Don't Take the Bait!

Swallowing the Bait

Three animals were having a huge argument over who was the best.
The first, a hawk, claimed that because of his ability to fly, he could attack anything repeatedly from above, and his prey had hardly a chance.
The second, a lion, based his claim on his strength. No animal in the forest dared to challenge him, for they could not overpower him.
The third, a skunk, insisted he needed neither flight nor strength to frighten off any animal using his unique arsenal. No one could outrun his attack.
As the trio debated and deliberated the issue, a grizzly bear came along and swallowed them all: hawk, lion, and stinker!

All were wrong about the inability of others to escape them, to the point that they didn’t escape!

The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”.

In the world in which we live, no one is exempt from temptation, in fact, not even God’s dear Son was while He was on earth. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus was tempted in all ways, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) We are taught in scripture that temptation itself is not sin—giving in to temptation is.

If you’re a member of humanity, it’s a common thing to be tempted. During these testing times, such temptation can MAKE or BREAK you. The devil’s purpose is to accomplish the latter of the two. If he can get us to “swallow the bait” that our situation is unlike any others, then he has hooked us. He wants us to think our temptation is special, rather than common.

Temptation may be different in SORT, but it can be the same in SEVERITY. There is a difference between a headache and a toothache, but the level of pain can be the same in both cases. To imagine your case to be the worse of the two is incorrect. If, when you are tempted, you feel yours is unlike the temptation of your fellow believers, then you will justify and excuse your yielding and take liberties that you mistakenly believe God will understand and condone.

Jesus instructed us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”

An experiment was conducted at Stanford University in the 1970s designed to investigate the power of temptation. Children were each given a marshmallow. They were told if they waited 15 minutes before they ate the marshmallow they would get a second one. Or, they could eat the marshmallow immediately, but they would not get a second one later.

Some went for the immediate payoff; others held back, distracting themselves from eating the marshmallow by singing, trying to sleep or covering their eyes. A decade later, researchers tracked down the children and found that those who had waited for the second marshmallow got better grades and were more self-confident. And what this research made clear, lines up closely with what the Bible teaches. There’s a definite benefit to the ability to resist temptation.

God makes “a way to escape” fiery temptations, but we must choose it. If one does not avail himself or herself of a fire escape that has been provided for all, then he or she can expect the awful consequence.

Don’t take the bait. Resist temptation and find the way of escape—it is there if you need it.

WHY GOD WHY?

QUESTIONING GOD

Someone has said, “It is alright to ask God a question, but wrong to question Him.”

Jesus falls under the heading of the former, when on the cross He asks God, “God, Why hast thou forsaken me?”

Israel in the wilderness fits into the category of latter, when they questioned God by saying, “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?”

When we question Gods WAYS we are well within reason. When we question Gods CHARACTER (as Job found out) we are on shaky ground at best.

The world is full of wrong, and we aren’t wrong when we wonder why.

We go wrong when we try to blame God for it. The Bible is very clear that He is not the author of sin, and that the effects of sin aren’t his fault but ours and the devils.

As God’s “earthen vessels,” it is never acceptable to question Him as to why He made us the way we are. Or, as Paul so vividly illustrates this very thing in Romans, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” The comparison he makes is between a jug and a vase.

Magazines, MTV and a multitude of other media create a mold that many, especially young ladies, think they are supposed to fit into. In reality, even those represented don’t fit into such a mold with makeup , costume, cosmetic surgery and sometimes even computer generated help!

Young men think they are supposed to act like thugs who disrespect women and flaunt immorality and drug abuse in order to “fit in”. That’s not God’ fault. Man's mistakes are made when he disagrees with God’s design and starts making his or her own patterns. The finished product is a failure when it is man made.

One of the secrets of being comfortable in your own skin is in realizing that God made your skin and put you in it!
We are not all the same, but we all had the same Maker. Though we are all from the same clay, a jug is not a vase. When you come right down to it, it really doesn’t make that much difference. All of us, (Christians) have the same treasure within.

