| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Great thoughts from great Christians” Our Bible verse for today, “No temptation has ceased you except that which 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 (NIV) Our thought for today: “You don’t have to give-in to sin” This morning I want to continue our thinking from yesterday about the nature of sin, and I will do so by returning to Billy Graham for another great thought. Here’s one of the many great insights Billy shared over the years about the nature of sin, and about the fact that we do not have to give-in to it: “Satan is not all-powerful, nor does he directly cause every bad thing that happens to us. Sometimes we don’t know the cause – but often we are responsible, because we have turned our backs on God and deliberately followed our own sinful desires instead of His will. When we do, we pay the consequences; as the Bible warns, ‘God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.’ Galatians 6:7” Billy was right, Satan is not all-powerful. He can’t make us do anything. All he can do is attempt to influence the Christian. And he does! Satan is brilliant. He is an expert fisher of men and he baits the hook according to the appetite of the fish. He knows what it will take to get you to sin. That’s why it’s so important for us to be wise to his ways, so we won’t be fooled. And we have to also know ourselves well enough to understand what our weaknesses are, and then take steps to avoid the situations where we’re likely to be exposed to those temptations. That’s what 1 Corinthians 10:13 is all about. We have to see the sin lurking, and then ask God to help us avoid it. Also, we are often our own worst enemies. We allow ourselves to fall into sin when it didn’t have to happen. We are responsible for many of the bad things that happen to us. “The devil made me do it!” was a funny line when the comedian Flip Wilson used it in his stand-up comedy routines, but it’s theologically incorrect. The devil can’t “make” you do anything. And if you do it anyway, it’s entirely your own fault and you are fully responsible for the consequences. The truth is that we don’t have to give-in to sin. Not ever. God will never allow us to be tempted in any way that is more than we can resist with His help. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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