Those of you who know my technical interest will understand some of the directions I have been going to accomodate my reduced book library space. Since I no longer have the luxury of wall-to-wall book shelves in either an office or a house, I have been working to put books in digital form. I take a book, slice the spine using a special guillitine paper cutter, then scan the loose pages with my Fujitsu ScanSnap, sheet-fed (25 at a time) duplex scanner. In about 4-5 minutes, a stanard paperback book becomes an Adobe pdf document. When I get a DVD amount scanned, I then burn the pdf files to a DVD. So far I am averaging about 300 books per DVD. This is quite a space saving if you can live with reading digital. I then have a program that reads the DVD and exports the file names on the DVD to an Excel file. This Excel file and subsequent files will then become my database of what is on my DVD's I'll import the Excel files into a database program as csv files. In the meantime, I can search the Excel files for file title.
The next digital tool I am excited to get my hands on is a Barnes and Noble Nook. I was aware of the Amazon Kindle but not interested until I learned it and the Nook can read and display PDF files. I am going with the Nook because it offers better features. The Nook will take a memory card, microSD. I have a 16GB card. With what I am able to put on DVDs, I estimate I can load 1200 books onto a microSD card. Until SanDisck comes out with a 32GB and larger, I can carry several microSD cards and have a huge library the size of a paperback book to carry with me. What a great innovation!!! This is ideal for a guy who can live with electronic display and has to compact his library to an apartment. I won't see the Nook until January possible. I can't wait to have one in my hands. Stay posted, I'll let you know what I think.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Backing up Mark and James
My Pastor Blog over the next weeks will focus on temptation and as a backup to what Mark Crocco is covering in James. See his last two messages posted on Southwood’s web.
ww.southwoodministries.org/messages/messages_current.htm This back-up is something I have done previously. See my blog posting for May 6, 2009, Faith Assignment No. 5
Here is the relevant passage from James
(James 1:2-18) {2} Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:12-18) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13} When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. {15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. The word for trial and temptation are the same root word in the original language (Greek). This indicates that a situation could either be a trial or a temptation. How do you know which? James says you can know it is temptation when God is not encouraging the process nor the product. Trials by God are always designed to produce good (greater depth of godly character and spiritual fruit). Temptations always have the purpose to distract us from God, produce ungodly character and the fruit of the flesh. For example: take tension in a marriage brought on by some challenging circumstance. It is a trial designed by God to strengthen your marriage but it is also a temptation that can distract from the harmony and unity of your marriage. The latter is usually fueled by the flesh. The empowerment to maintain unity and fight the solicitations of the flesh come from the indwelling power of God for anyone who has united their heart with Christ. This opportunity is one that can be considered an opportunity of joy because of the good results God will give wisdom to pursue. You have a choice. Either yield to temptation or fight temptation and pursue greater godly character.
As I have looked at temptation in the Scriptures, it seems to follow a pattern.
(2 Cor 2:11) in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
(Eph 6:11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11, schemes has the idea of thought patterns (noema). In Ephesians 6:11, schemes comes from a word from which we obtain our word, methods, methodeuo with the root idea, (to employ craft); craft, deceit: - schemes, scheming. Temptation attacks both our thoughts as well as employs schemes designed to solicit us to move away from God, His resources, His fruitful character.
Take a look at some patterns and schemes as evidenced in two major places: the Garden and the Wilderness.
The Garden
(Gen 3:1-6) 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'?" {2} The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, {3} but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" {4} "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. {5} "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." {6} When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
I have chosen to label the three areas of temptation to Eve as pleasure, possessions and power
Pleasure, “saw the tree was good for food.” (pleasure)
Possessions, “pleasing to the eye” (possessions)
Power, “desirable for gaining wisdom” (power)
The Wilderness
(Luke 4:2-13) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Note the same pattern of temptation in the wilderness as in the Garden.
“Stones to bread” (pleasure)
“kingdoms of this world (possessions)
“Angelic assistance (power)
When the Apostle John warns about love for the world system that is opposed to God, he uses a threefold characteristic that also follows this pattern.
(1 John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. {17} The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
“Lust of the flesh” (pleasure)
“lust of the eyes” (possessions)
“pride of life” (power)
Note Jeremiah’s warning about what not to boast about and what to boast about.
(Jer 9:23-24) This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, {24} but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.
“Strong man and his strength” (pleasure)
“rich man and his riches” (possessions)
“wise man and his wisdom”(power)
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the king of Israel is warned against three things:
(Deu 17:14-20) When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," {15} be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. {16} The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." {17} He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. {18} When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. {19} It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees {20} and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
“wives” (pleasure)
“wealth” (possessions)
“horses” (power)
In practical terms, these three equate to, as root issues:
“whatever feels good” (pleasure)
“whatever I want, I want when I want it” (possessions)
“I want my way, “my will be done versus, “Thy will be done” (power)
human tendencies following the promptings of the flesh
“unwillingness to bring human passions under the Lordship of Christ (pleasure)
“Unwillingness to trust God for earthly needs” (possessions)
“unwillingness to relinquish personal rights” (power)
“Indulge” (pleasure); “accumulate” (possessions); “”look out for number one” (power)
When we return to the Garden and look again for principles in how the serpent tempted Eve, we can see again some of his strategy and method. Basically he offers short term gain without any regard for consequences. They were offered the opportunity to have their eyes opened and become like God. Nothing was said about nakedness and shame. Mean and women do not fantasize about consequences but rather about the immediate pleasure that we think can be gained.
God has promised us long term gain and infinite pleasure. We are challenged to match His infallible truth against Satan’s insatiable lies.
