When Temptation Calls, Just Hang Up Christianity.com | Saturday, August 19, 2017 By Daily Hope with Rick Warren
“A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless” (Proverbs 14:16 NASB).
It’s common sense that if you don’t want to get stung, stay away from the bees! If you don’t want to get burned, don’t get close to the fire! If you don’t want to fall off the cliff, don’t hang off the ledge!
The goal is not to see how close you can get to temptation but rather how far away from it you can stay.
Proverbs 14:16 says, “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless” (NASB). A fool thinks he can handle temptation, but who is he kidding? You don’t go to a bar just to eat pretzels! You need to do a frank assessment. You need to analyze when and where you are most tempted and vulnerable. Then, you need to stay away from those situations as much as you can.
The Bible says to run from temptation: “I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws” (Psalm 119:59 NLT). If you have to physically remove yourself, do it! When Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph, he left his coat and split. Sometimes you may have to leave your coat. Get out of the situation. Run from it. Don’t stick around. When you’re tempted, get up and change the channel. Or turn on music. Go for a walk. Read the Bible. Call a Christian friend in your small group. Do something to break the spell.
Here is some practical advice: Don’t ever try to argue with the Devil. You’ll lose every time. He’s had thousands of years to think up lines to counter anything you could come up with. Don’t rationalize it. Don’t justify it. Don’t argue it. The key thing to do is break the focus. Don’t look at the cookies and repeat, “I don’t want them! I don’t want them!” Who are you kidding? Turn around! The more you fight a feeling, the more it grows in intensity.
When temptation calls you on the phone, don’t try to argue. Just hang up, and go do something else.
Talk It Over
Where are you most tempted? Is it in airports? On business trips? At home when you’re alone and the kids are at school? During the weekend? When you’re watching television?
What changes do you need to make in your schedule or lifestyle to minimize your exposure to these situations?
Grateful for Everything Our Daily Bread | Saturday, August 12, 2017 By Sheridan Voysey
“Read: Deuteronomy 8:6–18 | Bible in a Year: Psalms 84-86; Romans 12
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Deuteronomy 8:10
In Australia, it can take hours to drive between towns and fatigue can lead to accidents. So at busy holiday times rest stops are set up on major highways with volunteers offering free coffee. My wife, Merryn, and I grew to enjoy these stops during our long drives there.
On one trip, we pulled in and walked over to order our coffee. An attendant handed the two cups over, and then asked me for two dollars. I asked why. She pointed to the small print on the sign. At this stop, only the driver got free coffee; you had to pay for passengers. Annoyed, I told her this was false advertising, paid the two dollars, and walked off. Back at the car, Merryn pointed out my error: I had turned a gift into an entitlement and become ungrateful for what I received. She was right.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
When the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses urged them to be a grateful people (Deut. 8:10). Thanks to the blessings of God, the land was abundant, but they could easily treat this prosperity as something they deserved (vv. 17–18). From this, the Jews developed a practice of giving thanks for every meal, no matter how small. For them, it was all a gift.
I went back to the woman and apologized. A free cup of coffee was a gift I didn’t deserve—and something for which to be thankful.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. A Jewish thanksgiving prayer for meals
Training for Life odb.org | Friday, August 04, 2017 By Leslie Koh
Read: Psalm 66:8–12 | Bible in a Year:Psalms 66–67; Romans 7
For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. Psalm 66:10
My training for the long-distance race was going badly, and the latest run was particularly disappointing. I walked half the time and even had to sit down at one point. It felt like I had failed a mini-test.
Then I remembered that this was the whole point of training. It was not a test to pass, nor was there a grade I had to achieve. Rather, it was something I simply had to go through, again and again, to improve my endurance.
Lord, I know that You allow me to go through trials so that I will be strengthened and purified.
Perhaps you feel bad about a trial you are facing. God allows us to undergo these times of testing to toughen our spiritual muscles and endurance. He teaches us to rely on Him, and purifies us to be holy, so that we become more like Christ.
No wonder the psalmist could praise God for refining the Israelites through fire and water (Ps. 66:10–12) as they suffered in slavery and exile. God not only preserved them and brought them to a place of great abundance, but also purified them in the process.
As we go through testing, we can rely on God for strength and perseverance. He is refining us through our toughest moments.
Lord, I know that You allow me to go through trials so that I
will be strengthened and purified. Teach me to keep relying
on You for Your strength to endure.
Faith-testing times can be faith-strengthening times.
INSIGHT:
Echoing the confident sentiment of Psalm 66:10, an Old Testament man named Job said, “When [God] has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Job was in financial ruin, his ten children had died, and he was afflicted with a painful disease (1:13–19; 2:7). In the midst of these trials, he sought to understand why he had to suffer so much. His three friends believed his suffering was God’s punishment for his sins (4:7–9; 8:4–7). But Job rejected their accusations and sought an answer from God (23:1–5). God seemed absent (vv. 8–9), yet in a moment of raw faith, Job expressed his intuitive conviction that God was testing him to prove the purity of his character. Job entrusted himself to God’s ways and drew strength from His Word (vv. 10–12).
In a similar way, God tests us to show the quality of our faith (Prov. 17:3; Isa. 48:10; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6–7; 4:1–13).
How has testing helped to refine your faith? What encouragement from Psalm 66 helps you remain faithful in the midst of testing? Sim Kay Tee
The Ultimate Good OUR DAILY BREAD | Friday, July 7, 2017 By Karen Wolfe
Read: Philippians 3:1–11 | Bible in a Year: Job 34–35; Acts 15:1–21
I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.Philippians 3:8
As I was growing up in Jamaica, my parents raised my sister and me to be “good people.” In our home, good meant obeying our parents, telling the truth, being successful in school and work, and going to church . . . at least Easter and Christmas. I imagine this definition of being a good person is familiar to many people, regardless of culture. In fact, the apostle Paul, in Philippians 3, used his culture’s definition of being good to make a greater point.
Paul, being a devout first-century Jew, followed the letter of the moral law in his culture. He was born into the “right” family, had the “right” education, and practiced the “right” religion. He was the real deal in terms of being a good person according to Jewish custom. In verse 4, Paul writes that he could boast in all of his goodness if he wanted to. But, as good as he was, Paul told his readers (and us) that there is something more than being good. He knew that being good, while good, was not the same as pleasing God.
God, help me remember that knowing Jesus is the way to ultimate goodness.
Pleasing God, Paul writes in verses 7–8, involves knowing Jesus. Paul considered his own goodness as “garbage” when compared to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.” We are good—and we please God—when our hope and faith are in Christ alone, not in our goodness.
Dear God, as I seek to live a good life, help me remember that knowing Jesus is the way to ultimate goodness.
We are good—and we please God—when our hope and faith are in Christ alone, not in our goodness.
