Lead Us Not Into Temptation

We must understand that there is a difference between the temptation that is initiated by Satan and the tests and trials which God gives us.

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I recently read a story about someone who was trying to lose weight. He came into the office one day with 2 donuts. His co-workers asked him why he had bought them if he was trying to diet, and he answered, "Well, as I came to the corner where the donut shop was, I told God that if He wanted me to buy some donuts, He would find me a free parking space right in front of the door. And on the 8th time around the block, there it was! Ҭ

Temptation is something everyone wrestles with. Much of scripture is about humans succumbing to temptation and how God can save us from the tragic consequences, if we trust and obey Him. In the very first book in the Bible Adam and Eve were given one rule – not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As we know they were both tempted by the devil to go ahead and try it. The devil said, “Are you sure that’s what God meant? Did He really mean you couldn’t eat from the tree. You surely won’t die. Look how beautiful it is and think about how wonderful it must taste.” 

Jesus Himself was tempted by the devil while in the wilderness. Being hungry after forty days of fasting the devil tempted Him to turn some stones into bread. He resisted the temptation by using scripture. He used Deuteronomy 8 verse 3: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’  When the devil tempted Him to do something supernatural for show, by throwing Himself off the highest point of the temple, he answered with Deuteronomy 6 verse 16: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' Lastly, when the devil tempted Jesus by telling Him, He could have all the kingdoms of the world if He worshipped him, Jesus replied with Deuteronomy 6 verse 13: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ 

There are two sources of temptation. The first one is ourselves Jeremiah 17:9 says: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things… Who can understand it.’ The heart has an unlimited capacity for wickedness and deceit which we are incapable of dealing with in our own strength. James 1:14-15 says, ‘Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.' Even Paul wrestled with how the ‘old self’ kept rising to the surface. He wrote in Romans 7 that he was exasperated by doing the things he didn’t want to do and not doing the things he wanted to do. He concluded with these words: ‘24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!’ 

How many of us have felt like this. I know I have. Jesus’s death on the cross means we can ask for forgiveness every time we mess up but God would rather we didn’t sin at all. That’s why he tells us to pray not to be led into temptation. It is a prayer against being in a place where we could be sucked into the temptation. We are not asking to be protected when we are actually living a sinful life but to be protected from entering into one. For example, we are not asking to be protected when we are taking drugs but we are asking for protection from taking them. We are not asking to be protected from the consequences of our sinful acts, but to be protected from deciding to act sinfully in the first place. Temptation itself is not a sin, indeed, as mentioned before, Jesus was tempted but he never sinned, no, giving in to temptation is the sin. The Bible says that God always gives us a way out when we are tempted, so we have no excuse, 1 Corinthians 10 :13 says: ‘He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.’ 

The second source of temptation comes from the devil. He is the great deceiver.  He knows exactly what to do to knock us off our feet. He knows how much money will cause someone to consider a dodgy deal or what plausible reason to give someone for not telling the truth. He knows exactly where our weaknesses lie and how to get our attention.

We must understand that there is a difference between the temptation that is initiated by Satan and the tests and trials which God gives us.  God never induces anyone to participate in that which is sinful and destructive. When God places a trial on us, he does so to teach us something and bring out the good rather than the bad. When Satan tempts us or puts some obstacle in front of us, he means it to create mayhem and disharmony and to lead us into something harmful. In James 1:2 it says: ’Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.’ Jesus teaches us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil” so that we can come out victorious in our trials and tribulations. When we pray these words, we are praying for guidance and discernment. We are praying for the strength to resist temptations from our own will and especially from the wiles of the devil, whose whole reason to live is to tempt us into wrong doing and to sow doubt and fear into our lives.

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Temptation will be a part of our experience as long as we live. So how can we can withstand the snares of our own deceitful hearts and the destructive ways of the devil? We must recognise God’s sovereignty. ‘Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.’ Everything that is in the earth and above it belongs to God. God is our greatest defence in the time of temptation. We must rely on Him for power to overcome. We must remember that Satan is not all powerful. He has limited power compared to God. He can’t make us do anything. We can learn scripture verses to quote and give us strength in times of trial. We must be aware of our own personal weaknesses, which will induce us to seek God’s help. We should never be over confident that we are able to resist temptation in our own strength. 1 Corinthians10:12 says: ‘So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!’ We must hunger after righteousness and hate sin. We must put on the armour of God. Ephesians 6:11 says: ‘Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.’