Pleasure: antidote - deny ourselves and fill our lives with God’s richness
(Mat 16:24-26) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Psa 16:11) You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Possessions: antidote - give
(Mat 6:19-21) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Power: antidote - serve
(Mat 19:28) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
(Mark 10:42-44) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. {43} Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, {44} and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
Allow me to illustrate from my own life. A number of years ago, after a men’s retreat, I offered to my family three areas of character that I believed I should work on. They countered that things, from their observation were fine in those three areas. They offered that impatience would be a better area to work on. So I began the process of self-examination to see if I could identify the root issues in impatience. Basically I discovered it was an issue of control or in the case of the three strategies above, power. I found that I wanted to be in control of the events of my life. If anything interfered, I became angry and impatient – doors that were locked when I didn’t think they should be, computers that didn’t cooperate in a timely fashion, and, of course, other drivers, signal lights, etc. Amazingly enough, I even attributed personality to inanimate objects as if they had conspired against me. Freedom and patience began to come as I acknowledged God’s right to control my life and I began to acknowledge His sovereign control over the daily events and relinquished my heart to trust Him in everything.
In temptation, God always has a way for us to escape.
(1 Cor 10:13) 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.
In James, we are encouraged to seek out God for wisdom when facing trials/temptations. Wisdom is a skill. Skills, to become skill need to be practiced. I have found it helpful to have at hand some key phrases, concepts, verses to counter temptation and give me a way of escape. This is exactly how Jesus handled the temptations in the wilderness. He was ready. So should we. Many of us who have been in vocations where we had to train for emergencies, learned to develop some instant responses that could mean life or death. Shouldn’t it be the same when it comes to temptation?
For instance, when issues of impatience threatened, I have several thoughts and actions. First of all, I remind myself that I am free to not respond impatiently. God has made me a new man in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
(Rom 6:6-7) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
As a believer in Christ, I have a new freedom to live as God wants me to live. Even though my flesh continually provokes me, I am free to choose God’s way. When tempted to run down the path of anger and impatience, it is good to remember, “I don’t have to go down that path.” In other areas of temptation, I can remind myself, “that is below my dignity; the dignity given to me as one who is in Christ,” or, there is no future in that for me; or the consequences are not worth it. All of these reminders are helpful to keep the real nature of the temptation in view. Combine with this my definition of faith.
Faith is: my choice to take what God has revealed in His Word as my truth and reality to live by in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or the impositions of my culture’s value system.
For additional help, see Ken Boa’s web site where he has several daily affirmations to handle temptations. You might want to also listen through his audio series on “Money, Sex, and Power” that deals with the threefold areas of temptation.
I am praying for your successful skill development and freedom and you face the common challenge of temptation.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tempting Thoughts
Temptation usually comes in the form of short term gain and ignores long term consequences. James contrasts this as wisdom from above and below.
(James 3:13-18) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. {14} But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. {15} Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. {16} For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. {17} But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. {18} Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
Work on thinking thoughts today that reflect wisdom from above. This will bring long-term fruitful results that honor God. I join you in this challenge.
(James 3:13-18) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. {14} But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. {15} Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. {16} For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. {17} But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. {18} Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
Work on thinking thoughts today that reflect wisdom from above. This will bring long-term fruitful results that honor God. I join you in this challenge.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Current Reading
I am trying to take advantage of any spare time to read some books that have been on my reading list for awhile.
Currently I am reading and about finished with Total Truth; Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey. Excellent! As a coordinated project I am also working on organizing an endnote hyperlink file so that someone who wanted to follow the resources she has noted in her endnotes can click and read many of the endnote resources cited in her book. For anyone who is interested in retracking her research or checking out the original documents cited, this would give you one linked resource for the entire book. Many resources like this are no longer in copyright or are available on the web. Eventually this could become a CD resource for the book. It’s an idea in formation and probably only for the serious scholar. If this strikes a positive note with you, let me know.
Currently I am reading and about finished with Total Truth; Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity by Nancy Pearcey. Excellent! As a coordinated project I am also working on organizing an endnote hyperlink file so that someone who wanted to follow the resources she has noted in her endnotes can click and read many of the endnote resources cited in her book. For anyone who is interested in retracking her research or checking out the original documents cited, this would give you one linked resource for the entire book. Many resources like this are no longer in copyright or are available on the web. Eventually this could become a CD resource for the book. It’s an idea in formation and probably only for the serious scholar. If this strikes a positive note with you, let me know.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Managing troubling thoughts
How do you manage troubling thoughts? They can be anxious thoughts, worry, troubling thoughts about someone, toward someone, anxiety and worry about future events, health issues, a future obligation. Whatever it is, the thoughts don’t go away and continuing to dwell on them is not healthy. Let’s recap some of the passages that I have been using to hlp us manage healthy thoughts. Remember that it is an inside-out process: thoughts -> emotions ->attitudes->behavior.
Romans 12:1-2
(Rom 12:1-2) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Mind renewal is a process that is both a benefit and a responsibility. Romans 6 tells us we have been set free to pursue a new life in Christ. Romans 8 tells us that the Holy Spirit has come to indwell us and empower us so that we can pursue all that God has designed us to pursue. We are free to renew our thoughts.
Philippians 4:4-9 gives us a process of engaging in prayer, thanksgiving, and thought replacement to direct the management of healthy thoughts. This requires practice.
(Phil 4:4-9) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! {5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. {6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. {7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. {8} Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. {9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6, reminds us that we have divine power to tear down thoughts and attitudes that have become entrenched and are strongholds. Examining rationalizations and high places (attitudes that we have set up as places of worship) will identify how we have built strong holds.
