September 20, 2018

Who Do You Worship?

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the LORD your God, and serve him only.’” – Matthew 4:10

Do you remember when Jesus said this? It was when He was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. The devil had offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all of their splendor. He promised it to Jesus if He would only do one thing: worship Satan.

Of course, we’re to worship God first. We know that. It’s one of the Ten Commandments. We would never bow down and worship another god. That’s what we say anyway. But are you sure?

There are many types of gods in our lives, whether we acknowledge them as such or not. For some, their god becomes the volunteer work they’re committed to. It becomes their life and everything else revolves around it. Volunteer work is a good thing. Surely, it is. Until it becomes more important that God.

Another common god is money. There are those who will do anything, sacrifice anything, to earn more and more money. They are never satisfied. Every dollar seems to fuel a need for ten more. It’s what they think about constantly. Money has replaced God in their hearts.

Or consider the children in your life. They are gifts from God and, surely, we are to prize them above all else. Except how often do we opt out of time with God because the kids’ activities interfere with it? How often do we miss church because of a sporting event? How often do we forgo tithing because that new pageant dress or tech toy that all the other kids have is really more than we can afford? We want our kids to be the best and have the best – even if that means God gets less and less and less.

Is any of this making sense yet? Whatever you focus your time and attention on the most is what you worship. It is your idol. It is what you value more than God.

Don’t get me wrong. None of the things I’ve mentioned, nor any of the many others I could have mentioned, are bad. They aren’t. It’s good to volunteer. It’s good to work hard. It’s good to give and do for your children. It’s when it reaches an extreme that it starts to edge deeper into your heart, pulling you farther and farther away from God.

God wants your heart. He wants all of you, but He understands that it’s our heart that determines how the rest of us will go. God made us with a thirst that only He can quench. One pastor called it a worship chip. It’s the only thing that will fill us up and make us whole.

When we try to shove all the other things of our lives into that hole, it only pulls us away from God and makes us miserably unhappy. We are made to worship God first and nothing else will ever satisfy us.

So, the next time you find your focus pulling away from God stop and consider your priorities. The next time you make a choice that puts something or someone before God, take a moment to really think about why you are making that choice. The slope away from God is slippery. Satan makes sure of that. Don’t let him lead you someplace you never intended to go by worshipping an idol you never intended to worship.

June 12, 2018

Keep Your Guard Up

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fail!"

– 1 Corinthians 10:12

It’s easy to get cocky, isn’t it? We know we’re good at something. We feel confident we can do it. We believe that we won’t ever mess up, that nothing will ever go wrong, that we won’t make the mistakes others have made.

Until we do. Then all the world is looking at us, remembering all the hateful and mean putdowns we made when they were the ones making mistakes. We thought we were stronger that everyone else. We thought we were smarter than everyone else.

We weren’t. In this verse, Jesus is talking about temptation. In this passage, He tells us not to let our guard down. Jesus also tells us that God always provides a way out.

Jesus knew a thing or two about temptation. Remember when He went into the wilderness and the devil tempted Him? He also frequently faced traps the Pharisees set for Him. They wanted to trick Jesus but it never worked.

We aren’t always so wise. We walk into a trap, oblivious for what awaits us. We think it will be different for us. It never is.

It’s not always about something major. It’s really the little things. We probably aren’t going to go out and rob a bank. We understand that is stealing and it’s wrong. But how about padding your expense account? That’s stealing too but “everyone” does it so we tell ourselves it’s okay.

We also think the cut-throat co-worker won’t come after us. We know their techniques. We’re too smart to fall for the trap. Until we do.

It’s worse when the person is a friend or family member. We didn’t see it coming. We weren’t watching closely. We never thought they would do what they so clearly did and we let our guard down. We pay a heavy price for that.

A few months ago I sold some cows. That’s not unusual in my world. But this time I was selling a cow that I’d been told was wild and would turn on me. She’d never been aggressive toward me at all. I questioned the men who told me this closely. They were adamant that I needed to sell her before she hurt me.

Because I respected the men who told me to sell her, I did. When it was time to load her on a trailer, she tried to kill me and the three cowboys who were loading her. It was a really scary situation. When the cowboys told me to step back and let them handle it, I didn’t need them to tell me twice. I will never be the same.