This is what Charles Spurgeon says on the subject: “If you will tell me when God permits a Christian to lay aside his armour, I will tell you when Satan has left off temptation. Like the old knights in war time, we must sleep with helmet and breastplate buckled on, for the arch-deceiver will seize our first unguarded hour to make us his prey. The Lord keep us watchful in all seasons, and give us a final escape from the jaw of the lion and the paw of the bear.“  

We should pray daily ‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’ By doing this we are praying for God to lead us away and steer us away from temptation and take us where He wants us to go, into the paths of righteousness and deliver us from the one who would destroy our soul.

Lord, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Let us turn to your word whenever we are tempted. Lord, you are our fortress and our deliverer. Give us the strength to resist the lures of sin and to walk in righteousness. Help us Lord to take the way out you provide for us before temptation turns to sin and causes harm to ourselves and others. Lord we are weak and prone to temptation. Keep us safe from the attacks of the enemy and help us to overcome them. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Author: Thelma Cameron

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Telling the Story

People are tempted these days to rely on the `authorities` to pass on the truths and practices to their children.

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Recently my son took me to the theatre to watch a show called 'Come from Away.' It was his birthday gift to me.  The story of 'Come from Away' tells a story I had never before been aware of. It is a true-life story of what happened at Gander Airport Newfoundland, Canada on 9th September 2001 when terrorists destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York, and all flights incoming to America`s N/E coast  were immediately grounded. 

On that day 38 flights were directed to land at Gander Airport and all passengers were kept there for 5 days. At that time Gander had a population of 7,651 and had to accommodate 6,800 passengers and crew. As there was insufficient hotel accommodation available, temporary accommodation was set up in various places around the town, and the townsfolk had to look after and feed them. (there is too much to go into here but look it up its an amazing story of human kindness, adaptably and endurance towards complete strangers) And if you ever get the chance go and watch the show do, it was truly amazingly poignant and uplifting.

 But that is not the subject of my blog. It was the conversation on the way home with my son that prompted me to write this blog. We were talking about the horrendous events of 9/11 and our memories of it. My children were 12 and 9 at the time, and I made the decision to let them watch the events on TV with me so I could support them through that awful day.

 But during the chat on the way home from the show, we were both conscious that there was now a whole generation of adults who would not have experience that day. My son also mentioned another day that was momentous to him – the day Princess Diana died. He shared how watching prince William and Harry’s reaction during the funeral procession, and how it had affected him, as he was around a similar age to Harry. We again talked about how there is a whole generation of people who have no memory of the 9/11 event or the death of princess Diana. 

This got me thinking of the scripture in Psalm 145 V6-8 “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts: let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic glorious splendour and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue and I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness and they will sing with joy about your righteousness” (NLT)    

It is so important to share with our families the truths God has revealed to us. To share how we came to know Jesus and why it is so important to know who Jesus is and what He has done for every one of us.  To share Gods word with them and to explain the word to them, sharing the Goodness of God and His love to each and every one of us. I know this may sound obvious but sometimes when we bring up children in Christian households, we can be tempted to think they pick up the gospel by osmosis. By the way we live and what we do, by taking them to church each Sunday and by sending them to Sunday school and youth meetings. These things are all good, but its our testimony and daily sharing of the love of God that will be imprinted on their lives. The stories we pass on of what the Lord has done in OUR own lives as well as the stories from the Bible that is what will remain with them as they grow. 

People are tempted these days to rely on the `authorities` to pass on the truths and practices to their children. Many parents today rely on schools to educate their children in discipline, good behaviour, sex education, morals and sometimes even religious education. But for us who know the truth of God we cannot be tempted to do that. Gods word clearly says that each generation of people who know you as their Lord and Saviour should tell their children of your mighty acts! The Psalmist

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Asaph goes even further in Psalm 78 v 4-7 he says “We will not hide these truths from our children, we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His mighty acts. For He issued His laws to Jacob; He gave His instruction to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them – even the children not yet born and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God nor forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands” (NLT)

I am so glad that I saw that show last night, for now I know the wonderful story of a town’s generosity and sacrifice to people they didn’t know and the difference/ change to some of the lives of those people because of the actions of the townspeople. I feel enriched by this being revealed to me. But how much greater is the story we have of the God who was so generous He gave us a code to live by and guidelines for a righteous and fruitful life, who provides all we need and furthermore sacrificed His own Son at great personal cost so that we might be saved, healed, blessed and secure in Him for the rest of our lives and for eternity. 