(2 Cor 10:3-6) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. {6} And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
For a current troubling thought, I have set a “trigger-thought” that guards and redirects my troubled thought to a healthy thought. My “trigger-thought” is, that issue is in God’s hands to control, just trust Him. He has given me every reason to trust Him. See especially, Matthew 6:25-34. Each time the troublesome thought pops into my mind, I counter it with my “trigger-thought” and then focus my continuing thoughts on healthy thoughts of God’s care for my life. This requires management and practice but what areas of life and growth don’t require management and practice? The result is healthy attitudes, freedom in behavior, and the joy of pleasing the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:9)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Practicing good thoughts
I have been addressing several passages of Scripture that deal with managing our thought life so our emotions, attitudes, and behavior can be more Christ-like. Are you making progress? Take a look again at (2 Cor 10:3-6) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Remember arguments are rationalizations, that is, ways of thinking apart from a biblically directed thought process and pretensions are like the high places of the Old Testament. High places are places we set up as places of worship contrary to the holy places of adoration where God is the sole satisfaction of my life.
For example: in my home life and interaction with my wife or kids, I can rationalize that my harsh retorts are justified since they are, in my thinking, inconsiderate of my time, my demands, my schedule. My time can be a high place. I believe that my deepest satisfaction is met when I get my way, my time, my space. If this process has been firmly entrenched and you are finding it difficult to handle relationships in the home or elsewhere without Christlike behavior then you probably have a stronghold to deal with and it will require daily practice to make the change.
I had a recent conversation with a doctor, discussing the diffusion and osmosis of cellular transport. It seems to me that osmosis and diffusion is what we would like to happen in our spiritual lives. We wish that spiritual vitality will automatically pass from someone who has it, someone who is teaching it or preaching it, without any effort. Do you know of any skill that can be gained without practice? Again, examine your behaviors from the core of your life and your thoughts, then ask God to help you renew your thoughts (Romans 12:2), to replace unhealthy thoughts with good thoughts (Philippians 4:6-9), and, using divine power, tear down the strongholds of rationalizations and high places. Practice, practice, practice, and enjoy the grace of God as He works within you to conform you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29)
For example: in my home life and interaction with my wife or kids, I can rationalize that my harsh retorts are justified since they are, in my thinking, inconsiderate of my time, my demands, my schedule. My time can be a high place. I believe that my deepest satisfaction is met when I get my way, my time, my space. If this process has been firmly entrenched and you are finding it difficult to handle relationships in the home or elsewhere without Christlike behavior then you probably have a stronghold to deal with and it will require daily practice to make the change.
I had a recent conversation with a doctor, discussing the diffusion and osmosis of cellular transport. It seems to me that osmosis and diffusion is what we would like to happen in our spiritual lives. We wish that spiritual vitality will automatically pass from someone who has it, someone who is teaching it or preaching it, without any effort. Do you know of any skill that can be gained without practice? Again, examine your behaviors from the core of your life and your thoughts, then ask God to help you renew your thoughts (Romans 12:2), to replace unhealthy thoughts with good thoughts (Philippians 4:6-9), and, using divine power, tear down the strongholds of rationalizations and high places. Practice, practice, practice, and enjoy the grace of God as He works within you to conform you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Strongholds
As I have been writing about managing our thoughts and working off of Carolyn Leavy’s process; thoughts -> emotions - > attitudes -> behaviors, it is important to look at what happens when thoughts become entrenched and therefore, attitudes and behaviors also become entrenched. This is what Paul addresses in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
(2 Cor 10:3-5) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
A stronghold (according to author and counselor, Jim Logan, “is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes me to accept as unchangeable something that we know is contrary to he will of God.” In other words, a stronghold refuses to believe that we have divine power to tear them down. Strongholds are built on the basis of a lie not the truth.Strongholds are torn down in the same way they are uilt up. Two lines of thought contribute to strongholds: strongholds, rationalizations and high places. Rationalizations are thoughts developed apart from the truth of God. We rationalize when we think without being informed by the reasoning truth of God. High places are like those in the Old Testament, they are places of worship. They are places that we hold on to; they could be things, relationships, attitudes that we believe we deserve to hold to, that for us are security, define our meaning in life, something that we blieve we cannot let go because life would be lost, they are a ‘high places of worship.’ Tearing down strongholds requires a rigorous honesty before God with our thoughts and a willingness to allow God’s truth to reign supreme.
(John 8:31-32) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(2 Cor 10:3-5) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
A stronghold (according to author and counselor, Jim Logan, “is a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes me to accept as unchangeable something that we know is contrary to he will of God.” In other words, a stronghold refuses to believe that we have divine power to tear them down. Strongholds are built on the basis of a lie not the truth.Strongholds are torn down in the same way they are uilt up. Two lines of thought contribute to strongholds: strongholds, rationalizations and high places. Rationalizations are thoughts developed apart from the truth of God. We rationalize when we think without being informed by the reasoning truth of God. High places are like those in the Old Testament, they are places of worship. They are places that we hold on to; they could be things, relationships, attitudes that we believe we deserve to hold to, that for us are security, define our meaning in life, something that we blieve we cannot let go because life would be lost, they are a ‘high places of worship.’ Tearing down strongholds requires a rigorous honesty before God with our thoughts and a willingness to allow God’s truth to reign supreme.
(John 8:31-32) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Monday, August 24, 2009
Christ and Cancer
The following is the text of a message by John Piper, entitled, "Christ and Cancer"
Christ and Cancer | Desiring God link
By John Piper August 17, 1980
Romans 8:18-28
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. 27 And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
Before I entered college I hardly gave a thought to cancer and terminal illness. But ever since those college days death by disease has walked beside me all the way. Two of my college acquaintances died of leukemia and cancer of the lymph glands before they were 22. At seminary I watched Jim Morgan, my teacher of systematic theology, shrivel up and die in less than a year of intestinal cancer. He was 36. In my graduate program in Germany my own "doctor-father," Professor Goppelt, died suddenly just before I was finished. He was 62—a massive coronary. Then I came to Bethel, the house of God! And I taught for six years and watched students, teachers, and administrators die of cancer: Sue Port, Paul Greely, Bob Bergerud, Ruth Ludeman, Graydon Held, Chet Lindsay, Mary Ellen Carlson—all Christians, all dead before their three score and ten were up. And now I've come to Bethlehem and Harvey Ring is gone. And you could multiply the list ten-fold.