I am thankful for the two men who warned me about her. And I am thankful that God provided me with the wisdom to follow their advice even when it made no sense to me. Life is like that sometimes. We don’t understand why God doesn’t want us to do something or why He leads us in a direction we never planned to travel. Will we be obedient to a God who truly knows what is best for us or will we be too stubborn to head His warning?

This journey is fraught with dangerous potholes. We can pay attention and heed the warning signs or we can charge ahead, overly confident of our abilities. God gives us the choice. Choose wisely.

February 20, 2018

Stay Alert

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. – Matthew 4:1

Satan is a sore loser. Even though he has already lost, he continues to plague God’s people. We are temped again and again but we have the power within us to resist the devil. If we use it.

Jesus gave us a perfect example to follow. Of course, we aren’t perfect people. Still, it is a lesson all of us should consider, especially on the tough days. The devil waited until Jesus was at his most vulnerable to tempt Him. Satan does the same with us.

Jesus was hungry. He’d fasted for forty days and nights. Can you imagine? And that is where the first temptation came.

“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loves of bread.” – Matthew 4:3

Don’t miss the word “if”. That’s one of Satan’s most powerful words. He wants to make us doubt who we are as God’s children.

Jesus was ready with Scripture. Are you? Can you, will you, confront Satan’s lies with God’s Word?

But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4

Satan wasn’t finished. He never really is. Satan will continue to attack us, again and again. The one thing the devil doesn’t want is for God’s children to walk by faith.

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” – Matthew 4:6

Do you ever challenge God? Do you test His love for you? Do you ask God again and again to prove His love by giving you the desires of your flesh?

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” – Matthew 4:7

The devil’s attack continued. Just like with us. Have you ever gone through a season where you wondered where God was and why He was allowing the repeated attacks against you? (Read Job for a good lesson on this.) Most of us have been there. The closer we come to God, the more intense the attacks from Satan.

And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” – Matthew 4:9

Oh, we would never worship the devil. Would we? What do you value most in your life? Your home? Your job? Your status? Your bank account? A good test: What would you give up for Jesus? Ah. That’s a different story. We’re all about Jesus until He asks us to sacrifice something we really, really want.

“Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” – Matthew 4:10

Who do you serve? What do you worship? Satan will continue to prowl this earth and seek to destroy God’s children until Jesus returns and finishes him off forever. In the meantime, remain alert. Call upon God’s Word. We are in a war that, thankfully, Jesus has already won.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Things Will Never Fill Us Up

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

-- Matthew 4:8-10

What are you craving right now? Are you lusting after a giant piece of chocolate cake? Do you want a new car? Or maybe those designer boots you saw online? Maybe more than anything else you’d like two tickets to a major college football game?

Whatever it is that you want, you’re just following that American dream. It’s what we’re programmed for at birth. To want bigger and better. To have more than we’ve ever dreamed of having and certainly more than we could possibly ever use. It’s no wonder that the storage building business is booming.

Pastor Danny recently told us about the worship chip each of us have inside our bodies. God created us with something akin to a homing devise so that we’ll always be seeking Him. The thing is, only God can fill us up inside. But that doesn’t stop us from trying every other way we can to make it happen.

That desperate attempt to satisfy the worship chip leads to two awful conditions: Affluenza and Credititus. Those two conditions frequently go together. Either is enough to send us into a downward financial spiral from which we might not recover.

It all goes back to that American dream and what society tells us we have to have to be happy. It’s isn’t enough to have a nice house in a safe neighborhood. We’ve got to want a better house in an affluent neighborhood. We’ve got to have a new car even when the old one runs just fine. We’ve got to go on a fabulous vacation when a trip to the beach a short drive away would be just as enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the only way to afford all that stuff that society tells us we have to have leads to using credit cards again and again. We don’t think too much about it. Pulling out a piece of plastic just doesn’t have the same impact as paying with cash. It lets us forget, at least for a little while, that we’re digging a hole for ourselves and for our future.

Satan tempted Jesus, promising Him everything the world offered. And Jesus said no. Jesus understood that no amount of things could ever replace God when it comes to filling us up inside.

