Participants: Doug Batchelor
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000970
|
01:01 First Peter Chapter 5 verse 8.
01:05 First Peter 5 verse 8, 01:08 "Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary 01:13 the devil walks about like a roaring lion, 01:19 seeking whom he may devour. 01:22 Resist him, steadfast,' 01:26 we talked about standing this morning, take a stand. 01:29 'Resist him, steadfast in the faith, 01:32 knowing that the same sufferings 01:33 are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." 01:39 Well, I would like to talk to you a little bit 01:40 this afternoon about some practical tips 01:44 in dealing with temptation. 01:47 Now we are all tempted. 01:50 If any one here says, well, 01:52 I don't really struggle with temptation, 01:54 that would really concern me, because, you know, 01:56 that really says is that 02:00 you are worst often than you think. 02:03 If you try to live the holy life, 02:06 you are swimming against the stream. 02:09 You are swimming against the current, 02:11 you are going to feel that resistance. 02:13 If you are just flowing downstream with the tide 02:17 then you say I don't, I don't notice any problem, 02:20 that's probably because you are giving 02:21 into temptation you just don't feel anything. 02:24 But if you resist temptation, you are gonna notice, 02:29 if you struggle with temptation, 02:30 you are gonna notice as a battle. 02:33 It's a battle that even Jesus faced 02:35 and it wasn't just once or twice 02:36 but through His life 02:37 Christ was tempted the Bible tells us, 02:40 in all points as we are yet without sin, 02:45 and the tools that Jesus used 02:49 are available to you and me. 02:51 A hundred percent of everything in the tool box 02:54 that Christ used to resist temptation 02:56 is available to you and me. 02:58 He did not gain victory over sin, 03:01 because He drew upon a supernatural power 03:04 that is non-available to us. 03:08 You know, the Bible gives us many samples of people, 03:12 who have overcome, 03:14 and you want to make sure they are your heroes. 03:17 And typically when we go through the Bible 03:18 we talk about the... we'll say well, you know, 03:21 we are all weaken, after all look at David, 03:22 and, you know, I can talk all day long 03:24 about people who have failed. 03:26 We need to focus on some of those who succeeded. 03:29 We all know how to fail already, right? 03:32 We need to know how do we succeed, 03:34 how do we get the victory? 03:35 Let me give you another verse in 1st Peter chapter 1. 03:45 It tells us about the tools that are available to us. 03:56 It says that there are exceeding, 03:59 oh! I said 1st Peter, no wonder I mixed up. 04:01 It's in 2nd Peter Chapter 1 verse 3 and 4 I apologize. 04:07 "According to His divine power, 04:10 He has given unto us all things''. How much? 04:14 ''All things that pertain unto living His holy life 04:19 unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him 04:22 that has called us to glory and to virtue." 04:25 He has called us to virtue. 04:27 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great, 04:30 not just great but exceeding great, 04:32 not just great and exceeding great 04:33 but exceeding great and precious promises that how? 04:39 By these 04:40 "you might be partakers of the divine nature, 04:44 having escaped the corruption 04:46 that is in the world through lust." 04:49 Through the word of God you and I have the privilege 04:52 and the right 04:53 to be partakers of the divine nature 04:55 and we can escape the corruption 04:58 that is in the world through lust, yes you can. 05:01 Now what I'm sharing with you right now 05:04 is really whether rubber meets the road 05:05 and it's so exceedingly important 05:07 and I knew when I looked at the clock 05:09 that I'd be sharing this information 05:10 after you all have lunch on a beautiful day, 05:14 that there was the very real risk 05:17 that you could drift off and you could go into your, 05:20 you know, rapid eye movements. 05:24 So if you love your brother, every now 05:26 and then I want you to look to your right, 05:28 and I want you to give a sanctified elbow. 05:33 And say, "Brother I need this and you need this too." 05:39 All right, so we're gonna talk about some of the tips 05:42 that are given in the Bible 05:43 about how to resist temptation, 05:45 how to be victorious. 05:46 And by the way, I'm not saying this 05:48 because I have arrived, 05:49 I'm sharing these things with you 05:51 as one of you believe me, 05:53 I have stumbled and fallen plenty. 05:56 And so I'm right in there with you, 05:58 but I found that these things work 06:00 and so when you find something that works, 06:02 you want to share with somebody else. 06:04 Two nights ago, I was with John Lomacang, 06:07 and we did a live program on 3ABN, 06:09 and they get the studio so cold, 06:11 they keep because of all the lights 06:12 and the camera equipment, all generates heat. 06:14 And I said John, you know, the older I get, 06:15 is my feet get so cold during this tapings. 06:19 And that's why I started wearing boots. 06:21 That adds about half an inch or inch to me. 06:25 But it really keeps my ankles, 06:27 he said, Doug, you know, I wear three socks. 06:30 I said what? He said, yeah, I wear three pairs of socks. 06:32 I said three? Yes, started doing 06:33 when playing basketball, now even when I dress up 06:35 I wear three pairs of dress socks. 06:37 I said John, I've known you for 25 years, 06:39 why didn't you ever tell me that? 06:41 So, as I was asking then, 06:42 he probably buys his shoes, his size is bigger too. 06:45 But any tip that helps a person to be successful 06:50 is the precious thing especially 06:53 when we are all in this battle together Amen! 06:55 So it's just some things I have found 06:57 that have helped me and by the way 06:58 what I'm sharing with you, this is, you know, 07:00 little more of the seminar. 07:02 There is a booklet 07:03 that you can simply download for free. 07:06 In other words the syllabus 07:07 for what I am sharing with you. 07:09 I'm giving you is kind of the expanded version, 07:11 it's called " Twelve Tips to Overcoming Temptation" 07:14 or "Twelve Tips to Resisting Temptation" 07:17 and you just and you download that for free 07:19 at Amazing Facts under the free library. 07:22 First thing to remember, 07:25 from the positive perspective, 07:27 remember the reward. 07:30 You know, sometimes if you just 07:31 keep your eye on the goal, there is nothing wrong 07:35 with wanting to go to heaven. 07:37 There is nothing wrong about thinking about the reward. 07:40 Ultimately we want to do God's will 07:41 because we love God, because we love our fellowmen, 07:44 but you know even Peter said, 07:46 Lord we forsaken all to follow you, 07:48 what will we have, and it's a valid question. 