What shall we say to these things? Something must be said because sickness and death are threats to faith in the love and power of God. And I regard it as my primary responsibility as a pastor to nourish and strengthen faith in the love and power of God. There is no weapon like the Word of God for warding off threats to faith. And so I want us to listen carefully today to the teaching of Scripture regarding Christ and cancer, the power and love of God over against the sickness of our bodies.
I regard this message today as a crucial pastoral message, because you need to know where your pastor stands on the issues of sickness, healing, and death. If you thought it was my conception that every sickness is a divine judgment on some particular sin, or that the failure to be healed after a few days of prayer was a clear sign of inauthentic faith, or that Satan is really the ruler in this world and God can only stand helplessly by while his enemy wreaks havoc with his children—if you thought any of those were my notions, you would relate to me very differently in sickness than you would if you knew what I really think. Therefore, I want to tell you what I really think and try to show you from Scripture that these thoughts are not just mine but also, I trust, God's thoughts.
Six Affirmations Toward a Theology of Suffering
So I would like everyone who has a Bible to turn with me to Romans 8:18–28. There are six affirmations which sum up my theology of sickness, and at least the seed for each of these affirmations is here. Let's read the text:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (RSV)
1. All Creation Has Been Subjected to Futility
My first affirmation is this: the age in which we live, which extends from the fall of man into sin until the second coming of Christ, is an age in which the creation, including our bodies, has been "subjected to futility" and "enslaved to corruption." Verse 20: "The creation was subjected to futility.'' Verse 21: "The creation will be freed from slavery to corruption." And the reason we know this includes our bodies is given in verse 23: not only the wider creation but "we ourselves (i.e., Christians) groan in ourselves awaiting sonship, the redemption of our bodies." Our bodies are part of creation and participate in all the futility and corruption to which creation has been subjected.
Who is this in verse 20 that subjected creation to futility and enslaved it to corruption? It is God. The only other possible candidates to consider would be Satan or man himself. Perhaps Paul meant that Satan, in bringing man into sin, or man, in choosing to disobey God—perhaps one of them is referred to as the one who subjected creation to futility. But neither Satan nor man can be meant because of the words "in hope" at the end of verse 20. This little phrase, subjected "in hope," gives the design or purpose of the one who subjected creation to futility. But it was neither man's nor Satan's intention to bring corruption upon the world in order that the hope of redemption might be kindled in men's hearts and that someday the "freedom of the glory of the children of God" might shine more brightly. Only one person could subject the creation to futility with that design and purpose, namely, the just and loving creator.
Therefore, I conclude that this world stands under the judicial sentence of God upon a rebellious and sinful mankind—a sentence of universal futility and corruption. And no one is excluded, not even the precious children of God.
Probably the futility and corruption Paul speaks of refers to both spiritual and physical ruination. On the one hand man in his fallen state is enslaved to flawed perception, misconceived goals, foolish blunders, and spiritual numbness. On the other hand, there are floods, famines, volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, plagues, snake bites, car accidents, plane crashes, asthma, allergies, and the common cold, and cancer, all rending and wracking the human body with pain and bringing men—all men—to the dust.
As long as we are in the body we are slaves to corruption. Paul said this same thing in another place. In 2 Corinthians 4:16 he said, "We do not lose heart, but though our outer man (i.e., the body) is decaying (i.e., being corrupted) yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." The word Paul uses for decay or corrupt here is the same one used in Luke 12:33 where Jesus said, Make sure your treasure is in heaven "where thief does not come near and moth does not corrupt." Just like a coat in a warm, dark closet will get moth eaten and ruined, so our bodies in this fallen world are going to be ruined one way or the other. For all creation has been subjected to futility and enslaved to corruption while this age lasts. That is my first affirmation.
2. An Age of Deliverance and Redemption Is Coming
My second affirmation is this: there is an age coming when all the children of God, who have endured to the end in faith, will be delivered from all futility and corruption, spiritually and physically. According to verse 21, the hope in which God subjected creation was that some day "The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." And verse 23 says that "We ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." It has not happened yet. We wait. But it will happen. "Our citizenship is in heaven from which we await a Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our lowliness to be like the body of his glory" (Philippians 3:20, 21). "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). "He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there shall be no longer any death; and there shall be no longer any mourning or crying or pain; the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
There is coming a day when every crutch will be carved up, and every wheelchair melted down into medallions of redemption. And Merlin and Reuben and Jim and Hazel and Ruth and all the others among us will do cartwheels through the Kingdom of Heaven. But not yet. Not yet. We groan, waiting for the redemption of our bodies. But the day is coming and that is my second affirmation.
3. Christ Purchased, Demonstrated, and Gave a Foretaste of It
Third, Jesus Christ came and died to purchase our redemption, to demonstrate the character of that redemption as both spiritual and physical, and to give us a foretaste of it. He purchased our redemption, demonstrated its character, and gave us a foretaste of it. Please listen carefully, for this is a truth badly distorted by many healers of our day.
The prophet Isaiah foretold the work of Christ like this in 53:5–6 (a text which Peter applied to Christians in 1 Peter 2:24):
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (RSV)
The blessing of forgiveness and the blessing of physical healing were purchased by Christ when he died for us on the cross. And all those who give their lives to him shall have both of these benefits. But when? That is the question of today. When will we be healed? When will our bodies no longer be enslaved to corruption?
