not know them." Proverbs 5:3-6 nkjv
"With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. 22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, 23 Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life." Proverbs 7:21-23 nkjv
"The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there." Proverbs 22:14 nkjv
"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. 28 She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men." Proverbs 23:26–28 nkjv
“Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like earthenware covered with silver dross. 24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; 25 when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; 26 though his hatred is covered by deceit,
his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.” Proverbs 26:23–26
"My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, 'Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; 13 we shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 cast in your lot among us, let us all have one purse'— 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood." Proverbs 1:10–16 nkjv
Who Are The Wise People Facing Temptation?
The ones saying no when they're flesh, the world, and the enemy keep saying yes! Truly wise persons when facing temptation will focus on, recall to mind, will call upon, will hear the Living Word of God (Prov. 1:5), and then obey the Word (Prov. 12:15). They store up what is learned from the Word against times of temptation (Prov. 9:9; 10:14); they win the lost who also get tempted (Prov. 11:30); they quickly turn from sin (Prov. 14:16); they control their tongue (Prov. 10:19; 16:23); and act diligently (Prov. 10:5). A wise person will inherit glory (Prov. 3:35); bring joy to others (Prov. 10:1; 15:20); have all of his or her needs met (Prov. 21:20); and have strength for war (Prov. 24:5–6).
"The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. 6 The words of the wicked are, 'Lie in wait for blood,' but the mouth of the upright will deliver them." Proverbs 12:5–6 nkjv
"A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. 7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy. 11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above. 15 The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. 16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident." Proverbs 14:6–16 nkjv
"Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. 21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning. 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:19–25 nkjv
"When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; 2 And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food." Proverbs 23:1–3
During a busy lunch hour in a crowded downtown area, a minister was searching for a parking place. He drove on circling the block again and again, with no good result. Deciding to double-park, he took out his business card and wrote a note for any officer who might come by and ticket him. "Dear Officer," he wrote, "I circled this block ten times. I have an appointment to keep." He closed his note with, "Forgive us our trespasses."Sooner or later, temptation will come your way but delighting in Jesus, you can overcome it. Delighting in Him? What? Do you remember when "Christian Hedonism" was coined by Piper back in '86.
About an hour later, the minister returned to find a parking ticket stuck under his windshield. It read, "Dear Reverend, I have circled this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."
You know how the basic term "hedonism" means "a living for pleasure of". It's true that we can delight ourselves in the Lord and live to please Him.
"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
In other words from the Westminster Shorter Catechism: The chief end of man is to know and glorify God by enjoying Him forever.
If the chief end of man is to live free, acceptably worship God, and enjoy Him forever, then we should indeed live our whole lives for great pleasure -- the pleasure of following Jesus. The pleasure of intimately knowing God.
Q: So what can be negatively efficacious if it's gets in the way of this to impede?
A: Any type of deception (believing what's not true that leads to yielding to temptation, to faulty practice, to sin (that is stemming from the lusts of the eyes, the lusts the flesh and the boastful pride of life a.k.a. spiritual worldliness). Yes, they get in the way of abundant and eternal life, believer. These things hinder you from hearing your Shepherd's voice that You need to obey. He rewards and blesses His obedient children.
The hope of heaven inside gives each of us JOY, and this JOY gives us strength to go the distance.
ReJOYce! "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:4-8
Puritan Pastor Matthew Henry taught that rejoicing in and enjoying relationship with God not only gives us strength to endure, but it also arms us against the spiritual assaults of the enemy. It helps our mouths gain a strong distaste for the pleasures the enemy bates his hooks with. It puts our mouths out of taste for all the pleasures that fallen angels tempts us with.
Oscar Wilde once said, “I can resist everything except temptation.”
It's doesn't have to be that way giving into temptation to sin cuz that never helps anyone! On the contrary, it actually hurts and kills people!
At first we may quickly write off Oscar's jesting-comment. After all, how often do we find ourselves falling into “deadly” sins such as murder, lust, adultery, or drunkenness? Yet if we look closely, you and I are not immune from a host of attitudes and actions that are displeasing to God. We often yield to these everyday sins—a snide remark, a harsh word, pride—before we even realize the presence of temptation.