It is possible to just say no. It is possible to walk away. To be content with what you have. To give a little more to those in need. To spend more time with Jesus and less with the world and its ridiculous demands. To fill yourself up with God’s love and know that you are complete right where you are.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Stay Strong Against Temptation

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

-- Hebrews 2:18

Jesus was a homeless man. He was rejected and ridiculed. Threatened. Betrayed. Insulted. Murdered.

We try to gloss over all that as we see this God-Man who suffered so greatly for us. We don’t really want the details, unless it’s in a movie and everyone else is going. Even then, we convince ourselves that all that drama is, well, drama. Not real. Surely, not real.

But it was. And He did. And because He did, Jesus understands our broken hearts. He also knows that we can resist the temptations that lead to excuses that always end in disaster.

Oh. You weren’t expecting that? Well, we’ve always got an excuse when we do something we knew ahead of time we really shouldn’t have done.

Mistakes are natural. We all make them. But it’s what happens after the mistake that makes all the difference. Do we admit our mistakes, take responsibility, change what we can and move on? Or do we hide behind excuses, wallowing in internal guilt even as outwardly we deny responsibility?

I know. Jesus is, well, Jesus. He’s perfect. But because He came to earth as the Son of Man, Jesus was tempted in all the ways we are tempted. And He resisted. He did not sin.

It wasn’t easy. It couldn’t have been easy. No one could suffer that much abuse, give that much of Himself, and call it easy. But Jesus found strength in His Father. Our Father. He spent time every day with the One who is I AM.

That is the key. Jesus spent time every day with God. Alone. He poured out His agony. He sought advice. Guidance. Strength. He was One with His Father and Jesus called us to be the same.

We all face temptation. Those who say otherwise are only denying themselves and the reality we all face. It’s easy to say “walk away.” Because sometimes we can’t walk away when temptation is all around us.

We aren’t supposed to remove ourselves from this fallen world. We are to be the light amidst the darkness. How do we avoid that slippery path downward? Look to Jesus. See the Father. And surround yourself with people who do the same.

Satan loves to tempt those who belong to Jesus. It is not an easy path but we can find strength to stand and to begin again when we fall. Find it in Jesus and the Father. Every day.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Avoid Bad Influences

Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. -- Galatians 6:1

Some people are best avoided. I know. It’s just plain and simple advice. All of us have people in our lives who bring out the worst in us and the best way to deal with it is to just avoid being around them as much as we can.

The reasons they are a bad influence are varied. Maybe they aren’t honest. Maybe they have a drug or alcohol problem. Maybe they don’t share your values. Whatever the reason, they seem determined to take you down with them.

You’ve heard the comments. “Oh, what’s one more drink?” or “Surely, you can afford to buy that for yourself?” or “It’s okay. Nobody will ever know who took it.” Yeah. They’ve got a lot of excuses.

And if you don’t go along, they’ve got plenty to say about that too. “What are you, a goody two-shoes?” “Surely you don’t need to check with your spouse about every thing you buy?” or “Are you afraid you can’t handle it?” They’d like to force you into doing what they want by turning it into an issue of pride or respect.

If you’re wise, you resist. But sometimes it’s hard. It really is. Because you want that new pair of shoes you really don’t need and can’t afford. Or you figure who’ll notice those office supplies missing. Or you tell yourself that one more drink can’t possibly make that much difference in your ability to drive home. Temptation is everywhere.

There’s another group of people that’s best to avoid as well. Those are the ones who really get on your nerves. They call you incessantly. They ask the same questions again and again. They’re slow. They’re clumsy. They’re, well, they just can’t help being who they are anymore than you can help being who you are.

But they make it really hard to control that evil tongue of yours. You find yourself wanting to lash out in the worst way. You dislike yourself for disliking them. You even think bad thoughts about them. You know it’s all sin. We’re supposed to love everyone, especially the people we really don’t like.

So, sometimes the best course of action is to stay away from people who lead you to sin. I know sometimes it’s not easy. Family members are some of the worst when it come to this. But the more you limit your time with them, the easier it will be to resist the temptations. And the more you resist the temptations, the better influence you’ll be for them.