07:52 Now I believe that you grow and mature spiritually 07:56 when you get to the place where you love the Lord 07:59 so much you are willing to say, 08:01 no matter what's in it for me, 08:02 if I don't get anything Lord. 08:04 If it will glorify Your name, and if it will save others, 08:06 even if my name is taken out of the book of life, 08:09 that's what Moses said, 08:11 if it's doing your will, Lord I will do it. 08:15 But until we get to that high level 08:16 of spiritual maturity up there with Paul and Moses, 08:20 then sometimes we want to say, 08:22 Lord I want to be on those golden streets. 08:24 I want to be in the world we're never, 08:25 no one ever gets sick, or nobody ever dies, 08:27 so there is no more pain, Amen! No more cry. 08:30 And just think about the exceeding 08:32 great and precious glory. 08:35 That's why Paul said, the sufferings of this world 08:37 are not even worthy to be compared 08:39 with what God has in store for those 08:41 that love Him and those who serve Him. 08:45 It's a lot easier to endure the darkness 08:47 when you know the dawn is coming. 08:50 And so don't forget where we are going. 08:52 Don't forget that this life is not yet, 08:54 this is a very short, almost no it is 08:59 microscopic period of time compare to eternity. 09:03 But we become all consumed with this life, 09:05 and this life is not yet. 09:07 This life is just 09:08 the launching pad for eternity. 09:11 But what you do with this life 09:12 determines your eternity. 09:14 And so don't forget eternity; 09:17 don't forget this is not yet. 09:18 Keep your eye on the goal, 09:20 that is sometimes you think, oh! 09:22 Boy, it's just day after day this temptation. 09:24 We will think about millennium after millennium 09:27 in Jesus presence in heaven 09:29 eternal pleasures that His right hand 09:31 with no guilt forever more, 09:34 compare to the suffering of this life is nothing. 09:38 But you know, we typically think like kids. 09:41 You ask a kid, would you rather have 09:45 25 cents right now or a dollar in a week. 09:50 And they will say, well I want it now, 09:51 would you rather have the ice cream cone right now 09:54 or a gallon of ice cream in a month. 09:57 Yeah, they will say, I want it now, 09:59 it's almost a sign of childishness. 10:04 But some of us, we haven't grown up either. 10:07 We are thinking this is it, 10:08 or you know what in our minds we think, 10:10 what if I don't make it? 10:11 What if this is my only life? 10:12 You know that old beer commercial. 10:14 You only go around once, 10:15 better grab all the gusto you can right now. 10:18 And so we wanna hedge our bets and say, 10:20 well, what if I try so hard to be a Christian 10:22 and then I deny myself the simple pleasures 10:24 and I still don't make it. 10:26 You still better off, because for thing you do, 10:31 you will be rewarded. 10:33 And if you are not, 10:34 there are varying degrees of reward 10:35 and there are varying degrees of punishment. 10:38 So you are always better off doing the right thing 10:41 whether you are saved or lost. 10:42 Had you ever thought about that? 10:44 You are always better off doing the right things, 10:46 so don't get discourage. 10:47 Keep your eye on the eternal reward. 10:52 Believe in the badness of sin. 10:57 Not only is it the goodness of God, 10:58 but one of the characteristics 11:00 of the overcomers in the Bible 11:02 is they recognize the badness of sin. 11:06 Matter a fact, why don't you turn 11:09 we've got a case study here I mentioned earlier 11:11 I was going to talk briefly about Joseph. 11:14 And if you turn to the Book of Genesis, 11:16 and we all know the story, Genesis Chapter 39. 11:20 Joseph has been sold by his brothers 11:22 and he is out in Egypt now. 11:25 He is auctioned off to a man name Potiphar. 11:31 Things go well, actually for slave he begins to work 11:33 his way up from scrubbing floor, 11:35 so that he is over everything Potiphar has. 11:38 And you got to be careful, you know, 11:39 after a series of victory sometimes, 11:41 that's when the devil gets you. 11:44 It was after David has a series of victories, 11:47 that the Bathsheba incident came. 11:50 And it's after Joseph was being promoted 11:52 in Potiphar's house, so pretty soon 11:54 he is in-charge of everything, 11:56 that's when the great temptation came. 11:59 And so, you got to be on your guard. 12:03 Someone said, well I will save that for later. 12:08 Comeback to find out what someone said? 12:12 This is Genesis Chapter 39, verse 7, 12:14 "So it came to pass after these things, 12:17 that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph; 12:21 and she said, Lie with me." 12:22 Now, we all know what that means 12:24 or do I need to break that down? 12:27 I will break it down, not now. 12:31 "But he refused, and he said to his master's wife, 12:36 Look, my master does not know what is he, 12:39 with me in the house, and he has committed 12:41 all that he has to my hand, and he trusts me". 12:44 "There is no one greater in this house than I, 12:47 nor has he kept back anything from me but you, 12:50 because you are his wife. 12:52 How can I do this great wickedness, 12:55 and sin against God?" 12:57 Joseph understood how bad it was. 13:00 Sometimes I think we forget, 13:02 it's not only appreciating the goodness of God, 13:04 we've got to recognize sin is exceedingly sinful. 13:08 And when we understand how wicked it is, 13:12 it makes a big difference. 13:13 You know, I was raised in the world. 13:17 And I try to find delicate ways to say this, 13:20 but living immorally, you know, 13:25 I had sort of a natural understanding 13:27 within that was wrong. 13:29 I think everybody has a certain amount of God's law 13:32 written in their hearts. 13:33 And without meaning to be disrespectful, 13:35 it was really no thanks to my mother and father 13:37 because my mother's attitude was, 13:40 just don't get anybody pregnant. 13:43 I mean from just teenage on, 13:45 it's long as I can remember and that's kind of the way 13:47 my parents lived, both of them, 13:49 my mom was married four times, 13:50 my dad was married five times 13:52 and there were lot of relationships in between. 13:55 And, but I can't tell you everything, 13:58 but I leave it to your imagination just I grew up 14:01 with no understanding about the sanctity of marriage 14:05 and keeping your body holy and virtuous 14:07 and the value of that 14:09 and it was after becoming a Christian 14:10 and reading the Bible 14:12 finally the concept dawned on me, 14:14 the sinfulness of sin. 14:18 You know, we are surrounded by culture 14:20 that saying that, whatever you feel good, 14:23 whatever feels good, 14:24 do it and that's to be your criteria. 14:26 But, God's says that maybe the standard of the world, 14:28 but that's not my standard. 14:29 There are some things that are right 14:30 and some things that are wrong. 14:33 And the same way that an enemy will try 14:35 and soften up its opponent by bombardment 14:39 before it sends in the ground troops. 