The Battle Is On… – TEMPTATION [10]

December 8, 2015February 3, 2016buildafoundation Leave a comment

The battle for our minds, our thoughts and decisions, is constantly raging. Should we give ourselves to the ways of the world, or the ways of God? Realizing there is a battle going on is step one. It’s also important to recognize that temptation is one of the weapons used in the battle.

In the last two posts I gave examples of opposing responses to temptation.

Joseph who resisted the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife, see post — Resisting the Desire to Fulfill Our Physical Pleasures??? – TEMPTATION [8] – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-zv, and King David who gave into his sexual temptation, see post — HEADLINES – Man Falls Head Over Heels… – TEMPTATION [9] – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-zM.

Other examples from the Bible illustrating opposing responses to temptation are…

Example of temptation for everything we see…

Eve’s temptation by Satan, the serpent – Genesis 3 – gave into temptation

RH-EveTemptation2

Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness – Matthew 4:1-11 – resisted temptation

j. denies satan

Example of temptation because of our achievements/possessions.

Ananias and Sapphira who claimed they gave all the profits from the sale of property, but actually withheld some – Acts 5:1-10 – gave into temptation

annais and sapphira

with widow’s offering at the temple, selflessly giving all the money she had – Mark 12:41-44 – resisted temptation

widows offering

These are just a couple of examples, from the Bible, of people who were and were not able to resist temptation. I bet you can think of some opposing responses to temptation from your own life. A time when either you, or someone you know, has been faced with temptation and has either been able to resist it, or gave into the temptation they faced.

It seems as though as soon as we wake up in the morning we are faced with having to make one decision after another.

decisions-460px1

Some decisions are easy to discern and respond to, while others seem to stir up a battle within our consciences.

Quick-Decision-Making

James, in the Book of James, gives some insight into those who experienced, or will experience temptation. He says,

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. And remember, when (not if, my addition) you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. – James 1:12-15

Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, we are faced with temptation everyday and throughout our day. Sometimes we succumb to temptation, and sometimes we resist temptation.

What is it then, as the old adage says that “separates the men from the boys”? Why are some people able to resist temptation while others struggle?

See my next post, Does God Tempt People?? – TEMPTATION [11] – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-Aa to see who or what tempts us…

** FOR MORE ON TEMPTATION SEE MY OTHER POSTS BELOW **

HEADLINES – Man Falls Head Over Heels… – TEMPTATION [9], http://wp.me/p5nZpi-zM

Does God Tempt People?? – TEMPTATION [11] – http://wp.me/p5nZpi-Aa

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A great resource for Bible verses, Bible Topics, Commentaries, etc. – http://www.BibleGateway.com

All My “Creds” are Garbage??? – Joy in Believing – PHILIPPIANS (Chapter 3b) [9]

June 16, 2015July 9, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

I ended the last post, Yeah, but I’ve Got the “Creds”!! – Joy in Believing – PHILIPPIANS (Chapter 3a) [8], http://wp.me/p5nZpi-sk, with a seemingly hopeless statement from Paul as he reflected on his academic and religious accomplishments.

He said, “I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him”… – Phil. 3:7-9a

Although it seems like Paul is throwing “everything” away,

this isn’t exactly the case.

It wasn’t a matter of Paul suddenly forgetting all his education, his knowledge, his upbringing. No, it was Paul’s realization that no matter what he did, or how “religious” he was, he could never “earn” himself a spot in heaven.

What he believed caused him to take matters into his own hands. Caused him to imprison and attack Christ-followers in the name of God. Caused him to judge, and force people to follow what he believed to be correct. A dangerous approach, if you ask me. However, isn’t it easy to find ourselves falling into that same pattern. “I know what’s better for you…”

Throughout his life, Paul, was relying on himself. He truly wanted to please God. He truly wanted all people to follow God. He believed that through knowledge and will-power he would be able to follow the “law”, and therefore be considered righteous in God’s eyes. However, The law simply shows us how sinful we are. – Romans 3:20 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. – James 2:10

Do you remember Paul’s message to the Corinthians – If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. – 1 Corinthians 13:33

What a change in Paul’s approach!! He retained his knowledge, education, and upbringing so he could teach, but instead of coming at people with an iron fist,

he came from a position of love.