God hates the world system and so should we hate it. not the creation call the world, not the world of people, but the corrupt world system.
What makes up that world system?
God Hates (SIN - the lusts of flesh, the lust of of eyes and boastful pride of life).
You and I are to hate sin and worldliness. Can I say something about the cardiology of worldliness? What's it about? It’s all that is in the world, the sum of it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. None of that is from the Father; all of it is from the world.When you’re talking about the world, by that we don’t mean the created physical world and we don’t mean the world of men, we mean the system of sin or the system of evil, all that is in that anti-God, anti-Christ system is made up of a matrix of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. This is really diagnostic, this is getting down into the essence of sin and why we sin and what compels us to sin - instruction that is very helpful for us.But I want to put it in a larger context because we’re only dealing with just a brief portion of Scripture tonight. I can kind of broaden the big picture a little bit and maybe put together a message tonight that will give us a sense of the reality of sin. Solomon was right when he wrote that there was not one person on earth who was righteous and good. There wasn’t one person who did not sin. It is the universal problem. All have sinned. None are righteous, so says Romans chapter 3. Sin, then, is the universal problem. There is none good, no not one.Sin has essentially generated the cosmic chaos that exists in the heavens between God and Satan, between holy angels, between fallen angels, as well as between men and men and men and God. The chaos of the heaven has become the chaos of the earth. All of the realm of created beings has been devastated by the reality of sin. And we want to talk about its impact on human life. Sin attacks every baby at the moment of conception, and it waits, it lurks to embrace that baby fully when it leaves the protection of the mother’s womb. Sin rules every heart, it intends to damn every soul to hell.Sin turns beauty into ugliness, wholeness into deformity, joy into sorrow, bliss into wretchedness. And that’s why the Bible in Joshua 7:13 calls sin the accursed thing. It is compared in Scripture to the venom of snakes and the stench of rotting death. Understanding sin is critical so that we understand, as we heard tonight in the testimony, our need for salvation from sin.Now, just a few questions to sort of frame up the big picture. Let’s ask the question, what is sin? And the answer is simple, 1 John 3:4, “Sin is the transgression of the law;” that is to say, sin is any violation of God’s law - any violation of God’s perfect holy law. Sin is unrighteousness while the law of God affirms what is righteous. Any act, any word, any thought, any motive that violates God’s holy, just, and perfect law constitutes sin. It’s not a narrow category, it’s a sweeping and broad one.And God has the right as God, as holy God, to establish what pleases Him and what does not. He is the authority. He set the standards for man to live by. He established what is right, what is wrong, and anything that God says is wrong constitutes sin.Now, what is sin’s nature? Going beyond just a simple definition of what it is, what is its nature? That is to say, what is its characterization or what are its essential components? What is it like? How is it described in the Bible? And, obviously, you could spend a lot of time on this, but let’s just give you some insight into that.1.) Sin is defiling. It is not just an act of disobedience, it is an internal pollution. It is likened to filthy rags. Man, even at his best, is only doing what is essentially filthy rags.In 1 Kings 8:38, sin is likened to sores that come from a deadly plague. In Zechariah 3:3, it is likened to filthy garments that cover someone. It stains the soul. It degrades man’s nobility. It darkens his mind. It makes him worse than an animal, baser than a beast. It is so defiling that, according to Zechariah 11:8, it causes God to loathe the sinner. And it even makes the sinner loathe himself. And you will remember, writes the prophet Ezekiel, your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.So sin is defiling; that is to say, it stains and it pollutes. That is why Paul calls it the filthiness of the flesh. Thomas Goodwin, the Puritan, wrote, “Sin is called poison; sinners, serpents. Sin is called vomit; sinners, licking dogs. Sin is called the stench of graves; sinners, rotted sepulchers. Sin is called mire; sinners, pigs.” Graphic language to describe the pollution, corruption, and defilement of sin. It has turned all of the human race into defiled beings.2.) Sin, as to its nature, is rebellious. It is rebellious. It isn’t just that you slip up and break the law of God. It is that there is in you a will to rebel. Psalm 12:4 says, “Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?” So says the sinner. Jeremiah 2:31, “We are lords. We will come no more to you,” say the sinners to God.” Jeremiah 44:17, “We will certainly do whatever thing goes forth out of our own mouth,” say the sinners. Sin is so rebellious