Category Archives: Temptation & Sin

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December 10, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, Holy Spirit, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Temptation & Sin

CLEAN THOUGHTS

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. … Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. [Psalm 51:2,7,10-11 (NLT)]

tropical water lily There’s a shampoo that claims, “I’m so good, I put clean thoughts in your head.” A nice idea and, if a shampoo could do that, the world would be a better place. Our heads often become filled with mind grime: worry, fear, anger, ingratitude, bitterness, envy, guilt and anxiety. That kind of dirt, while not as obvious as poor hygiene, is far worse than dirty hair. Unfortunately, no matter how you combine berry and tea extracts with orange flowers, the concoction can’t clean out the gunk that can fill our minds. There are, however, ways to put clean thoughts in our heads by availing ourselves of the Holy Spirit, prayer and scripture.

When our minds become filled with negative or troubling thoughts, we need to take a long shower with the Lord; better yet, soak in His tub and immerse ourselves in His word. Our thoughts will be cleansed with prayer, our souls reconditioned by God’s words, and the Holy Spirit will fill us with His light. We truly will emerge from that bath feeling refreshed and clean.

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
[Are You Washed in the Blood? (Elisha A. Hoffman)]

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. [Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NLT)]

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. [1 John 1:7-9 (NLT)]

 

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November 16, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Word: The Bible, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

WHAT’S TRENDING?

I the Lord do not change. [Malachi 3:6a (NCV)]

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [Hebrews 13:8 (NCV)]

water lily - naples botanic gardenI never thought attending a concert by the U.S. Army Field Band and Chorus would make me feel so out of touch with social media, but it did. It began when the audience was asked to choose the evening’s encore by voting on Twitter or Facebook. As the evening progressed, we learned that we could get the latest band news on Google Plus, see a live video stream on Periscope, watch webcasts on the band’s website, sign up for an email newsletter, see band videos on YouTube, tweet about them on Twitter, like and follow them on Facebook, view photos on their Flickr gallery, and purchase their music on Google Play. Since most of us had never even heard of Periscope, we stuck to watching them perform on stage rather than on our phones!

Thinking about how social media has changed our lives led me to ponder the other changes I’ve seen over the years. Was it really that long ago when we waited until Sunday to make long distance calls, a tattoo meant a man had served time either in the Navy or prison, people sent telegrams instead of texts, and young men wore their pants at their waists instead of around their buttocks? Some changes are welcome—air bags and seat belts, no smoking in restaurants and workplaces, shopping from my computer, digital cameras, FaceTime with the grands, and my GPS. I am less enthusiastic about others—going through security at the airport and entertainment venues, the lack of hand-written thank-you notes, airline up-charges, technical assistance that doesn’t assist, and cells phones at restaurants and theaters. Some trends I find downright troubling—sexting being thought of as a “new form of flirting” (as I read in today’s newspaper), clothing that once caused a blush in the boudoir now is considered street attire, teens having co-ed pajama parties, the concepts of “friends with benefits” or “hooking-up,” and reality TV about bachelors, bachelorettes and “real” housewives. Clearly, I’m “old fashioned” and out of touch with today’s society.

Times may change and what’s trending now may well be forgotten tomorrow, but there is one thing that never changes: God. He is immutable – which simply means unchanging. Fashion, science, laws and technology may change but God’s standards never will. Whether or not something has become acceptable to society doesn’t matter to Him. We are not supposed to compromise God’s standards to accommodate life’s reality; instead, we are to change our lives to accommodate His law. While God’s word may seem a bit “old-fashioned,” it is never out of date. If it was wrong then, it’s wrong now and, if it was right then, it’s still the right thing to do!

Recently, I was asked if I’m a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer, of course, shows us the temperature while a thermostat shows us what the temperature should be. If we’re thermometers, our lives reflect the changing ways, trends and fads of society. On the other hand, if we’re thermostats, we try to effect change on society to reflect God’s ways—the way God wants it to be.

Which are you—thermometer or thermostat?