14:41 The devil tries to soften up our lovotion to sin. 14:47 So that it doesn't seem so bad. 14:50 Now I catch a lot of heap for this, 14:53 but in California 14:57 you know they got a big battle 14:59 about gay marriage, 15:00 I guess they do in several states now. 15:03 And even growing up in the world, 15:07 I understood that isn't right. 15:10 That there is something very wrong, 15:12 and perverted about that. 15:13 Now when I opened up the Bible, 15:15 it was further confirmation, well we should all know, 15:19 is just you know what they called a certain truths 15:21 are self evident and it should be self evident 15:24 in most of the world that men and women 15:27 are what you get married. 15:29 That, can I have an amen please! Amen. 15:31 Unless you've been softened up also, 15:35 you know, the devil has been trying to normalize 15:37 something perverted 15:38 and it's not even safe for me 15:40 to say something that is so basic. 15:44 But that's the way he does, with all of our things, 15:46 we get so over expose to these things, 15:48 pretty soon it's like well, you know, 15:49 everybody is doing it. 15:51 And the stuff that would have made people blush, 15:57 20 years ago barely gets reaction these days, 16:01 because we have been softened up by the enemy. 16:05 One of the characteristics of the Job, 16:08 he was a perfect and upright man, 16:10 one who feared God and notice this he hated, 16:13 he eschewed evil, he loved God, 16:16 he hated what was bad as well. 16:18 And so, pray that God will help you 16:20 to recognize how deadly sin is, 16:23 how contagious it is, because we toying with it? 16:28 And it's not only what kills us, 16:30 but it's what killed Jesus. 16:33 Jesus died because of sin. 16:38 If you had a child that was stabbed to death, 16:41 would you take a photograph of the knife 16:43 and wear it on your t-shirt 16:45 or would you be revolted by the sight. 16:49 And when you think about 16:50 what Jesus experienced in His suffering, 16:53 it was because of sin, so for us to trifle with sin, 16:57 to make light of sin, 16:59 is really applauding what the devil has done. 17:03 So, we got to understand the badness of sin. 17:07 Love people, not things. 17:11 The Bible says, the love of money 17:13 is the root of all evil. 17:14 Now it's not the paper money or money 17:16 of itself is bad, but it's because 17:18 people often use people to get things. 17:23 They use and manipulate people to get money. 17:26 You should love people and use money, 17:30 money is to be used not people. 17:33 And sometimes we get that backwards 17:34 and we are preoccupied 17:36 with how many things can I acquire? 17:39 Let me read something to you, 1 Timothy Chapter 6, verse 9, 17:44 "But those who desire to be rich 17:45 fall into temptation and a snare, 17:48 and into many foolish and harmful lusts 17:51 which drown men in destruction and perdition. 17:57 Some people get involved in gambling, 17:58 because they want to get rich quick, 18:00 or crazy multi-level marketing schemes, 18:03 because they are trying to get rich quick 18:05 and people always tracing this elusive dream 18:08 because they want to get things. 18:09 Our garages are full of things. 18:12 We become can't go away on a mission trip, 18:14 because who is going to watch our stuff? 18:16 And you can get to the place 18:17 where we become prisoners of our things. 18:21 And I think that the devil to a great extent 18:22 has succeeded to weigh down the Church of God with stuff, 18:28 so that we're not free to work for God 18:29 or love of stuff. 18:33 And so people fall into temptation. 18:36 Well, you know, the Bible says 18:38 temptation is really divided in three areas, 18:41 the lust of the flesh, 18:43 the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. 18:47 And lot of people they see something 18:49 and they think I got to have it 18:50 or they will exult their pride. 18:55 Point number four, be prepared to quickly run, 19:00 be prepared to flee, I want to go back 19:01 to my story of Joseph here. 19:04 Notice it says in verse 10 he said, 19:06 this is great wickedness, in verse 9 19:08 how can I do this in sin against God? 19:11 And in verse 10, So it was, 19:14 as she spoke to Joseph day by day, 19:18 that he did not need her, 19:20 to lie with her or to be with her. 19:23 He did everything, he could 19:24 to totally avoid being around her. 19:29 If you know that something is a risky area, 19:32 we spoke about this earlier, don't go anywhere near it. 19:37 Some people are caught by temptation 19:40 because they don't flee temptation, 19:42 they crawl away from it 19:43 and they hope it catches them. 19:45 They linger near the edges sort of hoping 19:48 that they will be overcome. 19:51 And if you know that an area is a weak spot 19:54 for you particularly, you avoid that area 19:57 recognize and make covenant with yourself. 19:59 You know, why young people get into trouble? 20:03 They get into a situation 20:05 where you get the young guy and the young lady 20:07 and when they are with their friends and everything, 20:09 that's one thing, it's when they get by themselves. 20:14 Who was it? 20:15 C.D. Brooks has said, 20:16 a banana never gets in trouble 20:17 till it leaves the bunch. 20:20 And a lot of young people 20:21 if they were just make up their mind 20:23 and I guess it could happen to older singles too, 20:25 that, you know, whenever I'm with the opposite sex, 20:28 I'm gonna make sure that, you know, 20:29 we're in some kind of public venue. 20:31 It's when you get all by yourself 20:33 and you start kind of just having the friendly touching 20:36 and intimacy and start playing with Mother Nature, 20:38 things begin to happen that you can't stop, 20:41 and so avoid those areas of temptation, 20:44 Joseph wouldn't even be with her 20:46 and as soon as she put her hands on him 20:48 what did he do? 20:49 He ran, he fled, you've just got to act 20:53 like it's the plague, 20:57 so flee temptation how do you that? 21:00 Draw near to God, 21:02 this is James Chapter 4 Verse 7, 21:04 "Draw nigh to God 21:06 and He will draw nigh to you." 21:08 You submit yourself to God resist the devil, 21:11 the devil will flee from you, you draw near to God 21:14 and He will draw near to you. 21:17 So stay away from the areas of temptation and sin. 21:22 And this is how Joseph was able to get 21:24 the victory in this case. 21:26 Don't follow the crowd, 21:29 the idea that everybody is doing it, 21:31 and so it must be okay, 21:34 this is common logic that's used. 21:35 What does Jesus say about the crowd? 21:38 Follow not a multitude to do evil 21:41 is one statement there in Exodus, 21:44 Matthew Chapter26 verse 35, 21:50 Peter you know they will say, everybody is doing, 21:53 Peter said in Matthew 26 verse 35, 21:56 "Even if I have to die with You, 21:58 I will not deny You" 21:59 When Peter was with his friends 22:02 he was somewhat controlled by the crowd. 22:04 He said oh Lord, I will die for you, 22:06 it's easy and when you like this to say Amen, 22:08 Praise the Lord, let's live for Jesus, 22:09 let's be men of faith. 