What if no one had shared that with me? What if it had been left to my parents, who did not know the Lord, to pass on their experience to me. The word shows us that we not only have the responsibility to pass the truth on to our own children, but to all children (even adult children who have never heard the truth from their own parents).  What an amazing task we are directed to carry out from the Lord.

So, we should be encouraged today to share the truth with our families, its not our responsibility if they will not receive it, but it is our responsibility to share the word and live the word before them. Also, we need to share that with other children we come into contact with when we can, in a respectful way. We should also pray for those that run Sunday Schools, Church Youth groups or Youth outreach and for those working in schools to share the stories of the love of the Lord. 

Lord - help me today to be an enlightener to the children and the adults (Your older children) we know or meet. To share with the next generation, to enable Your truth to be perpetuated from generation to generation. 

Author: Jan Pearson

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Courage

We have many fine examples of courage from history, but ultimately the eyes of believers look to our Lord Jesus Christ.

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We recently watched a documentary about the late Queen mother who lived through the entire 20th century. As a young lady she was involved in nursing the casualties from the First World War. Later in 1936 she became queen consort and supported her husband, king George VI as Europe descended into the Second World War. She was offered a safe passage to Canada with her two young daughters to escape the war; but resolutely determined to ‘get stuck in’ and encourage the British public.

I admire someone who will stand their ground when they firmly believe that this is the right and proper thing to do.  I am not always proud of my performance but we must press on and try to learn from our mistakes and from scripture.

The account of Shammah in the old testament is an outstanding example of courage, it is found in 2 Samuel 23:11-12  And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.  But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

Briefly I would like to look at:

Courage and competence

Courage and cowardice

Courage and the crowd

We find this warrior contending against the enemy, at first fighting alongside his brothers but as the battle grows severe he is abandoned and left to fight alone. Was he the most experienced fighter or did he have superior weapons or did he have a courageous heart? We don't know the detail but God's word records that he stood his ground and was victorious.

 

Courage and competence

We don't know how long Shammah had fought alongside David as part of David's outfit or the detail of his background, his training as a young man. But he had risen through the ranks to become one of David's bodyguards, a highly respected position. I would imagine that today he would be an SAS trainer!! There would be regular military training as well as sharing precious fellowship with king David.

 

Courage and cowardice

When Moses was instructing the Israelites as they prepared to enter the promised land, he commanded that soldiers overcome by fear should return home, because they would discourage their brothers. Here is a portion of the teaching in Deuteronomy 20: When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. … Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” I would imagine that there is some fear in every soldier who is facing a formidable enemy. Each one must face that internal battle with fear. If Shammah had allowed fear to overcome then he would have to be dismissed from the bodyguard and from the ranks of the mighty men. But he consistently demonstrated courage and doubtless strengthened many young men.

Courage and the crowd 

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We have many fine examples of courage from history, but ultimately the eyes of believers look to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Philippians 2:6-8 we read:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

His lentil field was the ‘will of His Father’. He was prepared to lay down everything to live and die in that place. Nobody else has been called: ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. No one has had to endure such opposition and resist such great temptation. And when all deserted him, He was victorious.

Author: Richard Windridge

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Whose Way?

Jesus doesn’t say, “I am a way,” but rather, “I am the way.” He is the only way.

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Chuck Swindoll, when illustrating doing things our own way, tells the story of his youngest son, when he was about 4 or 5 years old. He would constantly get a knot in his shoe laces and then try to get it out.  Every time, he thought that by pulling it tighter and tighter, he would get rid of the knot but instead it made it far worse. His father, Dr. Swindoll, would tell him over and over again that it would be much easier for his dad to undo the knot if he just left it as it was, instead of making it almost impossible and extremely time consuming but his son continued, time after time, to try to solve the problem his way with no success. 

When it comes to the more serious scenarios, insisting on doing things our way, can be disastrous. Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, its end is the way of death”

A survey showed that the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra was one of the most requested song at funerals in the UK. Some of the words go like this:

‘I planned each charted course; each careful step along the byway. But more, much more than this, I did it my way. (Chorus) Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew when I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; And did it my way.’

Sadly, we live in an age where we are constantly told we have the right to do things our own way.  However, this is in stark contrast to the biblical truth. The bible tells us that if we go our own way it will end in disaster. We can quote numerous examples of people in the Bible doing things their own way and making a complete mess of it. Cain made the wrong offering and God rejected him and his offering. The people built the tower of Babel and God had to scatter them and confuse their languages. Abraham listened to Sarah and did things her way instead of God’s way and had a child with her servant Hagar, which caused unending problems. Judas did it his way and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and ended up killing himself. There are, of course many more examples.

