No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

          There are no new temptations in the world today.  Someone might say, “No one understands how hard it is to overcome my temptations.”  Truth is, there is someone that knows exactly how you feel.  Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  Temptation has been a reality in every person’s life since the fall in the garden.  But there is a sweet promise, “God is faithful!”  He knows your abilities and limitations and will not allow Satan nor his demons to tempt you beyond those abilities.  I dare say God has more confidence in you…. than you do.  You say, “I can’t,” but God says, “in my strength you can.”  Philippians 4:13  informs us “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (ESV)  We were never designed to face temptation alone.  God can see well into your future and is able to see the path you need to take to avoid the temptations that would overtake you.  This is called your way of escape.  However, many times we don’t always acknowledge Him that He might direct our paths.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 KJV  It doesn’t mean we will never be tempted, but God knows you and will never lead you wrong.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 ESV   So why does temptation seem so hard to resist then?  The answer is in James 1:14 (ESV) “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.”  When you set your mind on the thing of earth, your focus will not be on Christ.  (Read Colossians 3) Ultimately you find yourself making wrong choices and going down wrong paths missing you way of escape.  God does not want you to just exist in the Christian life but to endure by becoming victorious over temptation. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (1 John 5:4 ESV.)

Have faith in God when facing temptation; He is faithful.

Because of His grace ~ Pastor David

  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11: 25-26 ESV
 
        I love the way Jesus identifies Himself….“I AM”….. the resurrection and the life.”  This is significant because He identifies Himself as the only one/way.  Think about this for a moment. There is only one “you” in this world. When  introducing yourself, you say I am and then state your name. There may be  others who are identified by that name, but there is only one you. The question you must answer concerning Jesus is do you believe Him to be the one and only resurrection and life? Jesus warned us that others will come and say they are him….but are impostors. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. Matthew 24:5 ESV
 
        To believe is to live and never die. Physically you will die, but the soul will never die, and one day you will put on a new body. A body given to us by Jesus himself. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enabled him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21 ESV  While this is a comforting thought, the real blessing is…..we will be with Him, the one and only Savior of the world. Can you understand why Paul was torn between this world and going to be with Jesus? In Philippians 1:21-23 Paul said,“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”(ESV) Do you ever just think what it will be like someday? To see Him face to face. There are times just saying His name or thinking about Him brings me great comfort. I can only imagine what it will be like to be in His presence.  The one who loves and loved me so much that He came and died and conquered death by rising again. “O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55  The answer comes in verse 57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ESV  Thank you Lord Jesus for being the …………I AM.
 
By His Grace…Celebrating life ~Pastor David

He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. John 9:38 ESV

The 38th verse shares the words and actions of a blind man who had received his sight by the works of Jesus.     “Lord I believe” …. and he worshiped Him.    The truth is that we were all blind before we experienced the work of Christ in our lives, maybe not physically but spiritually.   The question is how do you worship the One who gave you spiritual sight?  Let us imagine how this man who had received his sight physically might have worshiped.  The first thing he might have done was to admire the creation of all this world’s beauty.  The flowers that he could only smell before, now could be watched in awe.  THe sound of the wind through leaves on the trees now could be seen dancing on the limbs.  Perhaps his worship was the pleasure it brought God as observing a child discovering something for the first time.  How do you worship?  Has your Christina life become mundane, just a habit, or uneventful?  You may need the cataracts of the mundane and habit to be removed from your spiritual eyes.  Our focus needs to not be upon this world, but rather you many need to refocus on Christ.  What did you experience when you first became a Christian?  Perhaps the air you breathed seemed fresher, your rest of sleep sweeter, or the loads of life were lifted.  Maybe the thoughts on your mind were mostly of Christ and how much brighter He made life.  If you have lost this way of living and thinking, how do you regain this perspective and lifestyle?

BELIEVE!

Believe the promise:  For this I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-19 ESV

Believe the Truth:  Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world.   1 John 4:4 ESV

Believe Forgiveness:  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.  Ephesians 1:708 ESV

Let us believe and worship afresh the gift of spiritual sight that has been given to us!  If we see spiritually, we know we have reason to do so.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David