You must not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to complete them. Indeed, I assure you that, while Heaven and earth last, the Law will not lose a single dot or comma until its purpose is complete. This means that whoever now relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men to do the same will himself be called least in Heaven. But whoever teaches and practices them will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that your goodness must be a far better thing then the goodness of the scribes and Pharisees before you can set foot in the kingdom of Heaven at all! [Matthew 5:17-20 (PHILIPS)]

 

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November 4, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Prayer, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

CYPRESS KNEES

cypress knees - Corkscrew Swamp
The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. [Luke 8:13 (NLT)]

But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. [Matthew 13:21 (NLT)]

The summer storms caused a few of the palms trees by our ponds to fall over. The landscapers had to pull them back up and erect wooden supports around them to keep the trees upright. They’d been planted too shallow and, without a deep stable base, it didn’t take much water or wind for the palms to go down. I couldn’t help but compare them with the bald cypress trees found in the nearby swamps. While the fallen palms in our neighborhood are barely out of their teens, some of Corkscrew Swamp’s enormous bald cypress trees are over 500 years old. Our palms had trouble with a few summer storms but those cypress trees have survived centuries of hurricanes! Granted, like a lot of old folks, the years have taken their toll and they look a little worse for wear. Hurricane winds may have blown away branches and pruned off tree tops, but they remain proudly standing in the swamp.

Perhaps the biggest reason these trees (cousins of the Redwoods) have survived so well is their unusual root structure. They have an extensive system of horizontal roots and woody conical bulges called “knees” that grow up from those roots. No matter how deep the water in the swamp, cypress knees protrude out of it in a fascinating variety of shapes and sizes. While there are a variety of hypotheses about these quirky swamp sculptures, it is commonly accepted that their unique root system is what gives these trees the extra stability needed to grow over 120 feet tall while standing in several feet of water and still survive centuries of storms and hurricanes. Their knees serve another, totally unrelated purpose in the swamp, as well. They serve as “nurseries” by providing a surface for smaller plants to take root and reach toward the sky.

The point is simple – we need a strong root system if we are going to survive the storms of life. With a firm faith foundation, while life may leave us a bit battered and bruised, like the bald cypress, we can remain upright and survive both temptation and troubles. Instead of knobby wooden knees, we have the word of God, prayer, our church family, and the Holy Spirit to keep us strong. With a foundation like that, doubt is replaced by belief, deceit by truth, worry by hope, and fear by trust. Moreover, just as the cypress knees nurture the ferns of the swamp, our faith examples can help inspire the faith of new believers. Remember, if we don’t stand firm in our faith, we won’t stand at all.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. [Colossians 2:7 (NLT)]

Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots. [Proverbs 12:3 (NLT)]

 

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November 2, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Peace of God, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Worry

SEEING THE SUNRISE

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. [Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)]

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [Romans 8:38 (NLT)]

morning dawn Since it was hot and rain had been promised later in the day, I went out walking in the wee small hours of the morning. The few street lights and full moon illuminated my way as God and I had our morning chat. My mind, however, wandered from comforting prayer to worrisome thoughts. We just had our annual physicals and, as often happens with people our age, something suspicious was found. Another test was done, the results are in and a specialist needs to be seen. In all likelihood, it is just a minor health issue, but my mind kept wandering into the area of “what if?” and the various dark scenarios that went along with the question.

Having just completed a couple of devotions on worry and fear for future postings, my own words convicted me of lack of faith. In spite of my well-meaning sincere writing, I allowed worry and fear to creep into my thoughts that morning. There are many ways the enemy tempts us—and it often has nothing to do with the obvious sins of greed, pride, lust, or envy. He subtly sneaks into our thoughts when we’re more concerned about tomorrow than trusting God to get us through today. Living in the land of “what if?” makes us vulnerable to his attacks of doubt, fear and worry.

Whether a minor medical issue (which it quite likely is) or a major medical problem, worry and fear won’t change it. I can’t alter the past nor can I influence the future diagnosis. I remembered that when God brought his people to the Red Sea, He provided them with a way to get across it; He will continue to do so for us today. If He doesn’t part the waters, He’ll provide a boat, give us the material for a bridge, or teach us to swim. Moreover, what we fear could be the sea just as easily can be a shallow puddle through which we can easily walk.

I looked up at the full moon as it was dipping to the west; at the same time, the morning light from the east began to paint the sky pink. For a brief moment, I could see both yesterday’s moon and tomorrow’s rising sun. While I can’t change yesterday and have no control over tomorrow, I do have control over my thoughts of this day. Seeing last night depart in the west and a new morning rise from the east, I chose to trust and have faith for today.

Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off. [Joyce Meyer]

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)]

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October 14, 2015

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Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE LIFE PRESERVER

And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house! [Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (TLB)]

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it. [Proverbs 22:6 (TLB)]

Kids don't float - FL3686WEBWhile walking on the beach last week, I saw a rack of life-vests. It was one of eleven such racks in our county’s free-of-charge loaner program: “Kid’s Don’t Float; Life Jackets Do!” Looking at those jackets made me think of a tragedy that occurred just a few days earlier on a beach in another county north of us, one that doesn’t have such a program. A nine-year old boy was playing in shallow water with his siblings when the wind gusted and what was described as a “freak” wave surged and knocked him over. The boy, who couldn’t swim, disappeared beneath the water and was swept away from shore. Nearly two days later his body was finally recovered.

Would a life vest program like our county’s have prevented this tragedy? Even if life jackets had been available, would he have worn one? We can only speculate as to whether knowing how to swim would have saved his life. The water was extremely choppy and even a strong swimmer would have had difficulty. Witnesses say the children were being properly supervised but that was not enough to protect this little boy. It was just a heart-breaking accident.

My sympathy and prayers go out to his family. Their tragedy, however, got me thinking about how easy it is for us all to think that children are safe or that we can protect them when really they’re not and we can’t. We lecture and supervise them and try to shield them from harm, poor choices, and the evil in our world but, short of keeping them in a bubble, it’s impossible. We have to let children make their way, not just at the beach, but in the treacherous waters they encounter every day in our troubled world. While we may not be able to prevent the rough seas, rip tides and undertows of life, we can do our best to equip youngsters to survive those hazards. Even more important than teaching them how to swim or insisting on a life vest, we must teach our children (and all the young people in our lives) God’s Word and raise them to know and love Jesus. We need to offer them more than a jacket made of nylon and foam to keep them from sinking under the schemes of the enemy. We need to show them how to use the best life preserver of all—the armor of God.

Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. … So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. [Ephesians 6:10-11,13-17 (TLB)]

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September 25, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, God's Plan, Obedience, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

WORDS OF WARNING

Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors did not obey your Law or listen to the warnings in your commands and laws. [Nehemiah 9:34 (NLT)]

WARNING -8042webAlthough I heard the rumble of thunder and saw flashes of lightening, they weren’t what woke me from a sound sleep at midnight—it was the klaxon-like sound coming from my cell phone. My foggy brain figured it to be a weather alert and, since I could already see there was a storm, I rolled over and went back to sleep. After checking my phone the following morning, I saw it had been a warning about flash floods in our area. While running errands later that day, I saw the damage left by the storm and understood why the warning had been sounded. Since I had been safely tucked into bed in a house set on high ground, ignoring the flood alert didn’t endanger me. If, however, that had been an alarm about a tornado, I might have regretted not looking at the message or heeding its words of caution.

It’s not just weather warnings that we tend to ignore. Every time a smoker lights up, he is ignoring clearly written warnings on his pack of cigarettes. Do we always slow down when we see those yellow signs warning of a sharp turn, poor road conditions or a hidden entrance? As many times as we women are advised to regularly check our breasts for suspicious lumps, most women I know don’t. We’re cautioned about the dangers of the sun and yet we use tanning booths rather than sun block. Every year, the commuter trains in our area are delayed because people have ignored the warning lights and bells at a railroad crossing and, even though the waiter warns us that the plate is extremely hot, we will touch it nearly every time.

The Bible is filled with warnings; in fact, the word “warn” and its variations appear 173 times in my NLT translation. Add words like “heed,” “beware,” and “be careful” and it is obvious that the Bible is filled with cautionary advice and admonishments. The Israelites failed to heed the various words of warning given them by Moses and the many prophets that followed him and we’re not much better when it comes to abiding by the cautionary words of the New Testament.

Let us never forget that words of warning are a blessing in disguise. Like the annoying weather alerts, they are there for our safety, protection and welfare. It is, however, our responsibility to listen to and abide by them.

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Ephesians 5:15-20 (NLT)]

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. [Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)]