The ministry of Jesus was a ministry of healing and forgiveness. He said to the disciples of John the Baptist, "Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me" (Matthew 11:4–6). Offense? Why would anyone take offense at one who raises the dead and brings in the long expected kingdom? Easy—he only raised about three people. He left hundreds in the tombs all around him. Why? Because not enough relatives had faith? O no! When Jesus raised the widow's son in Luke 7:13, 14, she didn't know him from Adam. It was not because of her faith. All it says is, "He had compassion on her." What then? Didn't he pity all the other bereaved in Israel?
The answer to why Jesus did not raise all the dead is that, contrary to the Jewish expectation, the first coming of the Messiah was not the consummation and full redemption of this fallen age. The first coming was rather to purchase that consummation, illustrate its character, and bring a foretaste of it to his people. Therefore, Jesus raised some of the dead to illustrate that he has that power and one day will come again and exercise it for all his people. And he healed the sick to illustrate that in his final kingdom this is how it will be. There will be no more crying or pain any more.
But we do have a foretaste of our redemption now in this age. The benefits purchased by the cross can be enjoyed in measure even now, including healing. God can and does heal the sick now in answer to our prayers. But not always. The miracle mongers of our day, who guarantee that Jesus wants you well now and heap guilt after guilt on the back of God's people asserting that the only thing between them and health is unbelief, have failed to understand the nature of God's purposes in this fallen age. They have minimized the depth of sin and the cruciality of God's purifying chastening and the value of faith through suffering and they are guilty of trying to force into this age what God has reserved for the next.
Notice the flow of thought in Romans 8:23, 24: "We ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, for in hope we have been saved." Because of Christ's purchased redemption, believers already have received the Holy Spirit. This is like a down payment of our full redemption, but it is only the first-fruits, a foretaste. And when Paul stresses that we, even we ourselves, who have this Spirit groan awaiting the redemption of our bodies, you can tell that he is warning against the false inference that because we've been saved, therefore our groaning with decaying bodies is over. So he goes on to say in verse 24, "For we have been saved in hope." Our salvation is not finished, it is only begun. We are saved only in hope. This is true morally; Paul says in Galatians 5:5, "We through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness." And it is true physically; we wait for the redemption of our bodies. Christ has purchased that redemption, demonstrated its physical reality in his healing ministry, and given us a foretaste of it by healing many people in our day, but some very slowly, some only partly, and some not at all. That is my third affirmation.
4. God Controls All Suffering for the Good of His People
Fourth, God controls who gets sick and who gets well, and all his decisions are for the good of his children, even if they may be very painful and long-lasting. It was God who subjected creation to futility and corruption, and he is the one who can liberate it again. In Exodus 4:11, when Moses refused to go speak to Pharaoh, God said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I the Lord?" Behind all sickness is finally the sovereign hand of God. God speaks in Deuteronomy 32:39, "See now that I, I am he, and there is no God besides me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal; and there is no one who can deliver from my hand."
But what about Satan? Isn't he the great enemy of our wholeness? Doesn't he attack us morally and physically? Wasn't it Satan who tormented Job? Yes, it was. But Satan has no power but what is allotted to him by God. He is an enemy on a chain. In fact, for the writer of the book of Job it was not wrong to say that the sores afflicted by Satan were sent from God. For example, in Job 2:7 we read, "So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Then after Job's wife urges him to curse God and die, Job says, "Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and not receive evil?" And lest we think that Job erred in attributing to God his sores afflicted by Satan, the writer adds in verse 10, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips." In other words, it is no sin to recognize the sovereign hand of God even behind a disease of which Satan may be the more immediate cause.
Satan may be sly but on some things he is stupid, because he fails to see that all his attempts to despoil the godly are simply turned by God's providence into occasions for the purifying and strengthening of faith. God's goal for his people in this age is not primarily to rid them of sickness and pain, but to purge us of all the remnants of sin and cause us in our weakness to cleave to him as our only hope.
My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives . . . he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:5, 6, 10, 11)
All the affliction that comes to the children of God, whether through persecution or sickness, is intended by God to increase our holiness by causing us to rely more on the God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9). If we get angry at God in our sickness we are rejecting his love. For it is always in love that he disciplines his children. It is for our good and we must seek to learn some rich lesson of faith from it. Then we will say with the psalmist, "It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes . . . I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me" (Psalm 119:71, 75). That is my fourth affirmation: ultimately God controls who gets sick and who gets well and all his decisions are for the good of his children, even if the pain is great and the sickness long. For as the last verse of our text, Romans 8:28, says, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose."
5. We Should Pray for Healing Power and Sustaining Grace
The fifth affirmation is that we should therefore pray for God's help both to heal and to strengthen faith while we are unhealed. It is fitting that a child ask his father for relief in trouble. And it is fitting that a loving Father give his child only what is best. And that he always does: sometimes healing now, sometimes not. But always, always what is best for us.
But if sometimes it is best for us not to be healed now, how shall we know what to pray? How shall we know when to stop asking for healing and only ask for grace to trust his goodness? Paul had faced this problem in his own experience. You recall from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that Paul, not unlike Job, was given a thorn in the flesh which he called a "messenger of Satan." We don't know what sort of pain or malady it was, but he says that he prayed three times for its removal. But then God gave him the assurance that though he would not heal him, yet his grace would be sufficient and his power would be manifest not in healing but in the faithful service of Paul through suffering.
In our text at Romans 8:26, 27 Paul addresses the same problem, I think: While we are waiting for the redemption of our bodies "the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and he (God) who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Sometimes all we can do is cry out for help because we do not know in what form the help should come. The Spirit of God takes our stumbling, uncertain expressions of need and brings them before God in a form that accords with God's intentions. And God responds graciously and meets our needs. Not always as we at first hoped, but always for our good.
