A Struggle...

I don't know about you, but I hate it when I feel like I have really grown spiritually in an area, or feel as if I am seeing victory over an area of sin in my life, only to find myself jumping back into the same sin. Do you ever have that problem? Have you ever experienced this? Tonight I experienced this and I am outright confessing it to anyone who reads this blog.

Tonight I really got a glimpse of what sin is; it is us telling God no, and doing what we want to do, even if we know that it is wrong. It is flat out, wanton disobedience. That is sin. Yes, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to stop or to turn away, but I did not listen. I was blatantly disobedient to God and I confess this disobedience. Sin is so disgusting and it messes us up so easily. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 10:12, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (NKJV)

I am thankful though for the promise of forgiveness found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV)

The temptation to sin comes in all shapes, sizes, forms, and functions, and the enemy is good at packaging the temptation in a deceptive manner. At other times though, in our weak moments, the temptation comes straight at us and we give in without much of a fight. Please pray for myself and for all of your friends as well though, for strength to stand against the temptations that come our way.

May we all take the words of the author of Hebrews to heart and "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us , and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV).

Do Not Back Down

Okay, just a precursor to this video. First of all, I know that this video was made for a group of women, and directed towards women, but what Beth Moore has to say in this video applies to everyone! Please take this to heart and my prayer request would be that you pray for me in this area as well. Please pray for me to have patience and to not lose heart, because it is so very easy to do. Enjoy.

Siesta Video Message from LPV on Vimeo.

Wisdom

"Obtaining spiritual wisdom isn't a once-a-week hobby, it is the daily discipline of a lifetime. But in this age of microwave ovens, fast foods, digests, and numerous 'made easy' books, many people are out of the habit of daily investing time and energy in digging deep into Scripture and learning wisdom from the Lord. Thanks to television, their attention span is brief; thanks to religious entertainment that passes for worship, their spiritual appetite is feeble and spiritual knowledge isn't 'pleasant to [their] soul'(Prov. 2:10). It's no wonder fewer and fewer people 'take time to be holy' and more and more people fall prey to the enemies that lurk along the way."
--Warren W. Wiersbe

James 1

Read it! There's a lot there, and when you break it down and look at all the pieces that start to come together in this chapter, it is amazing. I am teaching on this chapter tomorrow, actually today, now that I remembered what time it is, in Sunday school. I will not be able to do this chapter justice, as the depths one can go are enormous.

There is so much here.

1. Consider it a joy when you go through trials, because they test your faith and produce endurance. Endurance, then brings about spiritual maturity.
2. If you persevere under trials, once you are approved you will receive the crown of life. You will have the abundant life here on earth as well as in heaven.
3. God does not tempt you. You are tempted when you are carried away and enticed by your own lusts. God does not tempt, but He will test. There is a difference. Do you know what it is?
4. Everything from God is good and perfect. This never changes because God never changes. He is forever the same.
5. Look into the mirror of Scripture and examine yourself. See where you stand. Is the word of God convicting you of an area of sin? Then cast it aside. Be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.
6. Ask God to give you wisdom so that you may be able to discern the things that come your way in life.

Almost each one of these points can be turned into a sermon real quickly.

Why do we need to ask God for wisdom? Because the enemy will try and deceive you any chance he can get. James tells us to not be deceived. If you want to be able to discern what is a trial, test, or temptation, you NEED God's wisdom. So ask Him for His wisdom.

So what is the difference between temptation and testing? Temptation is meant for destruction. Testing is meant for sanctification. When God tests us, He is growing us, molding us, making us more like Christ.

Exhort one another daily and pray for one another daily so that we may be able to discern when we are being tempted.