22:11 But when Peter was surrounded 22:12 by a different group 22:13 that was now making fun of Jesus. 22:15 He fell right in line with the crowd, 22:17 and started saying I don't know who he is. 22:21 So do you stand up just as much for Jesus 22:23 when you are separated from your support group? 22:31 Think of it this way, you are always 22:34 with a crowd of believers, 22:38 our angels watching you? 22:42 We are always on video, 22:44 think about that for a minute. 22:46 Everything you do is being recorded these days? 22:49 I know a little while ago I got something in the mail 22:52 and it says your traffic violation, 22:55 but before I even read everything 22:56 in the envelope I thought, what illegal U turn? 22:59 No, I didn't, I don't remember 23:00 ever even being in that town. 23:03 And I pull out what there was in the rest of envelope. 23:05 It was a picture of me doing an illegal U turn, 23:09 it's looking very intense. 23:14 They got cameras everywhere now. 23:16 I could probably teach drivers education if had to, 23:21 but Jesus said that if you will confess me before men. 23:26 I will confess you before my father in heaven. 23:29 You remember when Jesus 23:31 in the book of Job Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, 23:34 Jesus says to the devil 23:35 have you considered my servant Job? 23:38 Was Jesus aware of Job? 23:41 With the angels watching Job, 23:44 angels are intent looking into 23:46 what's happening here in this world. 23:48 So you are not alone, 23:49 so if you are gonna please a crowd, 23:51 don't please the devil's crowd. 23:53 Stand up for Jesus, Christ, 23:55 even when he was hanging on the cross, 23:56 he said don't you know, I can pray 23:57 and my father will send legion of angels, 24:00 They are watching me right down. 24:02 Do you believe that? 24:04 Do you believe there are angels in this room? 24:07 Probably not just good ones, but there are evil angels too 24:10 and they are trying to sedate us, 24:13 so that we don't hear what the spirit is saying. 24:15 But there are good angels and when we're tempted 24:18 and when we resist temptation. 24:20 In your mind, just imagine there are an army of angels, 24:25 the whole stadium of angels that are watching 24:27 what you are doing and they are cheering. 24:31 So you get to choose every time you are tempted. 24:33 Who do you want cheer? 24:35 Do you want the devil's angels to cheer, 24:37 or do you want God's angels to cheer? 24:39 Don't follow the crowd? Stay busy. 24:46 Somebody said, I think it's an Italian proverb; 24:49 He that labors is tempted by one devil; 24:52 he that is idle is tempted by a thousand. 24:55 A lot of times, we get in trouble with temptation 24:57 because we don't have anything to do. 25:01 When God first made man, how did God make man? 25:04 Part of the Sabbath commandment is not just 25:06 rest on the seventh day, what's the other part? 25:09 Is it a suggestion 25:10 that six days you should work or is it a command? 25:14 The command about working is just as real 25:17 as the command about resting. 25:19 Six days thou shall labor and do all your work. 25:24 And anyone here all out of work 25:26 let me see your hands, have no work left. 25:29 I'm not talking about today. 25:30 I'm talking about when you go home. 25:32 There is always stuff to do, right? 25:33 We're to be busy. God made man for activity. 25:36 He wants us to use our minds. 25:37 He wants us to be creative. 25:38 Hopefully you've got work that you enjoy. 25:41 But, when you are engaged and when you are busy, 25:44 and when you are active, when you got plans. 25:46 That will keep you from a multitude 25:48 of temptations and sin. 25:50 When you think about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, 25:52 what's the first thing that comes in your mind? 25:56 Well of course that's where they get the word 25:58 Sodomy you think about him. 26:00 The homosexuality, what was going on with Lot, 26:04 the bad reputation they had for that. 26:07 But, you know the Bible records 26:08 that was not the only thing they were destroyed for. 26:11 Lot had daughters that were married to men in the city. 26:16 Not everybody in the city was gay. 26:19 One of their sins was pride, 26:21 fullness of bread and idleness. 26:25 Idleness you can read about that, 26:27 Ezekiel Chapter 16 verse 49 and 50. 26:31 You've heard the expression 26:32 idlenessism is the devil's workshop. 26:35 That verse is not actually in the Bible, but it says, 26:38 speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah they had, 26:43 abundance of idleness; 26:45 was in her and her daughters, 26:46 therefore I took them away as I saw good. 26:51 Now are we in a country that has an abundance, 26:54 you know farms used to be operated, 26:57 about all a person could handle was a 160 acres. 27:01 And if you ever drive through Texas, 27:03 every ten miles you'll see a town, 27:06 it's kind of sad now, because you drive across Texas 27:08 and every ten miles and in almost any direction 27:11 there is some kind of little sprouted town 27:13 you got church of Christ, Methodist Church, 27:17 Southern Baptist Church, 27:18 promise most of them now are empty. 27:21 There is just a few of those little towns 27:22 where everybody kind of congregated 27:24 they became cities. 27:26 And lot of this state little towns died out 27:28 you know why? 27:30 Because instead of one farmer and his family 27:32 being able to handle 160 acres 27:34 with these great big massive John Deere Tractors 27:36 is almost as wide as this gym. 27:39 They got stereo, and GPS and air conditioning 27:42 and one farmer can go all day long and he can plough 27:45 thousands and thousands of acres. 27:48 But you know what that means is, 27:49 that there is an abundance of bread for everybody else. 27:53 And so and that's one thing that made this country great. 27:56 But, let's face it, we've got a lot of comforts, 27:59 a lot of convenience, a lot of idle time, 28:05 personally you may think oh, I don't have any idle time. 28:07 Well, good maybe Lord is keeping you out of trouble. 28:12 But stay busy, now that doesn't mean, 28:14 you know sometimes we got wives 28:15 and they say you are too busy. 28:17 Anyone who doesn't agree with that? 28:19 You work too hard, you are workaholic 28:20 and I'm not suggesting that. 28:23 You can stay busy 28:24 she will be happy if you do things with her. 28:26 It's just not the idea 28:28 of you are not doing anything, 28:29 she just don't wants to be with you, 28:31 were you are doing stuff with her, with the family. 28:34 But, God doesn't want us to sit around 28:35 and do a lot of nothing. 28:36 He didn't create us for an activity. 28:37 Rest is good, rest is important, 28:39 that's why God gives us the Sabbath. 28:41 But if you are not staying busy, 28:44 chances are you are getting tempted a lot. 28:47 And so stay busy serving the Lord. 28:53 Have a plan. 28:56 This is point number seven, have a plan for escape. 29:00 We often stumble into sin, 29:02 because when we see temptation coming, 29:05 we wait to see what will happen, 29:06 when it arrives. 