So let us not be proud and stand aloof from God stoically bearing what fate has brought. Rather let us run to our Father in prayer and plead for help in time of need. That is my fifth affirmation.
6. We Should Always Trust in the Power and Goodness of God
Sixth, and finally, we should always trust in the love and power of God, even in the darkest hour of suffering. The thing that distresses me most about those who say Christians should always be miraculously healed is that they give the impression that the quality of faith can only be measured by whether a miracle of physical healing takes place, whereas in much of the New Testament you get the impression that the quality of our faith is reflected in the joy and confidence we maintain in God through suffering.
The great chapter on faith in the Bible is Hebrews 11. It begins, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." What is often overlooked in this chapter, though, is the final eight verses where we get the balanced picture of faith as that which lays hold on God for rescue from suffering, and as that which lays hold on God for peace and hope in suffering. Verse 33: "By faith they conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection." Now if we stopped reading here our conception of how the quality of faith manifests itself would be very distorted, because here it sounds as if faith always wins in this life. But here a shift occurs and we find that faith is also the power to lose our life: "By faith . . . others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheep skins, in goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground . . . And all these gained approval through their faith."
The glory of God is manifested when he heals and when he gives a sweet spirit of hope and peace to the person that he does not heal, for that, too, is a miracle of grace! O, that we might be a people among whom God is often healing our sicknesses, but is always causing us to be full of joy and peace while our sicknesses remain. If we are a humble and childlike people who cry out to God in our need and trust in his promises, the Holy Spirit will help us and God will bless our church with every possible blessing. He will, as the text says, work everything together for our good.
That is my theology of sickness in a nutshell. First, in this age all creation, including our bodies, has been subjected to futility and enslaved to corruption. Second, there is a new age coming when all those who endure to the end in faith will be set free from all pain and sickness. Third, Jesus Christ came and died to purchase our redemption, demonstrate its character as both spiritual and physical, and give us a foretaste of it now. Fourth, God controls who gets sick and who gets well, and all his decisions are for the good of his children even if they are painful. Fifth, we should pray for God's help both to heal and to strengthen faith while we are unhealed, and should depend on the Holy Spirit's intercession when we don't know which to pray for. Finally, we should always trust in the power and love of God, even in the darkest hour of suffering.
O, that we might be an assembly of saints who echo from the bottom of our hearts the faith of Joni Eareckson after a long struggle with paralysis and depression. She wrote at the end of her book: "The girl who became emotionally distraught, and wavered at each new set of circumstances is now grown up, a woman who has learned to rely on God's sovereignty" (Joni, p. 190).
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Christ and Cancer | Desiring God link
By John Piper August 17, 1980
Romans 8:18-28
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. 27 And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
Before I entered college I hardly gave a thought to cancer and terminal illness. But ever since those college days death by disease has walked beside me all the way. Two of my college acquaintances died of leukemia and cancer of the lymph glands before they were 22. At seminary I watched Jim Morgan, my teacher of systematic theology, shrivel up and die in less than a year of intestinal cancer. He was 36. In my graduate program in Germany my own "doctor-father," Professor Goppelt, died suddenly just before I was finished. He was 62—a massive coronary. Then I came to Bethel, the house of God! And I taught for six years and watched students, teachers, and administrators die of cancer: Sue Port, Paul Greely, Bob Bergerud, Ruth Ludeman, Graydon Held, Chet Lindsay, Mary Ellen Carlson—all Christians, all dead before their three score and ten were up. And now I've come to Bethlehem and Harvey Ring is gone. And you could multiply the list ten-fold.
What shall we say to these things? Something must be said because sickness and death are threats to faith in the love and power of God. And I regard it as my primary responsibility as a pastor to nourish and strengthen faith in the love and power of God. There is no weapon like the Word of God for warding off threats to faith. And so I want us to listen carefully today to the teaching of Scripture regarding Christ and cancer, the power and love of God over against the sickness of our bodies.
I regard this message today as a crucial pastoral message, because you need to know where your pastor stands on the issues of sickness, healing, and death. If you thought it was my conception that every sickness is a divine judgment on some particular sin, or that the failure to be healed after a few days of prayer was a clear sign of inauthentic faith, or that Satan is really the ruler in this world and God can only stand helplessly by while his enemy wreaks havoc with his children—if you thought any of those were my notions, you would relate to me very differently in sickness than you would if you knew what I really think. Therefore, I want to tell you what I really think and try to show you from Scripture that these thoughts are not just mine but also, I trust, God's thoughts.
Six Affirmations Toward a Theology of Suffering
So I would like everyone who has a Bible to turn with me to Romans 8:18–28. There are six affirmations which sum up my theology of sickness, and at least the seed for each of these affirmations is here. Let's read the text:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (RSV)
1. All Creation Has Been Subjected to Futility
My first affirmation is this: the age in which we live, which extends from the fall of man into sin until the second coming of Christ, is an age in which the creation, including our bodies, has been "subjected to futility" and "enslaved to corruption." Verse 20: "The creation was subjected to futility.'' Verse 21: "The creation will be freed from slavery to corruption." And the reason we know this includes our bodies is given in verse 23: not only the wider creation but "we ourselves (i.e., Christians) groan in ourselves awaiting sonship, the redemption of our bodies." Our bodies are part of creation and participate in all the futility and corruption to which creation has been subjected.
Who is this in verse 20 that subjected creation to futility and enslaved it to corruption? It is God. The only other possible candidates to consider would be Satan or man himself. Perhaps Paul meant that Satan, in bringing man into sin, or man, in choosing to disobey God—perhaps one of them is referred to as the one who subjected creation to futility. But neither Satan nor man can be meant because of the words "in hope" at the end of verse 20. This little phrase, subjected "in hope," gives the design or purpose of the one who subjected creation to futility. But it was neither man's nor Satan's intention to bring corruption upon the world in order that the hope of redemption might be kindled in men's hearts and that someday the "freedom of the glory of the children of God" might shine more brightly. Only one person could subject the creation to futility with that design and purpose, namely, the just and loving creator.
