Category: Temptation

How to Guard Against Temptation

On By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomer, Temptation, Wait on the LordLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 14:38

Bible Text: 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I was touched by the fact that Jesus was going through so much emotionally in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He didn’t get upset with his disciples over not caring about Him. Instead, Jesus gave them advice that they could use long after He had left them. He probably was also ministering to Peter for being such a ‘motor-mouth’, when he told Jesus that he would stick with Him through ‘thick and thin’, so Jesus had to remind him here that his spirit might be willing, but his body is weak. So what is the application in this verse for us today? I believe there are several things:

  1. Unless we ‘watch‘, for the advisory (Satan) – being on guard for the things that are opposing God and His perfect design, then Satan will pounce on us through various temptations, causing us to sin against God;
  2. Unless we ‘pray‘ to the Master and depend on His strength, His wisdom and His power, then we will quickly fall into the trap of Peter, where our spirit might be willing and wanting to obey God, but the weakness of our flesh will push us towards the things of this world and its master – Satan;
  3. No matter how willing our spirit and personal desire might be, we are weak without the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that God has empowered us with. We must therefore learn to call on God and depend on Him for ALL things – even those things that we feel very capable of handling ourselves, to avoid failure and being ‘sucked in’ by the advisory. Remember, we can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST, who strengthens us! He’s our Rock, our Redeemer and our soon coming King!

Have you surrendered your life to Him friend? Will He recognize your voice when you call on Him as being one of His? It you have doubt, may I encourage you to read my ‘Footnote’ and follow my suggestions, so that you may KNOW – without a doubt, whose you are?

Prayer

Lord Jesus I thank You for Your awesome love and for caring for us, even when we should be thinking about others. You know what we need, and just as You expressed to Peter and his teammates in the garden, I believe You are still very interested in seeing Your children live according to Your will and way, because of being totally surrendered to You. In and of our own strength, we can do nothing towards being holy or totally dedicated to our calling of being ‘little Christs’ – Christians. We need You to help us live noble Christian lives in this world of hate, strife and sin. Not only will we be able to do all thing through Christ who strengthens us, but Lord I believe You will be at liberty to do all things through us – those who have totally surrendered to You and very open to allowing You to work through us. May You accomplish great things today Heavenly Father, and may we be found acceptable in Your sight, so that You may work through us, if need be. In total humility and surrender to You, I am asking these things dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Temptation – Jesus’ Greatest Concern?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Guidance, Protection, Temptation2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 22:39-40; 45-46
Today’s Bible Text: 39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: I believe that the passage surrounding these verses probably relate one of the most challenging times in the life of Jesus. I find that when we have a lot on our minds about our health, security or life in general, we tend to be concerned about the welfare of others we love at the same time. And this is exactly what happened to our Lord, for He shared with His disciples what His greatest concern was for them. In fact, I am sharing two sections of Luke 22, because in each case Jesus shared the same concern – “pray, pray, pray that you will not give in to temptation”. That tells me that Jesus knew there would be temptation, and that it would be one of the greatest challenges for His disciples to contend with. Just as I was reminded, I want to also remind you, my readers, that this is probably one of our greatest challenges each day also. I believe that we tend to think of temptation in the light of inappropriate thoughts or actions towards the opposite sex. But friends, let’s remember that Satan is out to tempt us away from the path God has designed for us in every aspect of our daily walk. Every aspect. Satan uses our family, friends, coworkers or even casual acquaintances to tempt us to lie, cheat, steal, look the other way, speak inappropriately, or any other temptation you can think of. Just as Jesus was concerned about this particular problem with His disciples, I am certain that He is also holding His breath in concern for us also. So what’s our role, you might ask. Let us keep our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus at all times. Let’s ask Him to direct our thoughts, our minds, our speech, our attitudes, our eyes and our hearts so that they may all lead us towards Christ, and not in the opposite direction. With God’s help, we can do this friends!

Prayer: Dear Father, please lead us not into temptation, but deliver us – every fiber of our being, from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the glory, for ever, and forever, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

What Is Your Shield When Tempted?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomers, Temptation, Tried2 Comments

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: Luke 4:9–13
Today’s Bible Text: 9–11       For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
12       “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13       That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.
The Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take Away: I believe that many of us may feel like we are exempt from temptation. Perhaps it’s because we work around the church, or perhaps we stay in the country most of our lives and hardly ever visit the city, where it appears like sin is rampant. Perhaps we thank God because we might even be the pastor of a church, and we really don’t hit the streets too much, so temptation is at a bare minimum, we might think. Friends, Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan river, and He left the scene ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. But He was not led to the temple to escape the temptations of the world, instead He was led by the same Spirit, that led Him to be baptized, into the Wilderness where Satan tried to see what He really stood for. Now most church attendees know this story well, for they know that Jesus was tempted three times, and each time Jesus quoted scripture to defend His stand against Satan. In the above verses you can read the third temptation, where even Satan quoted scripture as he tempted Jesus. Does this make you think about the possibility of a wolf in sheep’s clothing? You know, that it is possible where even someone at church who appears to be very close to God, yet they might tempt you in some way? Possibly, yes! Does this mean that it might be possible that someone who is constantly quoting scripture to, or around you, might actually be the very one that might take Satan’s place in tempting you? Possibly, yes! Friends, verse 13 is really what caught my attention, as God warns us that Satan may have appeared to have retreated from us, but he is really lying in wait for another opportunity – a weak moment. Jesus used scripture to defend Himself against the power of Satan, what will be your shield, or your defense mechanism? I am convinced that none of us are exempt, so unless we have our minds made up and our shield in place, guess what? We are prime candidates for Satan to advance from his waiting position and harp on us next. Friends, may I encourage you to seek God’s face and acknowledge your unworthiness, and your helplessness to fight against the evil one? Our strength comes from the Lord, friends. Let us then lift up our heads to the only One powerful enough to fight the awful temptation that lurks around the corner every day. Jesus is our Protector, Friend, Lord of all lords, King of all kings, Master of this universe and our soon coming King! Let us then be found faithful and true each and every day!

