No, sir, I will not yield! "They yielded to their intense cravings." Numbers 11:2 Cravings. Temptations. Unhealthy desires will not go away. We will continue to have them come across our path, our eyes, our appetites until we die. (Fun, eh?!) So, don't be fooled! A craving is not a sign that you need something, it is a sign that you want something. Need & want are very different from each other. Consider this; just because I committed to be faithful to one man (over 30 years ago now!) does not mean that I do not see or cannot be tempted to desire another. When I walked down that church isle and signed the marriage license, I did not become blind or desensitized to the world we live in. I would have to live as a hermit with no technology or people surrounding me to escape the visual & sensual propaganda that the devil throws my way. BUT, I made a vow. I chose to commit. I will not yield! So, don't be fooled! Temptation is always lurking around the corner, BUT you have Christ in your midst; the power of God to keep you from evil and to help you hold to your word. God is strong in your midst. Do not yield to temptation. Hold fast to your commitment and allow Jesus to be strong in you. Here are some great scriptures to hold on to ... 1 Corinthians 10:13 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. Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. http://www.flickr.com/photos/godsfingerprints And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. Acts 12:11 NKJV There's an old song that says, "He touched me ... something happened and now I know, He touched me ..." We've all been touched by God. We just might not realize it. We all got touched (so to speak) when we were created. God was hands on in the designing and creating of each of us. (Read Psalm 119:73) I just don't remember that one! But, sometimes in life, God gives us a special moment, where we actually have a sense that He has come down and touched us. Peter had that. He was in prison (again) and an angel jolted him out of his sleep. The image I have in my head as I read this is actually comical, for the angel was not passive. The Bible says that the angel 'struck' Peter on the side and pulled him up! Ha! So here's what my brain sees ... Peter sound asleep. An angel shows up with tons of light happening. Peter stays asleep. The angel gives him a boot in the side and yanks him up. He tells him to get dressed, put his shoes on and follow. Peter thinks he is dreaming. They go by the 1st and 2nd guard posts and when they come to the exit, which happens to be a large, iron gate, it opens all by itself! They walk out, go down the street a bit and the angel ... vanishes! Peter wakes up. (Read the whole story here) Have you ever been touched by God? Has He delivered you from something that held you in a prison of sorts? I have. He has touched me. He has delivered me and led me past the 1st and 2nd guard posts. He opened the massive iron gates without me even lifting a finger. He touched me and healed me. And I wasn't dreaming. So, I ask you again, has God touched you? If He has, tell someone about it. If He hasn't, ask Him to. |
Inquiring MINDS
Please inquire for the word of the LORD today. 1 Kings 22:5
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