29:08 You want to be prepared in advance, 29:11 Proverbs Chapter 22, verse 3, Solomon says, 29:14 "A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself". 29:21 Don't wait to see what's going to happen 29:24 or how you are going to act 29:25 when there is some pop-up message on your computer, 29:28 get a pop-up blocker as soon as you get your computer. 29:32 Get a security program on that. 29:35 Prepare yourself in advance 29:37 to avoid those kind of temptations. 29:41 There is a lot of areas where, 29:43 if you got a problem with eating junk food, 29:49 don't bring the cookies home 29:51 and then hope you can resist temptation. 29:54 If they are in the house, 29:55 you are going to have temptation, 29:57 don't bring them home from the store. 29:59 You want to be able to plan ahead 30:01 and stay close to Lord. 30:07 The Bible says, that if you got some area in your life 30:09 then you know is going to be a weak spot. 30:12 Matthew Chapter 5 verse 29, 30:14 "If your right eye offends you, pluck it out, 30:17 and cast it from me: 30:19 for it is more profitable for you 30:21 that one of your members should perish, 30:22 and not that your whole body be cast into hell." 30:28 If you just quit smoking 30:31 and your friends still smoke, find some new friends. 30:37 If you can't, do it you can 30:39 to avoid those areas of temptation, but you say, 30:42 Pastor Doug they have been friends for years. 30:44 If you have quit drinking and you quit smoking 30:46 they are still drinking and they are still smoking, 30:47 how can I say, there are my friends, 30:49 I mean how I'm gonna reach him? 30:51 Pluck out your eye, cut off your hand, 30:53 of course God is not talking about literally there. 30:55 It's a symbol for even if it's something 30:57 that's close to you as a dear friend. 31:00 Sometimes, you got a do something radical, 31:03 I know some people they say Pastor Doug, 31:06 I've got a problem with the internet, 31:09 but I'm at a job, where I'm online everyday 31:12 and there is no kinds of security 31:14 and I've got so much availability to my problem 31:17 and you know what I'll say to that person? 31:19 Get another job. 31:21 Some people say, Pastor Doug, now I've got a TV 31:23 and I just can just can't control myself 31:26 what do I do? 31:28 Get rid of your TV. 31:29 But there are some good things on the TV, 31:30 but if you cannot control it, 31:32 cut off your hand, get rid off your TV. 31:36 What profit is it, if you say 31:37 you know I had a TV, when I went to hell but, 31:41 what good is that, 31:42 so if you are struggling in these areas. 31:44 I know you probably think Pastor Doug 31:45 you are being little radical. 31:47 Well, maybe I am, but I think you know what 31:51 nobody is going to stand before the Lord 31:53 in the judgment day, and hear Jesus say to them, 31:56 you know I would like to let you into the kingdom, 31:58 but you got rid off your TV and you cannot watch 3ABN 32:00 and Amazing Facts anymore, so I can't let you in. 32:04 That's not going to happen, 32:06 if you got to do something radical 32:09 in order to get the victory, then do it, amen! 32:14 And you will set a good example for your families 32:16 about what your priority is? 32:19 Sometimes the devil gets us with these things 32:21 where we just, we're trying to ride 32:22 the middle of the line and we can't do it, 32:25 you want to get as far away from temptation 32:27 as possible. 32:29 So have a plan for escape, 32:33 lot of temptation comes as little things, 32:35 it nibbles away at our weaknesses. 32:40 Know yourself. 32:43 The things that tempt you 32:45 may not be the same things that tempt me. 32:47 There are probably some general areas 32:48 where we are all tempted. 32:50 But you know the devil knows how to 32:54 tailor his temptations and frankly 32:57 I should probably back up 32:58 and say something about this. 32:59 When we say the devil is tempting me, 33:04 it's typically not the devil himself. 33:06 The devil is operating through his demons, 33:09 and in the same way that God has the guardian angels 33:11 that know us and they guard us. 33:12 And I'm looking forward to meeting my angel 33:15 when I get to the kingdom. 33:16 You will probably be easy to recognize 33:18 because you will have great hair 33:19 and a street jacket on. 33:21 But, I think the devil has also, 33:26 he probably get demons 33:27 that are appointed to bring us down. 33:30 Matter of fact, there is a story in the Bible 33:31 in the book of Acts where these seven young 33:35 sons of some Synagogue ruler Sceva, he was an exorcist. 33:40 They heard that Paul was going around 33:42 and he was casting out devils in the name of Jesus, 33:44 and the demons would come out. 33:46 They said so what is that Paul does 33:47 he says in the name of Jesus, I caste you out. 33:49 He said okay, well we are going to do what Paul does. 33:51 They knew nothing about Jesus, 33:53 they barely knew who Paul was? 33:55 So they found this man 33:56 who was possessed by the devil, 33:57 they went to cast the devil out of this man. 33:59 And they said in the name of Jesus 34:01 who Paul preaches come out of Him. 34:04 You know what the demon said? 34:06 I know Paul and I know Jesus, 34:10 but I don't who you are? 34:13 And so, of course the devil is not omniscient, 34:16 he doesn't know everything. 34:17 I think probably Satan has designated 34:20 different demons are somehow organized. 34:22 Satan has got his legions, doesn't he? 34:24 And they are probably devils 34:25 that have studied your weakness. 34:28 Now I don't recommend C.S. Lewis across the abroad. 34:32 But he wrote one thought provoking book called 34:34 the "Screwtape Letters," 34:35 and I read that one I was up in the cave. 34:37 It talks about how devil study our weaknesses 34:40 and they are trying plan things 34:42 that are tailored and a recipe 34:45 paste upon where you typically fall. 34:49 So know yourself, know what your weaknesses are? 34:53 Make sure as we mention to avoid 34:55 those areas of weakness and temptation. 34:57 The devil doesn't really worry about me 34:59 walking down some dark alley and having someone sell me 35:02 heroin or crack cocaine, that's not my problem. 35:05 He knows what they are and I'm not going to tell you? 35:08 But you know what your problems are? 35:11 And so just be aware of that 35:13 and then just pray for strength 35:15 specifically in those areas. 35:19 Know yourself, there is a Spanish proverb, 35:21 it says don't be a baker, 35:22 if your head is made of butter. 35:26 And don't ever boast we are all, 35:29 we all have the potential to fall. 35:30 One of the most important things 35:31 we can do to get the victory 35:33 is maintain a humble attitude 35:36 and be aware of how weak we are, 35:39 Let him that thinks he stands 35:41 take heed lest he fall. 35:43 It's only moment by moment trusting in God, 35:46 we are able to live the victorious life. 35:48 As soon as someone starts going around 35:50 boasting and saying you know, 35:51 I haven't sinned all week long. 35:54 Beware take heed, let him who thinks he stands 35:58 take heed lest he fall. 36:00 Peter did that though all men should forsake the Lord, 36:02 I will not forsake the. 36:04 He said, you don't know yourself Peter. 