13 June 2010 - ENCS

After the offertory message said "just give it"
Pastor Kenneth continued the series "Just Live It"
He talked about temptation, which we have all seen
His first passage was 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13
God will not let us be tempted more than we can bear
He will provide a way out because He doth care
And no matter how many times to temptation we fall prey
We can still overcome it each and every new day

Pastor observed that to temptation we are desensitized
And are drawn to it, instead of fleeing, he surmised
Our weak points the devil knows
Things that we like he often shows
This strategy can be hard to fight
But we can win, with God's might

Pastor shared three characteristics of temptation
The first is temporary relief, aka instant gratification
The second is that temptations are lies from the enemy
This of course started in Genesis 3, verses 1 to 3
The third is that it strikes unexpectedly, when we are tired or inert
Per Peter 5: 8-9, we should be self-controlled and alert

Peter then told us four ways for temptation to be overcome
All have key words starting with W, that's not dumb

The first is to WAIT upon the Lord and learn to say no
To Psalms 33:20 and Lamentations 3:22-26 we should go
Waiting can be hard but worthwhile it will be
Just like discipline as in Hebrews 12:11 we can see
Philippians 4:11-13 tells us to be contented
That makes it hard for us to be tempted

The second is to WATCH out for one another
We need accountability from our Christian brother
Even wise Solomon fell, per 1 Kings eleven
We will all follow, if not for the grace of heaven
So confess to each other per James 5:16
In 1 John 1 :9, this command is also seen

The third is to exercise your WILL to build strong convictions now
Be like Daniel and live through testing fires, wow!
Philippians 4:8 tells us what to think about
To prepare for any crisis, there is no other route

The fourth is that the WORD of God will help us learn the truth
So read the Bible until you are long in the tooth
2 Timothy 3:16-17 and Hebrews 4:12
And Matthew 4:11 are verses you should delve
The latter told of Jesus' temptation
He used God's strength and of course meditation
John 8:31-32 and Psalms 43:3
Are other verses you should see

So in conclusion temptation can be overcome
Remember that to fear we should not succumb