Therefore, I conclude that this world stands under the judicial sentence of God upon a rebellious and sinful mankind—a sentence of universal futility and corruption. And no one is excluded, not even the precious children of God.
Probably the futility and corruption Paul speaks of refers to both spiritual and physical ruination. On the one hand man in his fallen state is enslaved to flawed perception, misconceived goals, foolish blunders, and spiritual numbness. On the other hand, there are floods, famines, volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, plagues, snake bites, car accidents, plane crashes, asthma, allergies, and the common cold, and cancer, all rending and wracking the human body with pain and bringing men—all men—to the dust.
As long as we are in the body we are slaves to corruption. Paul said this same thing in another place. In 2 Corinthians 4:16 he said, "We do not lose heart, but though our outer man (i.e., the body) is decaying (i.e., being corrupted) yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." The word Paul uses for decay or corrupt here is the same one used in Luke 12:33 where Jesus said, Make sure your treasure is in heaven "where thief does not come near and moth does not corrupt." Just like a coat in a warm, dark closet will get moth eaten and ruined, so our bodies in this fallen world are going to be ruined one way or the other. For all creation has been subjected to futility and enslaved to corruption while this age lasts. That is my first affirmation.
2. An Age of Deliverance and Redemption Is Coming
My second affirmation is this: there is an age coming when all the children of God, who have endured to the end in faith, will be delivered from all futility and corruption, spiritually and physically. According to verse 21, the hope in which God subjected creation was that some day "The creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." And verse 23 says that "We ourselves groan within ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." It has not happened yet. We wait. But it will happen. "Our citizenship is in heaven from which we await a Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our lowliness to be like the body of his glory" (Philippians 3:20, 21). "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52). "He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there shall be no longer any death; and there shall be no longer any mourning or crying or pain; the first things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
There is coming a day when every crutch will be carved up, and every wheelchair melted down into medallions of redemption. And Merlin and Reuben and Jim and Hazel and Ruth and all the others among us will do cartwheels through the Kingdom of Heaven. But not yet. Not yet. We groan, waiting for the redemption of our bodies. But the day is coming and that is my second affirmation.
3. Christ Purchased, Demonstrated, and Gave a Foretaste of It
Third, Jesus Christ came and died to purchase our redemption, to demonstrate the character of that redemption as both spiritual and physical, and to give us a foretaste of it. He purchased our redemption, demonstrated its character, and gave us a foretaste of it. Please listen carefully, for this is a truth badly distorted by many healers of our day.
The prophet Isaiah foretold the work of Christ like this in 53:5–6 (a text which Peter applied to Christians in 1 Peter 2:24):
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (RSV)
The blessing of forgiveness and the blessing of physical healing were purchased by Christ when he died for us on the cross. And all those who give their lives to him shall have both of these benefits. But when? That is the question of today. When will we be healed? When will our bodies no longer be enslaved to corruption?
The ministry of Jesus was a ministry of healing and forgiveness. He said to the disciples of John the Baptist, "Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me" (Matthew 11:4–6). Offense? Why would anyone take offense at one who raises the dead and brings in the long expected kingdom? Easy—he only raised about three people. He left hundreds in the tombs all around him. Why? Because not enough relatives had faith? O no! When Jesus raised the widow's son in Luke 7:13, 14, she didn't know him from Adam. It was not because of her faith. All it says is, "He had compassion on her." What then? Didn't he pity all the other bereaved in Israel?
The answer to why Jesus did not raise all the dead is that, contrary to the Jewish expectation, the first coming of the Messiah was not the consummation and full redemption of this fallen age. The first coming was rather to purchase that consummation, illustrate its character, and bring a foretaste of it to his people. Therefore, Jesus raised some of the dead to illustrate that he has that power and one day will come again and exercise it for all his people. And he healed the sick to illustrate that in his final kingdom this is how it will be. There will be no more crying or pain any more.
But we do have a foretaste of our redemption now in this age. The benefits purchased by the cross can be enjoyed in measure even now, including healing. God can and does heal the sick now in answer to our prayers. But not always. The miracle mongers of our day, who guarantee that Jesus wants you well now and heap guilt after guilt on the back of God's people asserting that the only thing between them and health is unbelief, have failed to understand the nature of God's purposes in this fallen age. They have minimized the depth of sin and the cruciality of God's purifying chastening and the value of faith through suffering and they are guilty of trying to force into this age what God has reserved for the next.
Notice the flow of thought in Romans 8:23, 24: "We ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies, for in hope we have been saved." Because of Christ's purchased redemption, believers already have received the Holy Spirit. This is like a down payment of our full redemption, but it is only the first-fruits, a foretaste. And when Paul stresses that we, even we ourselves, who have this Spirit groan awaiting the redemption of our bodies, you can tell that he is warning against the false inference that because we've been saved, therefore our groaning with decaying bodies is over. So he goes on to say in verse 24, "For we have been saved in hope." Our salvation is not finished, it is only begun. We are saved only in hope. This is true morally; Paul says in Galatians 5:5, "We through the Spirit by faith are waiting for the hope of righteousness." And it is true physically; we wait for the redemption of our bodies. Christ has purchased that redemption, demonstrated its physical reality in his healing ministry, and given us a foretaste of it by healing many people in our day, but some very slowly, some only partly, and some not at all. That is my third affirmation.