36:08 Overcome evil with good. 36:13 Now whatever you are doing, you can find 36:18 that there is usually a good way to overcome. 36:20 If somebody is giving you hard time 36:23 and you are tempted to be angry 36:24 or to talk bad about them, pray for them. 36:29 If you are struggling with smoking, 36:34 and you throw away your cigarettes, 36:37 get toothpicks that's what I did. 36:39 I carried around a box 36:40 of tooth picks in my top pocket, 36:41 if at least gave me the illusion 36:43 I had a pack of Marlboro there 36:45 and whenever I was tempted to reach down 36:47 and grab one I actually cut a little square corner out, 36:50 so I could shake one out, 36:52 and you know what it really helped me, 36:54 and people said well Doug, you like a beaver, 36:56 just tune on toothpicks all the time, 36:58 but I had rather look like 36:59 a beavers than a chimney, right? 37:03 And so you know, you could apply 37:05 this to your life a thousand different ways. 37:07 When you find out that you got some weakness, 37:10 figure out what it is? 37:11 Your problem is chocolate, get some grapes, 37:15 some peanuts, or something, 37:17 but just find something good 37:20 to overcome the area of evil. 37:22 If you are preoccupied and say you know 37:24 Pastor Doug, I got a problem with the DVD's 37:28 and you know I just keep wanting to go to blockbuster, 37:31 get an Amazing Facts or 3ABN video 37:34 or something and watch it right? 37:36 Overcome evil with good, play in a hand. 37:41 Think a head above, you know, 37:43 I always have a real time of weakness 37:45 when I am doing this or when I am doing that. 37:47 Think ahead, say Lord I don't want to fall 37:49 in that area again, and ask God to give you some wisdom 37:51 about how you can overcome in those areas. 37:55 Do not be overcome with evil, Romans 12 verse 1, 37:58 "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." 38:03 Says it's one of the ways 38:04 that we get the victory over temptation. 38:11 Take care of your health, 38:13 now you maybe didn't expect that. 38:16 One of the real basic things that you can do 38:18 to get the victory is take care of yourself 38:21 as much as you can physically 38:22 part of the health message, 38:24 not only so you don't get sick 38:26 and die prematurely, 38:30 so you can be a more effective witness 38:32 and you have more energy 38:33 but another reason for the health message is, 38:36 it's easier for the devil to get us 38:38 when we're are sick and tired. 38:41 Now I'm not going to ask for show of hands, 38:45 but I think most of you would put up your hands 38:46 and admit that sometimes if you had a blow up 38:49 in your family or an argument 38:50 with your spouse, or you yelled at your kids, 38:53 you get hungry, 38:55 low blood sugar, and more problem. 38:59 You get tired, long day work, 39:01 lot of stress, you are fatigue, 39:02 you come home, you didn't have enough sleep 39:05 and also you snap and you say things 39:07 that you wish didn't say. 39:10 And you fall 39:12 and one of the simple solutions for that is, 39:15 take care of your health, get exercise, 39:18 get rest, eat right, eat a lot of sweet food, 39:24 drink a cup of espresso, and you get, 39:26 oh! you know, you hyperactive like that 39:28 and you are going to bite anybody's head off. 39:30 There is reasons for health message, you know, 39:32 and some of them are, it help you avoid temptation. 39:37 I had to be really particular as I travel a lot 39:40 and kind of a heavy schedule, 39:43 to take care of my health, not only because, 39:47 you know, I want be well when I get some where 39:49 so I can teach and preach, 39:50 but I find I'm a better husband, 39:53 I'm a better father, I'm a better Christian 39:57 if I take care of myself. 39:59 I can't over emphasize this friends 40:01 that there is a reason we've being giving 40:03 this health message and part of the reason 40:05 is that we can glorify God in our bodies, 40:09 when you take care of yourself. 40:10 When did the devil come to Jesus and tempt him? 40:13 After 40 days of fasting, He was weak, 40:17 He was tired, He had low blood sugar, 40:19 and that's when the devil came. 40:22 And he just open fire with everything he had in. 40:24 But don't forget this, even if you are tired. 40:27 Sometimes you can't control circumstances, 40:30 even if you're hungry, I've got on planes 40:33 before where they ordered a veggie meal, 40:35 and all they had is some big old leg of lamb 40:37 and I couldn't eat. 40:38 And you can always control all these circumstances, 40:41 but is that any excuse to sin? 40:43 You can say well, Lord you know after all 40:45 I'm tired so I'm absolved for yelling at the spouse, 40:49 without really having a good reason. 40:51 Is it a good reason? You yell at your spouse. 40:56 Take care of your health. 40:59 Sometimes we understand the spirit is willing, 41:02 but the flesh is weak, so you got to take care 41:04 of the flesh as well as you can. 41:07 Recognize your way of escape. 41:11 Be watching and aware. 41:15 Whenever I get on an airplane, 41:18 you know how they go through there the preflight list 41:21 and they say, you know make note of where your exits are. 41:24 I'm a pilot and I fly all the time, 41:26 but I still take a moment and I say to myself 41:29 in the unlikely event 41:32 that I might need to use a different door 41:34 to get out then what I used to come in. 41:37 I like to know where it is and in my mind, 41:40 and it's not because I'm afraid 41:42 I just think its part of being a good pilot, 41:43 part of being a good passenger. 41:45 I think about, all right, 41:47 just look around be aware Doug. 41:50 How do you get out of here, if you have to? 41:54 And, you know, sometime you might find yourself 41:56 in the situation 41:57 where you are going into a den of lions, 41:59 and the Lord's placed you in there. 42:02 You might have to extricate yourself, 42:05 because you weren't aware 42:06 that there were going to be things going on 42:09 or temptations facing you, 42:11 but you weren't embrace for it. 42:12 Know where the exits are? And be prepared to run. 42:16 You can be sure that in Joseph story 42:17 that we just read. 42:18 When it says he arose and he fled, 42:21 he knew which way to go didn't he? 42:23 So as he was sitting there, you notice it 42:25 with part of his wife and not only was Joseph 42:30 a handsome young man, 42:32 she did probably didn't look that bad herself, 42:35 because part of her was a wealthy general 42:38 and you know when you got a lot of money 42:39 and prestige back then it's possible that 42:43 he may have had a pick of fine wife, 42:49 and Joseph said he wouldn't even be with her, 42:52 but he had to come in the house 42:53 to do some business. 