christians4worship.com Blog

Resisting Temptation

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. -Psalm 119:11

Not only do many of us in the United States have more than one Bible, but we have them in every color and every translation. The question is do we read them? We need to read God’s Word and commit it to memory. The psalmist said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). While it’s a good idea to carry the Bible in your briefcase or purse, the best place to carry the Bible is in your heart. I would be embarrassed to admit how many dumb songs I know. I haven’t even attempted to memorize them–I have just heard them so many times that they simply get into my brain. We should be using our memory banks for the memorization of Scripture. That way, when the enemy attacks, we will have the Word of God to call upon and to give us the strength that we need. After all, one of the best tools to use when temptation comes knocking at our door is the Word of God. He modeled that for us when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Again and again, He answered the temptation with, “It is written . . . ” (see Matthew 4). What shape is your sword in? Is it polished from daily use as you study the Scripture on a daily basis? Has it been sharpened on the anvil of experience as you have applied and obeyed its truth in your life? Or, is your sword rusty from lack of preparation? Is it dulled by disobedience? Sin will keep us from the Word of God. But if we apply the teaching of God’s Word, it will keep us from sin.

C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514

Forget the Past

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:14

Everyone who has run a race knows that you can break your stride by looking over your shoulder to see how your opponents are doing. Many races have been lost when the leader looked back. When you see that finish line, you are supposed to give it everything you have, because sometimes it is mere inches that separate one runner from another. You must stay focused.This is the idea behind Paul’s statement in Philippians 3:13: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Paul was saying, “Don’t look back. Don’t look behind you.” When God promises, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25), He is not predicting a lapse in His memory. God is saying, “I am no longer going to hold your sin against you, because my Son has paid for it at the cross.” Therefore, we need to do what God does: forget our past. We need to learn from our mistakes and remember some of the bitter lessons we have learned. But we no longer need to be controlled by our past. That is what Paul meant by “forgetting those things which are behind. . . . ” Think about the horrible things Paul had done. He was responsible for the death of Stephen and had to carry that in his conscience until his final day. He knew that he was responsible for some terrible things. But he was able to put his past in the past. And we need to do the same.

C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514

Poems

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Just Our Nature

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. -James 1:14

We all know what it is like to be tempted. But where does temptation come from? It does not come from God. James 1:13-14 says, “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. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” We play a key role in our own temptation. It is like the scorpion who wanted to cross a pond. Scorpions can’t swim, of course, so he needed a ride. He walked up to a rather unsuspecting turtle and said, “I was wondering if you might give me a lift across this little pond?” The turtle said, “Are you joking? You will sting me, and we will both drown.” The scorpion said, “My dear turtle, if I were to sting you, I would go down with you. Where would the logic be in that?” As they made their way across the little pond, the scorpion pulled out his stinger and gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle turned to the scorpion and said, “There was no logic in stinging me. Why did you do it?” The scorpion replied, “It has nothing to do with logic. It’s just my nature.” This is a good point. When we give in to temptation, it has nothing to do with logic. It is just our nature. We like to say, “The devil made me do it” or “Circumstances overwhelmed me” or “I couldn’t control myself.” But in reality, it’s just our nature. Let’s not give in to the enticement of our own desires.

C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside CA 92514