And that’s how it should be. Paul tells us to help people return to the right path but he also warned us about not falling into that temptation ourselves. Sometimes that means keeping those who tempt us with their sin at a healthy distance from our lives.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Battle Lies With God’s Word

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” -- Genesis 3:1

The serpent didn’t tempt Eve blatantly. He didn’t urge her to disobey God. In fact, his statement had a measure of truth. God said Adam and Eve could eat from all the trees in the garden -- except one.

The serpent explained that God didn’t want Eve to eat from the tree because her eyes would be opened and she would be like God, knowing good and evil. We see the roots of wanting what we’re told we can’t have. We still haven’t learned that God does know best.

Instead, we’ve allowed Satan to subtly enter our minds. We doubt God’s promises. We doubt that God will take care of us. We doubt that God loves us always. We doubt that we are enough for God.

Maybe if Satan’s lies were blatant we wouldn’t be so apt to be mislead. We can deny so many charges. Most of us are decent people trying to live good lives. But negative comments have a way of lodging themselves in our minds, resurfacing when we are at our weakest. We believe Satan’s lies rather than God’s truth.

How do we fight it? God’s Word. Learn to quote Scripture back at Satan. Jesus modeled this for us when He spent 40 days and nights in the desert being tempted by Satan. Matthew tells us that Jesus quoted God’s Word back to Satan, refusing to give in to Satan’s schemes.

We can do the same thing. When Satan tells us we aren’t good enough, we can remind him and us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) When Satan tells us that we are in over our heads, not pretty enough, not smart enough, or any other lie, we can remind him and ourselves that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

We aren’t likely to ever conquer insecurity. It’s one of those battles we’ll always fight because we’ll continue to look around us, comparing ourselves to others, and looking down on who we are. But we can refuse to give Satan a foothold. We can battle his every attack with God’s Word.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Be Careful of Slippery Slope

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. -- 1 Corinthians 10:13

We want to believe that once we’ve traveled a bad road, learned our lesson, and straightened out our lives we will never, ever travel that path again. And that thought is the beginning of a dangerous journey.

It’s one of the many reasons I applaud programs such as Celebrate Recovery. People gather together to celebrate their success and support each other as they continue their journey. We all need that support.

Not just for alcohol or drug recovery. We want to think that other issues are somehow different. They aren’t. We can easily slip back into the people we once were. We can become angry. We can lie. We can mess up our finances. We can make bad relationship choices. Again. And again. And again.

Satan knows exactly which buttons to push. He knows that when we start feeling sure of ourselves, when we begin to think that we’re in control, that’s when we are most vulnerable. Because the stronger we feel, the less we rely on God. And that can never be anything but disaster.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. -- 1 Corinthians 10:12

Paul tells us that while God will never allow Satan to tempt us beyond what we can resist -- with God’s help. We can’t do it alone. No matter how much we want to believe that we can, we can’t.

Nor are we any better, any stronger, than those around us. We want to believe that we would never make the choices that someone else might make. Maybe not. Because my buttons are different from yours and yours are different from someone else’s. But buttons are buttons. And we can all fall when we think that we’re stronger than we really are.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the person I used to be. I’m thankful for the experiences. I’m grateful that God used those experiences to draw me closer to Him. But I don’t want to go back. Ever.

So I hang on to God with all I have. I know how fragile I really am. But I also know how strong God is. I hang on to Him with everything I’ve got, knowing that He’ll never, ever let me go.

Friday, May 20, 2011

God Fills The Void 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

-- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have you ever wanted something so bad you were almost obsessed by it? And then felt guilty because you wanted something when you already had so much and others had so little?

I’m not talking about cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or any other kind of addiction. I’m also not talking about things like healing from disease. No. I’m talking about a thing. An object. Something for joy, for use on this earth but certainly not something that is necessary.

We’ve probably all been there before. For some folks, they simply buy whatever it is. Money isn’t an issue. For the rest of us, we agonize over it. Want doesn’t mean need. Nor does it mean we can afford it. So instead of joy that thing we crave brings us unhappiness. Especially when we stop and remember how much we have compared to so many others.

And what happens if we get that thing we so desperately want? Will we continue to love and treasure it after the new has worn off? Or will we cast it aside like so many other things we thought we had to have but found didn’t fill us up like we thought it would?

