Temptation is Optional

Matthew 26:41 - "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

God knows we are weak. Truly, we are but dust. That is why it is of paramount importance to continually be watchful over our hearts since we are but mortal flesh while upon earth. Temptations can and should be avoided as Jesus warns. He tells His disciples (and us) that watching and praying safeguards us against temptation. Jesus also tells us in The Lord's Prayer that temptation is not necessary. We must ask God not to lead us in a direction where we would wrestle with the possibility of sinning (Matthew 6:13). This is one of the outworkings of the fear of the Lord and His wisdom.

The Holy Spirit within will always speak wisdom within if we are listening. We often no longer listen when the flesh begins to rule and we allow temptation to tantalize and woo us by its siren call. However, when we feel that devilish wooing, we must quickly turn to God and repent, allowing the willingness of His Spirit to once again lead us away from the destruction that seeks to overwhelm us.

Spiritual Famine

Amos 8:11 - “'Behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord God, 'When I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.'"

As it was in Amos' day, so it is now. The context of the eighth chapter of Amos is one of great apostasy. The Nation of Israel had substituted greed for charity. They no longer sought the welfare of others, only what they could selfishly obtain. Therefore, the Lord told them He would send a famine of God's word upon the land. No longer would there be dream or vision to instruct the nation in their wickedness. The silence of God would be their eventual downfall.

Today, we have silenced God by replacing Him with our selfish pursuits. Far be it from us to miss a weekend at the lake rather than serving God in our local church! Or, how about that weekly prayer meeting God has been prompting us for weeks to attend? The world is sleeping in the dark as the church sleeps and relaxes in God's light. However, there is coming a day of reckoning when God will hold us accountable for how we have used our time. Beloved, the days are evil. Let us make the most of each day by including God in our plans. For a day is coming soon when our lives will be laid bare before His throne where we will all give an account.

Love's Foundation

Matthew 24:12 - "Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold."

Oftentimes, in today's world, relativity is not a good thing when it comes to proper discernment of what is right and wrong. In our modern culture, people like to suggest that intolerance is some type of bigotry. However what they might define as an intolerant mindset are actually precepts that can be quite foreign to those whose lives are ruled arbitrarily. God's law will always remain the same, just as absolutism in God's Word will never be diminished in heaven. However, on earth it is compromised every day with increased frequency.

As God's law becomes more irrelevant upon earth, likewise true Godly love becomes harder to find. As the Scriptures states, love for God will become nearly non-existent by the masses before His return. Therefore we who know Jesus must keep our lights burning brightly until the very end. It is our heritage to love God's law fervently, for in so doing, our love will be passionate for both God and man.

Right-sized

Matthew 23:12 - "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

In context with this verse, we must constantly be on guard against all forms of self-righteous Phariseeism. When we judge others without humility, not first looking to ourselves and our faults and failures, we exalt ourselves. This is a setup for a fall. Instead of doing someone good, we have done or spoke evil into their lives and also ours. Humility – the understanding of who we are in God -- ensures that when we do speak into another's life, it is with both grace and truth.

Self-righteousness is not only a deception, but it can become an addiction not unlike any other substance. It feeds the need of the flesh to feel empowered and significant. We should all heed James' words when he states that where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, every evil thing exists (James 3:16). May we all understand who we are in God and "right size" ourselves in humility so God can exalt us in due season.

God's Welcome

Acts 10:34-35 - "Opening his mouth, Peter said: 'I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.'"

God's welcome is to anyone who will observe His criteria to accept Him. The first criterion is the fear of the Lord which means to look to God in reverence and humility, knowing ultimately we are not God. Too often people attempt to come to the Lord by just doing "what is right." This is the trick of the enemy to lull us into believing we are gods and merely good works will save us.

There is salvation in no other than Jesus Christ, as Peter proclaimed to Cornelius in this passage. The centurion was a God-fearing man which allowed Him the rudimentary basics for God to welcome him into His kingdom (Acts 10:2). We must likewise understand that without our surrender of self and thinking that God is lucky to have our "good works," that God cannot welcome us. Instead, we make Him our enemy. May we all surrender in the fear of the Lord and seek to do what is right in His eyes so we may all one day hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master." (Matthew 25:23)

The Mark of a Pharisee

Matthew 21:26, 46 - "But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet. ... When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet."

Just as in Jesus' day, the great hallmark trait of a Pharisee is the fear of man. When a man or woman truly surrenders to God, they tremble before God with joy and the fear of the Lord. They understand that fearing what man might think in regard to their faith is superfluous and without merit. They have eyes upon Jesus and not on what others might say or do in a "religious" manner.

If we are not being seized by God and the things of Him, then we desire to seize Jesus to silence Him within. We are allowing our flesh to rule which will always seek to arrest Jesus and kill Him regarding His Lordship in our lives. Are we allowing Jesus full liberty within? Or, have we like the Pharisees a fear of man and selfish desire that seeks to elevate self? May we all submit to the fear of the Lord and allow Him to reign within us all.

Bringing Others to Jesus

Matthew 21:14 - "And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."

We are deceived if we believe that people will come to the Lord by their own power. Jesus gave us explicit instructions to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19). Making disciples is often messy work. Often, we must go out of our way to bring those infirmed – both spiritually and physically – to the Lord so He can heal them in body, soul, and spirit.

In order for us to bring them into "the temple," we must be equipped to do so. Have we a relationship with the Lord where we can lead others to a place of peace and rest in Christ? Have we surrendered ourselves to Jesus so we can boldly come before Him for others? There are many blind that need our guidance and many lame that might need us to carry them to the Lord. May we all have the wisdom to do so when called upon by the Holy Spirit.