4. God Controls All Suffering for the Good of His People
Fourth, God controls who gets sick and who gets well, and all his decisions are for the good of his children, even if they may be very painful and long-lasting. It was God who subjected creation to futility and corruption, and he is the one who can liberate it again. In Exodus 4:11, when Moses refused to go speak to Pharaoh, God said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Who makes him dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I the Lord?" Behind all sickness is finally the sovereign hand of God. God speaks in Deuteronomy 32:39, "See now that I, I am he, and there is no God besides me; it is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal; and there is no one who can deliver from my hand."
But what about Satan? Isn't he the great enemy of our wholeness? Doesn't he attack us morally and physically? Wasn't it Satan who tormented Job? Yes, it was. But Satan has no power but what is allotted to him by God. He is an enemy on a chain. In fact, for the writer of the book of Job it was not wrong to say that the sores afflicted by Satan were sent from God. For example, in Job 2:7 we read, "So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Then after Job's wife urges him to curse God and die, Job says, "Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and not receive evil?" And lest we think that Job erred in attributing to God his sores afflicted by Satan, the writer adds in verse 10, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips." In other words, it is no sin to recognize the sovereign hand of God even behind a disease of which Satan may be the more immediate cause.
Satan may be sly but on some things he is stupid, because he fails to see that all his attempts to despoil the godly are simply turned by God's providence into occasions for the purifying and strengthening of faith. God's goal for his people in this age is not primarily to rid them of sickness and pain, but to purge us of all the remnants of sin and cause us in our weakness to cleave to him as our only hope.
My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives . . . he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:5, 6, 10, 11)
All the affliction that comes to the children of God, whether through persecution or sickness, is intended by God to increase our holiness by causing us to rely more on the God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9). If we get angry at God in our sickness we are rejecting his love. For it is always in love that he disciplines his children. It is for our good and we must seek to learn some rich lesson of faith from it. Then we will say with the psalmist, "It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes . . . I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me" (Psalm 119:71, 75). That is my fourth affirmation: ultimately God controls who gets sick and who gets well and all his decisions are for the good of his children, even if the pain is great and the sickness long. For as the last verse of our text, Romans 8:28, says, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose."
5. We Should Pray for Healing Power and Sustaining Grace
The fifth affirmation is that we should therefore pray for God's help both to heal and to strengthen faith while we are unhealed. It is fitting that a child ask his father for relief in trouble. And it is fitting that a loving Father give his child only what is best. And that he always does: sometimes healing now, sometimes not. But always, always what is best for us.
But if sometimes it is best for us not to be healed now, how shall we know what to pray? How shall we know when to stop asking for healing and only ask for grace to trust his goodness? Paul had faced this problem in his own experience. You recall from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that Paul, not unlike Job, was given a thorn in the flesh which he called a "messenger of Satan." We don't know what sort of pain or malady it was, but he says that he prayed three times for its removal. But then God gave him the assurance that though he would not heal him, yet his grace would be sufficient and his power would be manifest not in healing but in the faithful service of Paul through suffering.
In our text at Romans 8:26, 27 Paul addresses the same problem, I think: While we are waiting for the redemption of our bodies "the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and he (God) who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Sometimes all we can do is cry out for help because we do not know in what form the help should come. The Spirit of God takes our stumbling, uncertain expressions of need and brings them before God in a form that accords with God's intentions. And God responds graciously and meets our needs. Not always as we at first hoped, but always for our good.
So let us not be proud and stand aloof from God stoically bearing what fate has brought. Rather let us run to our Father in prayer and plead for help in time of need. That is my fifth affirmation.
6. We Should Always Trust in the Power and Goodness of God
Sixth, and finally, we should always trust in the love and power of God, even in the darkest hour of suffering. The thing that distresses me most about those who say Christians should always be miraculously healed is that they give the impression that the quality of faith can only be measured by whether a miracle of physical healing takes place, whereas in much of the New Testament you get the impression that the quality of our faith is reflected in the joy and confidence we maintain in God through suffering.
The great chapter on faith in the Bible is Hebrews 11. It begins, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." What is often overlooked in this chapter, though, is the final eight verses where we get the balanced picture of faith as that which lays hold on God for rescue from suffering, and as that which lays hold on God for peace and hope in suffering. Verse 33: "By faith they conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection." Now if we stopped reading here our conception of how the quality of faith manifests itself would be very distorted, because here it sounds as if faith always wins in this life. But here a shift occurs and we find that faith is also the power to lose our life: "By faith . . . others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheep skins, in goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground . . . And all these gained approval through their faith."
The glory of God is manifested when he heals and when he gives a sweet spirit of hope and peace to the person that he does not heal, for that, too, is a miracle of grace! O, that we might be a people among whom God is often healing our sicknesses, but is always causing us to be full of joy and peace while our sicknesses remain. If we are a humble and childlike people who cry out to God in our need and trust in his promises, the Holy Spirit will help us and God will bless our church with every possible blessing. He will, as the text says, work everything together for our good.
That is my theology of sickness in a nutshell. First, in this age all creation, including our bodies, has been subjected to futility and enslaved to corruption. Second, there is a new age coming when all those who endure to the end in faith will be set free from all pain and sickness. Third, Jesus Christ came and died to purchase our redemption, demonstrate its character as both spiritual and physical, and give us a foretaste of it now. Fourth, God controls who gets sick and who gets well, and all his decisions are for the good of his children even if they are painful. Fifth, we should pray for God's help both to heal and to strengthen faith while we are unhealed, and should depend on the Holy Spirit's intercession when we don't know which to pray for. Finally, we should always trust in the power and love of God, even in the darkest hour of suffering.
O, that we might be an assembly of saints who echo from the bottom of our hearts the faith of Joni Eareckson after a long struggle with paralysis and depression. She wrote at the end of her book: "The girl who became emotionally distraught, and wavered at each new set of circumstances is now grown up, a woman who has learned to rely on God's sovereignty" (Joni, p. 190).
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