it is God’s would-be murderer. Sin would dethrone God and ungod God and replace Him with the sinner. Sin is defiling, but it is also blasphemously rebellious.3.) Sin that it is ingratitude. It is, in its own nature, ingratitude. It is God, after all, who’s given us all things. It is God who gave us life and breath and food and beauty and joy and love. It is God who’s given us all the goodness of life, knowledge, wisdom, fun, laughter, skill, health, relationships. The sinner is literally engulfed with the goodness of God. But he abuses his privileges. He’s like Absalom. You remember the story of Absalom. As soon as David, his father, had kissed him and taken him to his heart, Absalom went out immediately after that and plotted a treason against his own father.And so it is that the sinner who is kissed by God in the realm of common grace, who indulges himself in God’s graces and God’s mercies, turns rapidly to betray God by being only the friend of Satan, God’s avowed enemy. Sin is such gross ingratitude, and Romans 1 says it is characteristic of the sinner that he is not thankful to God.4.) Sin is incurable - it is incurable. Man does not have in himself the capacity to do anything about his sin. He is sin to the bone, and he cannot alter that. In Isaiah chapter 1, “Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly, they have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have turned away from Him. Where will you be stricken again as you continue in your rebellion?”Then he says this: “The whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint, from the sole of the foot even to the head, there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged nor softened with oil.” In other words, sick - sin sick from head to toe and utterly incurable, like a leper. Jeremiah chapter 13, verse 23, says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin color or the leopard, his spots? Then may you also do good that are accustomed to evil.” You can’t do anything about sin.John Flavel, another Puritan, said, “All the tears of a penitent sinner, should he shed as many as there have fallen drops of rain since the creation, cannot wash away one sin. The everlasting burnings in hell cannot purify the flaming conscience from the least sin. Not anything in this life and not anything in all of eternal hell could expiate sin from the sinner. Hell is where men pay an unpayable debt. There is no human cure for sin, not good works, not reformation, not education.”And then we need to add that sin is deadly because the Bible says the soul that sins, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. It’s amazing knowing that how hard people work at sin. This defiling, rebellious, ungrateful, constant violation of God’s law, which is incurable and deadly, is still the choice of men. Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. They pursue sin gladly. Jeremiah 9:5 says, “They weary themselves committing iniquity.” They wear themselves out sinning.Psalm 7:14 says in pain, they bring forth evil. They literally bring forth evil with such commitment and devotion that they will pain themselves to achieve it.
Proverbs 4:16 says they can’t sleep unless they do evil. Isaiah 5:18 says they drag sin around like a beast pulling a wagon. Ezekiel 24:12 says Jerusalem’s people weary themselves with lies."People go to hell sweating, make amazing effort to sin. This is all they know. This is all they’re capable of. This is life. This is where they seek their pleasure and their fulfillment. Sin, then, as to its nature is defiling, rebellious, ungrateful, incurable, and deadly.How many people are affected by sin? And the answer to that is everybody. All humans, Romans 3 says, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:10 says there is none righteous - no, not one. No one escapes sin - no one. The whole world lies in the lap of the evil one, says 1 John chapter 5. In fact, in Romans 5:12, it says, “Just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned.” The whole human race is infected with this virus. No one escapes.We might then ask the question further in our little discussion, what are sin’s results? "What does it do to us? Well, these are pretty clear.1.) Here's a handful of them. It causes evil to overpower man - it causes evil to overpower man. Man is utterly and totally dominated by evil. His mind is dominated by it. His will is dominated by it. His affections are dominated by it. All man can conceive in his mind is that which is sinful. He has a futile or an empty mind as regards righteousness. His will is polluted so that he will do whatever he wants to do. His affections are polluted so that he loves darkness more than light. It causes evil to literally dominate man.2.) It holds all men under Satan’s control. Because all men are sinners, they are therefore under the power of the general, you could say, or the monarch or the king of the kingdom of darkness, Satan himself. They walk according to the prince of the power of the air, says Ephesians 2:2. The devil, then, rules the sinner because the devil rules the world system in which the sinner is held captive.3.) Sin results in bringing man under God’s wrath. And the Bible is clear about that, it