WHAT CAUSED THIS SEISMIC SHIFT?

Let’s look again at verse 9, and add in the second half of the verse.

“I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” – Philippians 3:9b

FAITH? FAITH IN WHAT?

< Faith in “Creds”? or Faith in Christ? – Joy in Believing – PHILIPPIANS (Chapter 3) [10], http://wp.me/p5nZpi-t9 >

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Are ALL People Children of God??? – (Part 1 of 3)

May 22, 2015June 2, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

This question, Are all people children of God?, has been on my mind for the past few weeks. This flame was fanned by the current sermon series being taught at the church we attend.

Because I disagreed with what the preacher was teaching, all people are children of God, and all people are adopted sons and daughters of God, I decided to do some digging in the Scriptures, they (the Bereans) received the Word (Scriptures) with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. – Acts 17:11

Below is a brief summary of the first two weeks of the message series.

In week 1 of the series,

The preacher said that Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians to remind the Ephesian Christ-followers, and us, about their identity.

He proceeded to quote from Ephesians 1:3-6 – All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

He proceeded by saying, “As Christ-followers our primary identity is not built on something we do, but on something that has already been done. Through Jesus Christ, you’ve been adopted as God’s son, as God’s daughter. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD.”

[The message seemed ok, to this point, but further along in the message…]

The preacher said, “You are so much more than the labels that you might be wearing (some examples of labels – mom, businessman, electrician, not smart, weak, 4 eyes, etc.) you don’t have to find your identity in those things anymore. It is possible to step away from the competition and comparing to discover the truth of who you are. And this is that truth, YOU ARE GOD’S ADOPTED SON, YOU ARE GOD’S ADOPTED DAUGHTER. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. That is your primary identity.”

[So that’s that? I simply need to realize that there is more to me than my labels?]

In week 2 of the series,

The preacher’s message again was, “We are first and foremost children of God, members of God’s family. I am God’s child, you are God’s child. That is the identity that defines us.”

He then quoted Galatians 3:28 – There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus, and says, “Instead, of looking at someone as male or female, black or white, rich or poor, young or old, look at them as your brother, or your sister.”

[Sounds like a nice enough message.]

**But is it possible that the preacher is downplaying, or simply choosing to ignore ALL that the scripture is saying.**

IS THE PRONOUNCEMENT THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN ACCURATE ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE??

My response is No!!

Are ALL People Children of God??? – (Part 2) http://wp.me/p5nZpi-pI

Response to Reader’s Comment – Are All People Children of God??? (Part 2) http://wp.me/p5nZpi-ro

Are ALL People Children of God??? – (Part 3 of 3) http://wp.me/p5nZpi-rg

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My Attitude!! My Rights!! – Joy in Serving – PHILIPPIANS (Chapter 2b) [5]

May 8, 2015May 18, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

We had talked about God’s counter-intuitive ways for people to experience joy in the posts, “I Just Wanna Be Happy!!”, http://wp.me/p5nZpi-kK. In Phil. 2:5, we see Paul is revealing to the Philippians another tip to experiencing joy in serving. He says, You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

WHAT WAS JESUS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD SERVING?

He humbled Himself, not clinging to His rights as God, and taking the form of a servant. – v.6-7 Mark, in Mark 10:44-45, puts it this way – whoever wants to be first among you must be the servant of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others.

IS GOD’S ATTITUDE DIFFERENT FROM THE “WORLD’S” ATTITUDE?

I think the answer would be a definite YES!!

As I think about the way schools, businesses, and various organizations measure success and HAPPINESS, it seems that the world connects success and HAPPINESS with personal achievement.

Whereas, when we look at the counter-intuitive teaching of Jesus, He encourages people to look for ways to be a blessing to others, connecting service with success and JOY.

YEAH, BUT WHAT ABOUT MY RIGHTS? WHAT I DESERVE?

Remember from v.6, Jesus did not cling to His rights as God.

Here are a couple of examples of our “rights” —

“I can have an abortion. It’s my body, and I have a “right” to decide what I want to do.”
“I worked hard to earn my money. I have the “right” to keep it all for myself.”
“I work hard for my grades in school. I have the “right” to be recognized and rewarded for my efforts.”