Only God can fill that void inside of us. No matter what temptations draw us forward, we can resist. We can think it through. We can make decisions based on need and not momentary want. We can focus on what is real and true. God’s Word. His truth. That is real. That is valuable. That is forever.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Be Ever Watchful

Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. -- Genesis 13:10-11a

It looked good. Really. It did. Lot and Abram were parting ways and Abram told Lot to choose where he wanted to go. So Lot chose what looked best. I can understand that. It's all about economics, even back then. Lot wanted the best grazing lands and plenty of water for himself.

Lot probably wasn't worried that the land was really close to Sodom. So what? He wasn't worried that the people of Sodom were wicked and greatly sinning against God. He could resist the temptations. Sodom's evil ways wouldn't interfer with the prosperity Lot planned for himself. Nope. Lot wasn't worried at all. He should have been. And so should we when we choose to spend time with people who don't follow God's laws.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to ignore nonbelievers. We're supposed to help them and tell them about Jesus. We're supposed to be a good influence on them. We're also supposed to be watchful so that we don't fall into temptation. When it comes to hanging out, who you hang around with really does matter.

It's something we think about when we're giving advice to teenagers. We urge them to choose their friends wisely. We caution them to spend time with people who have similar beliefs. We instruct them to plan social activities with other Christians. We want them to surround themselves with people who follow God's laws.

Why do we think that no longer matters when we reach adulthood? Because it does. We're just as likely to fall into temptation as someone younger. Oh, one quick drink after work with a friend's spouse won't matter. What's one padded expense report when everyone does it? What's one tiny lie? And on and on. Where does it stop? Because one excuse follows another excuse and the slide downward happens quickly.

Don't ever let your guard down. Don't ever believe that you are strong enough to stand alone against Satan and his temptations. Arm youselves with God's Word. Surround yourself with fellow believers. Pray without ceasing. Draw strength from God and stand firm on His rock. Don't let anyone or anything tempt you into believing that happiness and prosperity can be found among people and things that are contrary to God's law.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Resist Temptation With God's Help

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will aslo provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

-- 1 Corinthians 10:13

We are all tempted to stray from God's path. All of us. It's part of being human. But temptation doesn't have to turn in to sin. We can resist Satan -- with God's help. That's the key. Learning to ask God for help and then doing what He says.

How many times has God given you a way out of a sinful situation and you've chosen to stay where you are or to give in to sin? Probably more times than you'd like to admit. It happens to all of us. We mean well but life happens and sometimes we just go with the flow, follow our friends and allow the behavior of others to cloud our judgment.

Morning can be awful after a sinful jaunt. Light shines brightly, highlighting the darkness that surrounds us. You might feel dirty. Ashamed. Anger at yourself. Doesn't matter what you did. Sin is sin, whether it's dishonesty, partying, spreading gossip or something else you've fallen into. You knew better and you did it anyway.

How to keep it from happening again is the question you ask yourself? It might mean finding new friends, Christian friends, who not only share your beliefs but st. It might mean joining a Bible study and devoting more time each day to God's Word. It might be learning to stop and listen to that inner voice, the Holy Spirit, who is trying to warn you away from your path.

Nothing we can do will remove temptation from our lives. It is part of living in this fallen world. But we can -- with God's help -- learn to resist Satan's grasp. God always gives us a way out. It's up to us to take it.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Satan Uses Others to Tempt Us

"Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies -- make straight your way before me." -- Psalm 5:8

King David wrote this as he battled lies and enemies that seemed overwhelming. We've probably all been in a situation where others lie to us and about us in an effort to make themselves look better.

There's another kind of lie our enemies tell. They do so when they're trying to lead us astray. "One time won't hurt," they say. "No one will ever know," they insist. "You deserve it," they remind us. It sounds really good and we want to believe. Except what they're saying is wrong. One time could kill us. God will know and so will we. And while we may deserve it, that doesn't mean we've earned it or need it.

These enemies -- led by Satan -- seek to divert the path God has planned for us. They want to lead us astray. Oh, they may not say that directly but their intent is the same. They're taking us down a road that is bad, bad, bad for us. That's the time we need to cling closely to God and His Word. He's the only One who has our best interests in mind at all times.

Temptation is everywhere. It's easy to veer off  the correct path. I pray that God will fill you and I with His Word and His Way, so that our paths can be straight and pleasing to Him.