even calls sinners, all men who are sinners, children of wrath. Says that God is going to bring about retribution on all sinners, and they will spend eternity in hell if they die in their sins.4.) Here's another result of sin, it subjects men to all the miseries of life. Because of sin, we have misery. That’s why Job 5:7 says, “Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.” That’s why Romans 8:20 says, “The creature is subjected to futility.” That’s why Isaiah says there’s no peace for the wicked. That’s why Solomon, who had everything the world had to offer, could look at it and say, “Vanity of vanities, it’s all nothing.” It’s all meaningless, it’s all empty.So the cruelty of aging can be astonishing. The consequences following sinning can be worse than astonishing. Sin can overpower individuals. It brings him under Satan’s control. It can bring a person under God’s wrath, subjects him to all the miseries of life, and ultimately, number five, it damns him to eternal hell. Jesus, frankly, is personally responsible for the precision and the clarity which the New Testament gives us to the doctrine of hell. It was Jesus Himself who described hell with clear, unmistakable language - Matthew 8, Matthew 13 - many other places. So that’s what sin does.
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| Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters |
God’s desire is that we triumph not only over the “big” temptations, but also over those we so readily overlook. That we triumph in both public and in private. But how can God’s design become real in our lives? How can we resist the temptations that come our way even when we don’t detect their presence? In short, how can we live holy lives when it seems the only thing we can’t resist is temptation?
According to the New Testament, the key to the Christian life lies in following Jesus Christ. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews declares that Jesus “was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This
As Christians, we face three enemies every day: the flesh, the world, and the devil. The flesh is the evil nature we all have within us—that propensity, that vulnerability to do the wrong thing. Next, there is Satan with his outward enticements. Then, of course, there is the world. You might say that the flesh with its desires is the internal foe. Satan with his enticements is the infernal foe, and the world with its enticements is the external foe.
What Are Temptation's Origins
We must recognize that temptation originates with our bent toward doing the wrong thing. When we give in to temptation, we have only ourselves to blame (see Romans 6:16), but sometimes we blame God. But as we read in James, "Let no man say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone" (James 1:13).
What's Temptation's Timing
Temptation generally comes after great times of blessing. It hit Jesus when he went to the Jordan River and was baptized. The Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove, and God the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Immediately after this, Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After the dove came the devil. After the blessing comes the trial.
What Are Temptation's Targets
In a broad sense, everyone is tempted. However, the enemy focuses his attacks on those who are young in the faith and those who are making a difference in God's kingdom. Many Christians would recall that when they first came to Jesus, they were hit with some serious temptations. Likewise, any Christian who says, "Lord, I want you to use me," must know that Satan will attack. Be aware.
What's Temptation's Entryway
Have you ever been amazed after falling into sin and asked yourself how you ended up there? It was through a series of events that led you to ultimately rationalize that sin. Temptation generally comes in through the realm of your imagination. Think of it as if an unwelcome visitor were knocking at your door. You know you will have trouble if you open it. In the same way, when the enemy comes with temptation, don't open the door. In fact, don't even look through the peephole. Don't underestimate sin or the power of it.
What's Temptation's Antidote
It's important to note that the primary weapon Jesus used to resist temptation was the Word of God. In the same way, when the devil comes and tempts you, your first line of defense is the Bible. For example, if he whispers in your ear, "Go ahead and sin. No one will ever find out," your response should be something like: "No. It is written in Hebrews 4:13, 'All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.' "
What Is Temptation's Defeat
Temptation is the devil's primary method of attack. We all know a lot about it. None of us enjoys being tempted. But it is something that every Christian will experience. However, temptation can be resisted.
James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man that endures temptation.." A better translation of the word blessed would be happy. Happy is the person who makes it through temptation. If you respond as you should, then you ultimately will hold that much tighter to the Lord Jesus Christ the next time Satan comes with some kind of an enticement.
