06/07/2009 by John Marsden.

James 1:19-21 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  

#1 I Must Receive God’s Word (19-21) 

The word of God is to be planted in the heart of every believer. However, the soil

of the heart has to be receptive or it falls on a hard heart and can’t take root.  In order to receive God words more effectively we need to do two things… 

1. Tune In.

Be quick to listen. Why is it so tough to listen? Why do we want to talk all the

time? 

2. Tune Out.Be slow to speak. Slow to get angry.

Get rid of all filth. In the Greek the word filth comes from the same word as ear

wax. We are encourage to get rid of anything that clogs our ears from hearing

God. What prevents us from hearing God?  Read James 1:22-25²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.  #2 I Must Reflect on God’s Word (22-25) Home improvement shows tell people to put a mirror beside their door so they can look at themselves one more time before leaving the house. Even after looking in a mirror you can step outside and immediately have doubts about your appearance.Why are we so worried about what we look like?

Why is it so easy to forget our appearance even after just looking into the

mirror?How is it possible to do this spiritually? The picture James paints about “looking intently” means a person stoops into the mirror for a serious look. It’s not a glance, but a gaze. We need to do more than quickly peer into the Bible we need to reflect on it; to think seriously about what we are reading; to meditate on the word. The mirror of God’s word has three purposes… 

1. Examination. The word lets us see ourselves.

Haven’t you read the word and immediately felt convicted? It’s amazing how God

can hit us in the very areas we have tried to cover up.  

 2. Inspiration.  The word lets us see God.

Our misconceptions about God can make it hard to serve him faithfully. However,

we discover his true nature through the Bible and it makes us want to serve him.How does God’s word inspire you to serve him? 

 3. Transformation.  The Father didn’t give us his word just for information, but for transformation.Read 2 Cor. 3:18. Who are we being transformed into?

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “When the child of God looks into the word of God he

sees the Son of God and is transformed by the Spirit of God to share in the glory

of God!”

God’s ultimate goal is to transform us into the image of Christ for the glory of

the Father. How should that impact your daily walk?

 James 1:26-27 ²⁶If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. #3 I Must Respond to God’s Word (26-27) James give us a spiritual “to do list.” Earlier he wrote about the way we are deceived when we listen to the word, but don’t obey it. Here are three ways to do what the words says and be blessed. 1. A Controlled Mouth.
What does it mean to keep a tight reign on our mouth?How does not keeping a reign on our mouths make our religion worthless?What are some of the ways we misuse our mouths? 

2. A Caring Heart.

James mentions specifically the orphans and widows. What other groups of

people should we be caring for?What gets in the way of caring for others properly? 

3. A Clean Mind.

One of the best ways to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world is by

keeping our thoughts pure.

What are the easiest ways for our thoughts to get polluted? (movies, internet,

email forwards, etc.)

What can you do to protect your mind from mental SPAM?

Have a great day

John 

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06/07/2009 by John Marsden.

Triumph over Temptation

1 Corinthians 10
¹³No 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. 

How does this verse help you face temptation? “I can withstand anything except temptation.” ~ Oscar Wild.

God gives us clear instructions about temptation and the way to handle it… 

James 1
¹³When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

Five Ways to “Be”come Triumphant Over Temptation 

1. Be Realistic 

“when tempted”  James 1:13 

James makes it clear that temptation is not an “if,” but a “when.”When are you most likely to be tempted? 

“common to man” 1 Cor 10:13 

Sometimes we can feel like our struggle is different or harder than what other

people face. Actually, we all get hit with similar temptations. How does knowing the temptations are “common” give you strength?

Think about the number of people who have faced your struggle and been

victorious.How could they help you win over sin?  

“tempted in everyway as we are” Hebrews 4:15 

When thinking of Jesus the thoughts of sinless and pure come to mind, but

Tempted often doesn’t. We feel he didn’t wrestle with the decision to stay

faithful.However, the word says he was tempted in “everyway.”How does Jesus’ triumph over temptation strengthen you?What if Jesus had given in? 

2. Be Responsible 

Amazingly people will often blame God for their temptation and even for their sin…“God wouldn’t let me feel this way if it was wrong.”“We love each other and God brought us together so sex before marriage isn’twrong.”“God would take away this temptation if it were really wrong.” 

Here’s what the word says… 

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; James 1:13 

God does not tempt anyone. However, he does test our faith at times. What’s

the difference?Ultimately we are responsible for the temptation. It’ not God’s fault it’s ourweakness. 

3. Be Ready 

¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15 

“Dragged away” literally means “to snare in a trap”.“Enticed” literally means “lured by bait” 

God wants us to be enlightened by the process of temptation so we can fight it… 

The bait is dropped. Satan strategically puts the right kind of bait out. You don’t

catch carp and catfish with the same bait. Likewise, people are caught with

different bait. Why?

Attracted to the bait. Something attractive to us hits our eyes and creates a

hunger for it. Bite the bait. If we don’t fight the temptation we will fall to it.Hooked and fried. The final step is death. Sin without forgiveness brings spiritualdeath.  

How can knowing that four step process help protect you? 

4. Be Refocused  

¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father James 1:16-17a. 

Triumph over temptation can come when we refocus on the right mindset. We must realize that only the good and perfect things come from God. We also need to refocus by getting our mind off sin and on to holiness. 

Here are four areas to refocus on when tempted… 

God. Read a favorite passage of scripture or spend time in prayer. Truth. Satan’s primary tool is deception. He’ll make us think the sin we want to

commit won’t hurt anyone or won’t affect us. Realign your mind with what you

know to be true so you can see the lies in front of you.People. Think about your parents, friends, and others to get your mind off sin. Serving. Search for ways to help others.  

5. Be Reborn 

“He wants us to be his own special people, so he sent his true message to give us new birth.” (James 1:18 CEV) 

There’s no defense against temptation without rebirth. Jesus said, “Unless you

are born again you cannot enter the kingdom.”

How can we keep that reborn freshness even if we have been part of the

kingdom for years? 

Are you ready to take the way of escape?

Have a great day.

John 

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