Whether it is a crock-pot, or fine china, it is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

WHICHEVER WAY THE WIND BLOWS

(Preached after a series of Tornadoes swept through our area last Spring)

“WHICHEVER WAY THE WIND BLOWS”
Jeremiah 10:10-13


John 3:8 "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

It is one thing to hear about such winds on the news, but it is another thing altogether to be in the midst of such a storm.



I. DANGEROUS WINDS WITH HEARTBREAKING OUTCOME

A. Winds Of HERESY
Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
The winds they are a blowing!

B. Winds Of HOUSEHOLD
Proverbs 27:15- 16 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,
C. Winds Of HARVEST
Hosea 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind….

II. DIFFICULT WINDS OF HARSH OPPOSITION

There are always nice people who live in the path of the Hurricane.
They did not invite the storm, but it still comes.

A. CONTRARY WINDS Mark 6:45-51 & Acts 27 “against”
Do you ever feel like everything is against you?
Me neither-except when I am awake.
“tropical DEPRESSION”

B. CORRECTING WINDS
Jonah 1:4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
Jonah 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise,
that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of
Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better
for me to die than to live.

C. CONNECTING WINDS Acts 27:4-14
Some of you have a situation with your FAMILY…others with FRIENDS…within the CHURCH.
Thank God, God gave a WORD in the Storm…and He has a WAY in the Storm!!!!

III. DIVINE WINDS OF HEAVENLY ORIGIN

"He bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:7).

A. WINDS OF PREPARATION

The Egyptians were in Hot pursuit and the Israelites were in a horrible panic. It was a sleepless night. Defeat seemed inevitable- they were in trouble on all sides, but while they were a worrying, God was working! Suddenly the tents began to sway. The breeze was blowing! Then it grew stronger! “Oh great, as if we don’t already have enough problems, now this!”

Exodus 14:21 “ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the
sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”

B. WINDS OF PRESCENCE
2 Samuel 5:21-25
And there they left their images, and David
and his men burned them. And the
Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim
. And when
David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass
behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let
it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out
before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as the
LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to
Gazer.
No night is so dark to hide His face,
No storm is too rough to be calmed by His grace,
No wind is so strong to stay His hand,
No mountain so great to resist His command

C. WINDS OF POWER
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
THE WIND IS A POWER GENERATING FORCE

Wind mills have been used for thousands of years to grind grain and pump water for irrigation
Modern wind farms can generate the same amount of electrical power as a nuclear power plant!
For centuries the wind has been used in sailing to carry ships and boats across the seas

The WIND Brings Things With It…….

It brings showers
* Showers come from God!
* God wants to shower His blessings upon YOU.
* God wants to shower His blessings upon this church!


Pray for the Wind of the Holy Spirit to blow upon us, within us, and through us!!!

When the stormy winds blow, be like Paul in Acts 27 and "Be of good cheer" (verse 22).

God can handle the wind and get you safely to the shining shore!


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The Right Mixture

The Right Mixture

Hebrews 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being MIXED with faith in them that heard it.”

Someone said, "Faith is like calories. You may not see it, but you can see its results."

Romans 10:17 tells us that “ … faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Notice the connection is a concoction. The one requires the other. If there is no belief, there is no benefit. The mixture matters immensely. If we are to profit from God’s precepts, we must have all the ingredients.

God’s revelation requires the right mixture of FAITH and FACTS. The Bible cannot benefit if it is only held in the hand and not the heart. Both the baker and the scientist realize the importance of proper ingredients. The right mixture is of paramount importance. Our founding fathers realized this too.

John Adams warned his fellow countrymen in 1798 by stating, " Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Those who say that faith and politics do not mix, are incorrect and ignorant of both history and reality.

Every voter’s faith plays a part at the poll. This November, let us pray it is the right mixture –in more ways that one!