12 Lessons Regarding Temptation

Here are the 12 Lessons on temptation that I mentioned at the end of my sermon on Luke 4:1-13.  I will give expanded thoughts on these lessons during the week.

1. Temptation is not a sin.
2. In Christ you can overcome temptation (1Cor 10:13; Jas 4:7).
3. Temptation is customized (Jas 1:14).
4. Temptation is usually mixed with an element of truth.
5. Temptation often comes when we are vulnerable (tired, hungry, alone).
6. Temptation is designed to make you doubt God's Word.
7. Temptation always hides the consequences ("show the bait, hide the hook").
8. We tend to minimize the consequences of giving in to temptation.  
9. God's Word is your weapon of defense against temptation.
10. You are strengthened by the present power of the Holy Spirit.
11. Satan is real and wants to destroy you.
12. Jesus is real and because of His work we have hope.

"VOICES"

New Series This Weekend!!!

In a sea of voices competing to influence, direct, and control your perspective and ultimately your future, how do you know who or what to give your ear to?  Are you careful of the voices that you allow into your life?  Because they can distract, discourage, and frustrate you.  Wrong voices can mislead, deceive, and cause confusion.  But the right voices can propel you toward joy and delight in a life well lived.

For four weeks beginning on February 14th, we will consider how to discern which voices to listen to and which ones to avoid.  Below is a brief outline of the series.

• 1 Kings 13                 The voice of influence
• Luke 4:1-13              The voice of temptation
• Nehemiah 4:1-14       The voice of critics
• Jonah 1                     The voice of reason

Don't miss a single week, because the voices you listen to effect your future!

What Are You Reading?

"The fact of knowing how to read is nothing, the whole point is knowing what to read."  --Jacques Ellul

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."  --Mark Twain

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you."  --Mortimer J. Adler

 John Piper, pastor and author, makes the discipline of reading sound doable.  He writes:

"Suppose that you read slowly, say about 250 words a minute (as I do).  This means that in twenty minutes you can read about five thousand words.  An average book has about four hundred thousand words to a page.  So you could read about twelve-and-a-half pages in twenty minutes.  Suppose you discipline yourself to read a certain author or topic twenty minutes a day, six days a week, for a year.  That would be 312 times 12.5 pages for a total of 3,900 pages.  Assume that an average book is 250 pages long.  This means you could read fifteen books like that in one year."  (from--Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, pp. 66-67)

Pick some good books, set aside 20 minutes a day, and start developing your mind and feeding your soul.  READ!

 

 

1 Month Down

We are one month into the New Year...how are you tracking?  Are you where you want to be?  Are you doing the things you want to be doing?

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves."

                                                 --2 Corinthians 13:5a (ESV)

"But let each one test his own work..."

                                                --Galatians 6:4a (ESV)

If you are not satisfied with your current trajectory, its not too late to make a change.