42:54 So, I want to just go back to that real quick. 42:56 It happened about this time, 42:58 I'm in verse 11 of Chapter 39, 43:02 "When Joseph went into the house to do his work, 43:05 but none of the men in the house was inside," 43:08 he had to go into the house, 43:10 but there was temptation in the house. 43:13 So when he walked in, he made a note 43:16 where that door was because he recognized 43:18 there was a problem in the house. 43:20 "That she caught him by his garment, 43:22 and said Lie with me:" 43:24 Was that subtle, 43:26 you know as Joseph could have rationalized 43:29 and one reason we get into temptation. 43:31 Let me just say you some things that might 43:32 have gone through his mind. 43:33 These are some of the same rationalizations 43:35 it happened to us. 43:37 Joseph could have rationalized. 43:39 Well, there was one thing to resist temptation 43:40 when she was asking me, but now this is my master. 43:45 And the Bible does say, well slaves obey the masters 43:49 and obey the laws of the land 43:51 and you know what's going to happen to my paycheck, 43:55 if I hurt her feelings and then what's going to happen 43:58 and what I'm going to do about my retirement 44:00 and you can rationalize all kinds of things 44:02 and nobody is around 44:04 and after all she is pretty strong. 44:08 Maybe she is going to force me, 44:11 and he could just had all kinds of 44:13 clever rationalizations in his mind. 44:16 But he fought temptation, he probably knew 44:23 that she was going to retaliate. 44:27 Someone said that hell have no fury like a woman scorned. 44:32 Like a bear robbed of her whelps. 44:35 And he probably could have thought, you know, 44:38 if I spurn her advances this way, 44:40 she is going to sense his rejection 44:41 and she will retaliate, 44:43 but who was Joseph interested in pleasing 44:46 man or God? 44:49 And so he was determined to resist temptation, 44:52 even if it meant he would not only maybe be demoted, 44:56 not only what he stall in his position. 45:00 But he might loose his life. 45:02 He had his mind made up in advance. 45:06 He said this was great wickedness 45:08 and I will not do it. 45:10 Joseph presents a great example for us 45:11 someone who had sterling integrity 45:14 that was resolved to be pure. 45:18 And all of us by the grace of God can be pure, 45:21 so he fled and he ran outside. 45:25 Now what happened to Joseph 45:27 when he resisted that temptation? 45:29 She concocted a false acquisition. 45:32 He was arrested and thrown in jail, 45:33 spent years in jail for doing what's right. 45:38 Is it easer, sometimes it is given to temptation 45:43 to flow downstream? 45:46 Let me word this differently? 45:49 What's easier going with the flow 45:56 towards the waterfall of destruction 46:00 or swimming against the current 46:02 even though it requires more energy. 46:05 Those are really the choices that all of us have. 46:08 You can say, you know, swimming upstream is so hard. 46:10 I'm just going to lay here on my rubber raft 46:13 and go with everybody else, 46:16 if the world is just so hard to swim against the tide, 46:19 but often the distances 46:20 you can hear ringing in your ears, 46:22 the crashing waters and, you know, you are perishing. 46:25 Do you really enjoy the ride? 46:28 How much better and even happier 46:31 to swim against the current? 46:35 And to know that you are going to get to other side. 46:38 Did Joseph make it to the other side? 46:41 He suffered, he suffered years as a slave, 46:43 he suffered years in prison, 46:45 but did he make it to the palace, 46:47 was he exalted? 46:49 You know there is pleasure in sin, 46:52 I have been lying to you. 46:54 Whether it's a lust of the flesh, 46:55 or the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, 46:57 there is at least some temporary pleasure in sin. 47:02 But that's the problem, it's very short lived 47:04 and there is almost, always some form of hangover, 47:07 some form of regret, some form of guilt, 47:09 some form of debt. 47:11 I mean you know we could all divide up, 47:15 what our particular challenges are 47:16 and you know what that means. 47:20 The real peace comes from 47:22 seeking for God's kingdom and its righteousness. 47:24 There is going to be battles. 47:26 Moses turned his back on the glories of Egypt, 47:30 that he might endure 47:32 suffering with the people of God, 47:33 rather than to enjoy 47:35 the pleasures of sin for a season. 47:38 And this is really what we are all grappling with. 47:40 It's just these two choices. 47:44 Don't be discouraged if you do fall. 47:49 Now I got to spend a moment on that. 47:53 This is one of the most important things. 47:56 I want to ask for 47:59 a show of hands, and how many have fallen, 48:01 it could be everybody. 48:02 All have sinned and fallen short of glory of God, 48:06 but I want to tell you never need to fall. 48:10 With every temptation, God will provide a way 48:13 of escape that you are able to bear it. 48:15 There is no temptation that comes to you 48:18 that God does not first carefully measure 48:22 how long a chain he is going to give to the devil. 48:25 You realize that even when the devil came after Job, 48:28 God measured off how far he would let the devil go, 48:32 is that right? Am I right? 48:36 So God is on the throne and He loves you 48:38 and He is not going to allow 48:40 you to be tempted above what you are able. 48:43 And with every temptation that comes to you, 48:45 He is going to provide 48:47 a way of escape that you can endure. 48:49 Sometimes it will mean the way of escape 48:51 is in the form of dropping on your knees. 48:53 First thing, you should do 48:55 as soon as you recognize temptation is there, 48:57 submit to God and resist the devil. 49:02 So you turn to God in prayer immediately 49:04 and that's where you get strength. 49:05 But he is able to keep you from falling. 49:07 That by the way is Jude Chapter 1 verse 24. 49:13 We want to abide in Christ. 49:16 And don't beat yourself up if you fall. 49:19 Now this is an area where I pray God 49:23 will give a wisdom to try and explain this to you. 49:26 On one side of the equation, I want to tell you, 49:30 don't beat yourself up if you fall. 49:33 I don't want to so emphasize, 49:35 that you need to forgive yourself 49:37 that you set yourself up to say 49:39 well I'll just forgive myself later 49:41 and then I am going to fall. 49:44 You need to be conscious of 49:45 how dangerous it is to sin. 49:47 Let me see if I could illustrate it this way. 49:51 You all know what Russian Roulette is, 49:55 all right suppose that you have a shot gun, 50:00 a single barreled shot gun, 50:02 you all know what I am talking about, 50:04 single barrel. 50:06 And you got one shell in the barrel. 50:09 Can you play Russian Roulette with that? 50:12 Anyone here want to play Russian Roulette with that? 50:14 Now if you understand math 50:16 what percentage of the time that you are going to loose? 