WHAT DO OUR RIGHTS HAVE TO DO WITH SERVICE?

Because of our sinful natures, our natural tendency is to choose what we want, our will, verses God’s will. Our first reaction is self-preservation – me, me, me.

In Philippians 2:6-7, Paul is bringing to our attention that the world’s road to glory, fulfillment, success, happiness, etc., is nothing more than an illusion. Nothing more than a carrot dangling ahead of us, tempting us, and leading us to believe that if we catch it, then we’ll finally be HAPPY.

Paul describes Jesus’ preparation for service in Phil. 2:7, He made himself nothing, He emptied Himself, He took the humble position of a bond servant, and appeared in human form.

Jesus was now subject to “human” experiences. To pain, to temptation, to rules, to His parents, and most importantly, He was dependent on God.

I take a moment to note that Jesus, in choosing to humble Himself, to voluntarily take on the form of a human, in no way changed the fact that He continued to be God.

The fact that Jesus continued to be God, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin, Hebrews 4:15, is encouraging to me. It demonstrates I am not being forced to serve, or forced to depend on God. I choose to empty myself. I choose to serve. I choose to depend on God. Also, in making those choices I will not lose who I am, my personality, the characteristics that make me, me. No, instead I am accepting an opportunity to experience JOY.

Keep in mind that Jesus did not lose who He was, God. In the same way, as I mentioned above, we don’t lose who we are either. And who are we? Sinners!! – For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard – Romans 3:23

It’s because we’re sinners that we so desperately need a leader. We need to follow someone who has faced all of the same testings we do, yet did not sin – Hebrews 4:15. Someone who knows the way to JOY, and wants to help us experience JOY in our lives.

WHO SHOULD WE FOLLOW?

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Are Angels and God the Same Thing??? – ANGELS [3]

March 2, 2015March 6, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19

————————————

Angel followers??

Back in the 1960’s a New Age movement began calling itself, “the Age of Aquarius”. Along with this movement came angel followers. The leaders of the movement led people to believe that angels could see all , hear all, and know all.

Ummm, do those characteristics that sound familiar to you? Perhaps, similar to all powerful (omnipotent), all present (omnipresent), all knowing (omniscience)?

Perhaps they sound like characteristics used to describe God?

So the New Age Movement was basically saying that angels were God???

The angels of the Age of Aquarius were thought to be either messengers of God, or spirits of deceased humans who could impart learning and understanding from “the other side” on us “earthlings”. They watch over every aspect of our lives, and death, everything. They loved us. Ummm…

Does this sound just a little bit too good to be true? Maybe so, but is sure sounds appealing.

Wouldn’t it be great if someone did love you that much? Watched over you. Cared about every aspect of your life. That nothing was too big or too small for them to deal with.

In fact, they would welcome the opportunity to help you. They would want to communicate all their knowledge freely to you, no strings attached. They would be willing to guide, protect, and direct you. That they would give you a “guide-book” to help you navigate through life as an “earthling”.

If you were thinking as you read, “Hey, we do have someone who promises to do all those things”. You’re correct, we do. But it’s not angels, it’s GOD, the creator of everything, including angels.

Keep in mind, that the “created” will never see more, hear more, or know more than the one who created it

So are angels real, or are just another made-up human idea seeking to fill the void God has put in hearts each one of us?

As you may know, angels (and demons) are mentioned in the Bible, and it is from this source that we will be learning about them. Not from unstable, unfounded speculation or superstitions, but from the stable and trusted Word of God.

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No One is Good?? Not Even One Person??

February 3, 2015March 18, 2015buildafoundation Leave a comment

ALL people are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “NO ONE is good — not even one. NO ONE has real understanding; NO ONE is seeking God. All have turned away from God; ALL have gone wrong.“

For NO ONE can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight — NOT by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.

We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we ALL can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For ALL have sinned; ALL fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us NOT guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for OUR sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal

IS NOT based on our good deeds. IT IS BASED ON OUR FAITH.

So we are made right with God through faith AND NOT by obeying the law.

There is only one God, and there is only one way of being accepted by him. He makes people right with himself ONLY BY FAITH, whether they are Jews or Gentiles (any one other than a Jew)

Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. – Romans 3:9-31

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