Prayer: Father, we acknowledge You as Lord of this universe and Lord over our lives. I acknowledge You as my personal Savior and King. Please help us to stay so close to You Lord Jesus, that Satan will hit a brick wall every time that He comes our way. We need You Lord Jesus, for we want others to see You very prevalent in our lives so that they might be convinced of Your power and Your love, and therefore have a growing desire to invite You into their lives. For those who call You Lord, please protect us today and make us strong against the evil deeds of Satan. Only through Your power can we overcome the evil one, so we are depending heavily on Your everlasting love and power. I ask all this in the name of Jesus, the All-Powerful One, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

The Source of Temptation

On By Ed AlgreenIn Sin, Temptation, weaknessesLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: James 1:12–14
Today’s Bible Text: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when 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.
The Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take Away: We tests aspects of life every day to prove whether it’s parameters are properly maintained, and whether we are truly bound by the parameters we have been told. For example, we are often tempted to procrastinate and push the limits on time restraints. Whether it’s a getting up challenge, or a lunch period or even a driving to work challenge. We believe that we could push ourselves for an extra 5 or 10 minutes of personal time and still be where we need to be on time. We often break the speed limit driving, because we convince ourselves that no one is pulled over for driving just 5 mph over the posted limits. So we are tempted to speed with hopes that it will gain the few minutes we lost in our delayed departure. James has reminded us in this passage today that temptations will come, but that we should never pull God into the picture and assume that He is tempting us, for He is never tempted to do wrong, nor would He tempt us. Instead James points us to the source of our temptation – our sinful, prideful, boastful selves. So how do we deal with this problem of temptation? Our words and our actions are inspired by all that is within us. If we fill ourselves with the things of God, we will understand more clearly the mind of Christ and the perfect will of the Father, and our decisions will flow based on all that the Spirit of God leads us to do or say. If we reflect on a decision we made, or perhaps a scenario where we conceded to temptation, then we have an obligation to our Father to seek His forgiveness, and draw ourselves even closer to Him so that our ongoing decisions will be influenced by Him. Be reminded friend, that when you are tempted to do wrong, it is sourced from our own evil desires, so let’s quickly get the ‘source’ cleaned up to avoid a further erosion of our faith and witness.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the example You set before us when the Devil thought that he would tempt You. Your Word is a light unto our path and contains the strength to protect us in every aspect of life. Lord, may we be found faithful in all circumstances of life, especially in those areas where it appears like no one else will notice. May we keep the temple of Your Holy Spirit so pure and filled, that our lives will overflow with Your goodness and have a strong determination to let You rule, and overrule all personal decisions that may be powered by temptation. May You be the victor in all things, so that others may recognize you and be drawn to You, Heavenly Father.

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016

Help For The Tempted

On By Ed AlgreenIn Temptation, VictoryLeave a comment

THE HOLY BIBLE (The Contemporary English Version – Hebrews 2:14-18): 14 We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. 15 But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. 16 Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.

THOUGHTS: Jesus became man and can therefore identify with mankind – our issues and our temptations. In this scripture today in verse 18, we are reassured that Jesus can help us when tempted. I believe this is an excellent reminder for us, for when we are tempted we must quickly be reminded that we have a choice. A choice to seek help to prevent us from sinning, or we do nothing and allow that temptation to lead us into a sinful situation. Much is shown in scripture about how Jesus was faced with temptation and what He did to overcome it. He called on His Father and depended on the Word of God. Jesus set the example for us, so I believe that not only does He have power to help us overcome, but He also wants us to follow His example. Friends, temptations will come. It is up to us to seek the power and strength of our Father, or to ignore the example set for us by His Son and allow it to control our destiny. I would urge you to join me in seeking the strength and wisdom of our Master and allow Him full control of our lives, and not simply allow the wishes of Satan to see us fail through giving in to temptation and the sin that results from caving in to that, for Jesus can help anyone who is tempted!

PRAYER: Father, You know what our day will hold long before we place our feet on the floor each day. You are well aware of the temptations that Satan will send our way to test our faith and our walk with You. In Your wisdom You have given us choices, even though You know that we are so incapable and inadequate within the confines of our own abilities. Thankfully You have given us a Savior who is all-knowing and all-powerful, who can guide us to all truth and towards a life that is pure and without sin. We know that this is only possible with Your strength Lord, so today I want to plead with You for extra power and strength to always surrender tempting situations to You, and bathe them in the blood of Jesus so that we will fight against these with the almighty power of God the Father. You are able Lord, and I am not. Please help me to not even attempt to deal with the Evil one, but instead seek Your power to deal with him and overcome the temptations that he will send my way. For I ask this in the all-powerful name of Jesus, my Lord, with thanksgiving, AMEN!

 

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!