We know from our history how things turned out with narcissistic, dictatorial rulers, like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Napoleon, who spent their lives doing things their own way and caused disaster for themselves and more importantly for the people they were meant to serve.

Jesus said in John 14:6: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ 

Being the only way is not politically correct these days but it is biblically correct. 

Jesus doesn’t say, “I am a way,” but rather, “I am the way.” He is the only way. A.W. Tozer said: “Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way.”

Jesus is very inclusive. Everyone is invited to a relationship with Him.  He says in John 6:37 “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”  But the way to that relationship is exclusive. He is the only way. In Acts 4:12 Peter says: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus made it clear that the way is narrow. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

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The statement that Jesus is the only way created a lot of resentment among the Jews in Biblical times. People, today can describe Christians as arrogant to believe Jesus is the only way and this can cause problems when trying to witness. Unfortunately, there are even Christians today, who themselves believe there is more than one way to heaven. I recently read about a survey in America of 1000 Christians, in which 52% believed that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. 57% believed that other religions also lead to eternal life. 12% of pastors agree with these views. This is indeed tragic!! How can Christians tell others of the truth if they believe there are other truths?

Jesus being the only way was so central to the understanding of the early church that believers were known as being part of “the way.” It’s one of the earliest names given to the Christian community and is mentioned six different times in Acts. The Greek word for "way" is "hodos," which means a road, a journey, or a path. When Jesus declares Himself as the "way," He is saying that He is the pathway to God, the journey to eternal life. There are so many different pathways and journeys in this world but Jesus stands as the one true way. He is the only way. Jesus is the way to God because He is God.

He doesn’t promise us a life without difficulties or material wealth or worldly success but a life that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We have to let go of our own plans and desires and embrace God's will for our lives. We have to trust in Jesus, for every aspect of our lives. As it says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

We all have two options. We can choose to do things our way which will lead to death or the way which leads to life. 

I don’t want to have the song: “I did it my way” at my funeral. I want to be known as someone that chose to live their life following Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.

Father in heaven, who sent your only Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sin, show us how to honour you and bring glory to Your Name, by walking in the way of Jesus. Have mercy on us and bring us back if we wander from your pathway, give us guidance when we are not sure which way to go and give us wisdom to trust you in all things. Amen

Author: Thelma Cameron

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Speak Life

The tongue can bring happiness, support, mercy or pain, tears, disappointment, destruction and even death.

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On the morning of February 24, 2022, we woke up to the sounds of explosions. It was the beginning of a bloody war in Ukraine.

Very quickly cruise missiles began to fly over our town, one of them flew right over our house. This type of weapon is terrible, it carries death and great destruction. Explosions, shots, the sounds of the enemy’s helicopters and rockets left no choice, I decided to save the lives of my children. We left our town and a short time later Ukraine. However, my country and the pain of my people is always in my heart.

Despite all the drama of the events, God remained faithful, He led us through incredible paths and blessed us a lot. Now, two and a half years later, we live in a peaceful England. Our house is near the airport and every day we hear passenger planes take off and land. It's loud but not scary, and it doesn't make you run and seek shelter.

Unlike cruise missiles, airplanes are not meant to kill, they give the opportunity to travel, to see the world, to visit relatives or friends, etc.  Although there is something else they have in common. Cruise missiles, like airplanes, have an engine. This is a relatively small part of the structure, but it has a huge potential. 

In the message of James (3:4-10) it says about a small member of our body that also has a huge potential. It’s our tongue, also a kind of engine that is capable of great things. The tongue can bring happiness, support, healing, mercy or pain, tears, disappointment, destruction and even death.

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Every time we prove ourselves right no matter what, when we express our resentment or dissatisfaction using words as sharp as a knife, when we express our accumulated negative emotions by splashing them like dirty slop, when we want to remain in the centre of attention and do not disdain dark humour, addressing it to our neighbours, do we feel true satisfaction, relief, joy, or on the contrary, do we feel something unpleasant, some kind of loss, emptiness or sadness? It's our decision how we use our tongue.

If we are true children of our Heavenly Father, then let’s seek first of all His wisdom, which is pure and merciful, let’s bless each other with our tongues and let’s sow the fruit of truth and peace.

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Author: Alla Hunt

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