50:20 Hundred percent of the time, okay. 50:21 Then let's say you have got a double barrel shot gun, 50:25 but you only got one shell in one of the chambers. 50:27 And you hand it to your wife and say 50:29 pull one of the triggers. 50:34 I heard it someone was talking about 50:36 a list of famous last words, 50:39 it's interesting to read about 50:40 people's famous last words 50:43 and one of the famous last words was, 50:46 his husband said to his wife, 50:48 you couldn't hit the broad side of barn with that gun. 50:53 So, you give this 50:54 double barrel shot gun to your wife, 50:57 and you tell her to pull one of the triggers 50:58 what are your chances now? 51:01 About 50-50 all right, you are with me so far. 51:05 Any of you willing to play that game? 51:08 All right, now you got typical six-shooter 51:13 and you spin the barrel and you cock it 51:17 and you want to show your friends 51:18 how manly you are and you pull the trigger. 51:21 The Russian has to get pretty drunk to do that, 51:23 but I guess that's where the name comes from. 51:26 I have got a friend that at a party, 51:32 is back before I was a Christian 51:34 had a 38 revolver, 51:36 held it up to another friend's head 51:37 and he was going to pull the trigger, 51:38 and someone said, don't play like that, 51:40 isn't it's not loaded and he shot at his hand, 51:43 blew right through his hand. 51:47 And you know I always tell my kids 51:51 don't ever point a weapon, even a toy weapon 51:53 at somebody and play like that. 51:57 So you got the six-shooter, you roll it. 52:01 Your chances are now what? 52:03 One out of six, any of you want to play? 52:05 But what if I tell you know the other six times 52:06 you are going to have pleasure. 52:08 Does that make you to enjoy it any better? 52:12 All right, now you got a revolver 52:13 it's got 365 chambers in it. 52:16 One for everyday of the year, 52:19 anyone want to play? 52:22 Oh yes you do, who you are kidding? 52:25 You do want to play, you do play. 52:28 How many times have we gambled with temptation 52:31 and we say well I probably won't die right away. 52:35 God so merciful and He is so gracious, 52:38 that this, you know, I probably have a chance 52:40 to repent and confess before the shell goes off. 52:46 And really that's the way a lot of men 52:47 go through their lives, as we flirt with sin. 52:52 And we say well you know God is so merciful, 52:55 I probably can get away with this 52:57 and ask Him to forgive me later. 52:59 Now here is what I want you to understand. 53:01 God is merciful, God's longsuffering. 53:05 You never need to doubt God's willingness 53:09 to forgive you when you genuinely repent. 53:12 But here is what the danger is. 53:15 Men like to live on the edge. 53:17 And so we get away with something and we say, 53:20 hey there was no shell on that chamber. 53:23 I guess I can play this game one more time, 53:26 one more time, one more time. 53:29 And we start taking sin for granted. 53:31 We know we start taking God's mercy for granted. 53:34 We start taking His grace for granted. 53:36 He is always willing to forgive you, 53:37 but what happens is every time 53:38 you play with temptation and repent, 53:44 you begin to develop a callus were you can get 53:46 to the place where you not really 53:47 appreciating the sinfulness of sin 53:50 and how dangerous the game is that you are playing. 53:53 Sin kills! The penalty for sin is what? 53:59 And if you doubt that it's deadly, look at Jesus. 54:03 God so loved you that He gave His son 54:06 to die in your place for your sins. 54:09 So why would you want to keep 54:11 flirting with sin and temptation like that. 54:16 It's so deadly, and that by the way 54:19 is the best thing to remember. 54:22 Is that God's mercy is always available 54:25 when we are willing to genuinely repent. 54:30 So if you do fall, and we all fall, 54:34 don't get discouraged. 54:35 The Bible promises in 1st John, 54:36 if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, 54:39 Jesus Christ the righteous. 54:42 And you may often, Spirit of Prophecy tells us 54:45 in the book "Steps to Christ". 54:47 You may often have to kneel and weep 54:49 at the feet of Jesus, 54:50 for your shortcomings and your sins. 54:52 Don't get discouraged, get back up again. 54:55 I'll tell when you need to be a little frightened 54:58 is when after 20 years of following Christ, 55:01 you don't see any growth. 55:04 If you are still giving into temptations 55:06 the same way now and it's frequently now 55:08 and you are falling now as much as you did 55:10 when you were a baby Christian 55:12 that maybe you are not growing. 55:15 If you got little babies, and when they are learning 55:17 to walk they stumble and they fall, 55:19 but they back up again. 55:21 You don't think too much of the babies, 55:23 but then if they to get to the place 55:25 where they are 11 years old and they still can't walk. 55:30 How many of you are going to take him to see the doctor? 55:32 You realize there is a problem there, 55:34 Are you growing in grace? 55:36 When you look back you He say well, 55:37 praise the Lord, He has given me victory, 55:39 I don't have that problem anymore. 55:42 You should be growing in maturity, 55:44 growing in grace, becoming more like Christ 55:46 and He can help you do that. 55:48 All things are possible through Christ, 55:50 you believe that? Amen. 55:53 Erwin W Lutzer said our response to temptation 55:57 is an accurate barometer of our love for God. 56:02 The best reason to resist temptation 56:05 is because we really love Jesus. 56:07 So what is it mean if we are falling frequently, 56:14 if that's a barometer of our love for the Lord? 56:17 If you loved Him better, 56:19 we'll probably serve Him better. 56:21 So what if you don't love the Lord enough, 56:24 what do you do? 56:26 I would like to suggest if you know Him better, 56:28 you'll love Him better. 56:30 How do you get to know Him better? 56:32 Spent time with the Lord in your devotions, 56:35 you know, whenever you're aware of God's presence 56:37 it's a lot easier to resist temptation. 56:40 When you know that the Lord is right with you. 56:42 Spend time in His word everyday, 56:43 are you doing that? 56:44 If nothing else would come from this conference, 56:46 if the men would have revival in their personal devotions 56:49 I can guarantee you, it would play itself out 56:52 into a higher standard of Christian living. 56:55 Spending more time with the Lord, 56:57 that's what the ammunition is, 56:58 that's what the sword is, that's what the sprit is 57:00 through walking with Christ. 57:02 If you love Him better, and you love Him more, 57:05 you'll serve Him better. 57:06 Is that your desire friends? Is that your prayer? 57:09 Why don't we stand together, we will close this session. 57:12 And don't forget there, the tips to temptations, 57:15 you can download this syllabus there at 57:17 the Amazing Facts website 57:19 and we put these things into practice, let's pray. |
Revised 2014-12-17