TEMPTED?

I awoke this morning practicing what I preach...lol.  The first thought to enter my mind was an invitation for the Holy Spirit to fill me, to saturate me, to overflow within me.  I prayed this prayer off and on for maybe twenty minutes as I got up, showered, and prepared my coffee.  If you were at Grace River yesterday, then you know that this is from the message that I brought from Luke 4.  Just because I'm a pastor, it doesn't mean that I don't have tough days (weeks?). Even Jesus had tough days, weeks, and months.  Jesus experience with the devil (the slanderer) in the wilderness (the alone place) reveals five types of prayer declaration that we need to include in our every day in order to overcome the devil's attacks.

 

#1--"FILL ME WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT" - As Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, he was full of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's filling brings with it the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  It brings the power to heal the sick and to raise the dead. It brings the knowledge and understanding of God Himself--the once who created the day that we are now experiencing.  The Spirit's filling is the greatest resource that we can possess--almost as important as salvation itself.

 

#2--"I AM THE CHILD OF GOD" - The devil begins his conversation with Jesus, "If you are the Son of God...".  If?  He does the same thing with us..."If you are the child of God", "If you are loved by God", "If you are accepted and forgiven", "If you really matter".  My friends we do matter! We are children of the Most High God! We are the King's Kids!  If you are unsure of your identity, here are 40 Bible Verses to tell you: http://www.openbible.info/topics/identity.

 

#3--"IT IS WRITTEN" - Jesus responded to temptation with, "It is written..."  A verse a day keeps the devil away!  Get in the Bible! Find a reading plan on your Bible App! Dust off your printed copy and begin reading John.  Use the 40 Bible Verses on identity mentioned above. Read one each day, learn it, memorize it, declare it! 

 

#4--"I WILL WORSHIP THE LORD MY GOD" - Jesus response to the devil's suggestion that he bow down to him was simply, "You must worship the Lord your God".  We worship whatever we value. Start your day with worship expressions from your heart directed to the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!  You will encounter names for God, revelations of His character, and descriptions of His attributes as you read the Bible. Use these biblical calls to worship to focus on declaring out-loud all that God is.

 

#5--"I TRUST GOD" - "You must not test the Lord your God", Jesus declared when it is suggested that he toss himself off of the temple in order to delivered by the angels.  No need to test God, when you trust God!  Declare it right now! "I trust God"...with my day...with my job...with my family...with my finances...with my life!

 

Friends, I'm practicing these five declarations today!  Will you join me?  Let's do it together and see what happens!  I suspect that Satan will depart until a more opportune time!  Let's chase him out of town with our declarations of faith in God!

TEMPTED

"But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (James 1:14).

 

God says through James that He is not the one tempting us.  Rather we are tempted by our own lusts--our own desires. 

 

"Carried away" means to be lured away.  The really rotten thing about a fishing lure is that it looks great to a fish--it's the most delicious looking little thing that the fish has seen all day--and yet it's deadly to him.  It looks delicious and so he turns to follow it.  The fish is being lured away and is now in great danger of being caught.  The lure looks great, but if the fish bites--then he is headed for somebody's dinner table.

 

"Enticed" is a different word that carries a similar meaning.  It means, "to catch with bait".  A good fisherman knows what kind of bait to put on the hook--he knows what the fish is hungry for.  If a fish is not hungry, then it doesn't matter what kind of bait you put on the hook--he will not be caught because he isn't going to bite anything--he's not hungry.

 

You and I are tempted by our own appetites--our own desires.  If we pursue them, in opposition to God's wisdom, then we are being lured away--we are being enticed and baited.  It won't end well.  The problem is that we are hungry and consequently we are more than willing to chase fake food.  The better course would be to fill yourself at God's endless buffet.  Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again" (John 6:35, NLT).  The only thing that will satisfy our cravings is Jesus!  If you don't fill up on Jesus--then you will be hungry all day--and the odds are that you will foolishly chase a lure.

 

Today, let me encourage you to do three things:  #1--Read a paragraph from the Bible. Reread it over and over again several times.  You're looking for a promise, a correction, a direction, or a revelation of who God is.  #2--Invite Jesus to feed you with Himself throughout the day when you get hungry.  #3--Share your lunch with someone who may be hungry--you just might save their life.