Common Temptations

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.

1 Corinthians 10:13

We all have them, yours are different than mine, but it’s still the same emotion, days of victory and days of utter defeat.

There’s not any new temptations according to Apostle Paul. And even though sometimes I think mine are so pathetic that everyone else has won their battle with it, the scripture says I’ve gone through nothing that someone else hasn’t already faced. You may be facing it today.

You and I are not that weird.

Satan does not have anything new to use against us that he didn’t have in the day of Paul.

When I was a teen alcohol was an issue. Do you know that in Paul’s day, the people of the church would come in and get drunk on the communion wine? If you don’t believe me read 1 Corinthians 11. It’s in there.

It’s why the Baptist use grape juice. We can’t be trusted in the wine barrel.

How big of an issue is alcohol today? Not with teens only, but more so with adults who should know better. It’s an issue that can so easily out of control, and blind side the strongest of Christians even. Especially those prone to addiction. For which I have that personality and it would take nothing to get me over the edge of any addiction.

They didn’t have pornography as we do in Paul’s day, but they were so brazen, they were having scandalous relationships to the point Paul had to preach on it in 1 Corinthians 6 and it’s captured in the eternal word of God. So Satan doesn’t have anything new there either, he just has a new outlet. The internet. And while it’s done in secret with man, God still knows

Paul preached on corrupt conversations (Ephesians 4:29) How many things could fall into that category? Gossip, anger, criticism?) Finance issues, 1 Timothy 6:10,

Tell me these aren’t the same issues that we’re facing today. There is not new sin. Nothing’s changed since the garden. Man is still trying to make it on his and her own, without getting busted by God.

I heard a really deep sermon on this topic this week.  A lot of bible study had gone into it. I’m not going to tell you that I’ve done a lot of studying. But I can tell you that I’ve done a lot of thinking about how to speak on relevant topics of discussion for today. And going into tent meeting I wanted something for my own life to jerk a knot in me and say, “Shari, you can do better.”

If you want to be successful, you cannot continue dragging your heels in the dirt of this world, you’ve got to get up in the heavens where the air is clean and the sky is clear.

We’re seated in heavenly places the bible says.  

That may sound metaphoric, but it’s not.

This earth is disgusting. The preacher reminded us of a story of Billy Sunday, who was asked by a woman why he found the need to hold revivals all the time? And he asked her why she found the need to take a bath all the time? We need a bath for the same reason we need a revival. Because we’re dirty.

So I wanted to speak on something that is relevant and something that we can all agree is an issue. Dirt.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

The Lust of the Flesh

John Gill described it as “All unchaste thoughts, desires, words, and actions.”

Have you ever seen a time when there was more exposure to corrupt immoral behaviors? You can’t watch a commercial, a television show, movie, or even a child’s cartoon that it’s not there. It’s not only there, we don’t think twice about it. That is the scariest part. It’s on us and we don’t even try to wash it off.

I’m not sure how much it affects your world, but it certainly has been affecting mine. I don’t watch a lot of television during the day, but late at night, Netflix has been my go to source for entertainment. There’s hardly anything fit to watch. I finally resorted to watching kid shows because I needed to get a break from “too much adult content.” I’m not that grown up. My mind goes places it shouldn’t go. I’m just being real… And it always pops up in the middle of a sermon, or when I’m trying to be spiritual. It’s like someone is trying to sabotage my relationship with God. I wonder who that could be?

It ends up being two sabotages’. Satan, and me. I don’t want too, but I do.

The Lust of the Eyes

Sinful pleasures most generally begin with the eyes. Covetousness, vanity, idolatry… if we see it, we want it. We want to look like them, be like them, live like them… who are they? Anyone with something we don’t have.  It takes over our thoughts and desires and soon God is pushed to the side for stuff… It’s what takes people into a world of debt and destruction.

One poll that I read said that financial issues were 1/3 (it was the leading cause) of marriages ending. I don’t think that’s a shock. And I would dare to say that most of those debts came from the lust of the eyes. $50,000 dollar cars are standard issues for families. And the houses are beautifully insane.

Have you ever watched the shows where people are looking for a new home? I’ve pretty much stopped watching them because I couldn’t stand the bratty attitudes of the people who were appalled that a home only had 2,000 square feet. My home is less than ½ that. I lived in a tiny house before it was cool. Raised two girls here. And always felt inadequate because of people’s comments about other people’s houses and the fact that they unknowingly were speaking of me.

I’m not throwing stones. I have my own wants and desires that I could spill a list of. Some of which I need, and some of which, I just want. The lust of the eyes will take our eyes off what’s important.

The final of the three is

The Pride of Life

What seems to be meant is, “ambition and honor.” Titles.

Again have you seen it any worse than now when people are far less concerned about the ethics of work as they are about their position. Children are brought up in a world of entitlement and our next generation of employees just think they deserve a pay check for the same reason they deserved a trophy. Because they showed up. Not because they excelled.

The same thing is happening in the church. People feel like they’ve done enough because they showed up on Sunday morning and participated. They sang a song, they put their dollar in the offering, they shook the Pastor’s hand and told him he did a great job, now. Bring on the week and don’t think about it until next Sunday! And if you have a revival, don expect them to be their every night because that’s just too much.

I can guarantee some of our people feel that way, and I’m not worried about saying it, because I can almost guarantee they’re not watching me. Most of them don’t know I’m even on here, or what the Jesus Chick ministry is about.

This is where I broke down this morning.

I know this is what I’ve been called to do. But … those first two issues. The flesh and the eyes, have put me in a position that causes my family great issues financially. I want stuff. And stuff costs money, and I’m not really upset that I don’t have what I want, I’m more discouraged because sometimes I don’t have what I need to ministry work. And that causes me to want to go back into the world to get it. But there’s issues.

So this is where it got very relevant with me this morning. Do I trust God, or do I turn to man? And I think it’s where we all are in this world of dirt. This world gets on us and causes us to be uncertain about Heavenly things, because we can’t see them. It’s like my glasses most of the time. They have so much dirt and grime I can’t see clearly. Well, God cleared it up for me. I have to make a living… but not in the world. And that’s where I need to focus.

And then there was peace.

I hope you find yours today too…