Tag: temptation

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any god will do

Daily Reading

2Chronicles 28-31

Daily Thought

Ahaz was the next king who “did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2Chronicles 28:1). He crafted idols to the Baals and sacrificed his own sons in the Valley of the son of Hinnom. He borrowed indiscriminately the gods of the nations around him. Any god will do, “and he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree” (2Chronicles 28:4). He even adopted the gods of Damascus after losing a battle to Syria, reasoning, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me” (2Chronicles 28:23).

Any god will do, it seemed, except the one God, the true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of David and Solomon, of his own father Jotham, the Lord, the God of Israel. Ahaz broke up the furniture in the Temple of the only and true God, using the wood to make altars to his new gods, “and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord” (2Chronicles 28:24).

Where any god will do, there is one God who won’t. Isaiah was prophet when Ahaz was king, and proclaimed the words of the one true God, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8). God does not play nicely with others. He does not share. “I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5). These are not words of petty jealousy, but the deep passion of love, familiar to us in our own wedding vow, “forsaking all others, I keep only unto you.” No flirting with others.

This was the first of the commandments, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3); the greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5); and the cry of Israel, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is how truth works. It is pure, it is holy, it is one. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). God stands alone.

Daily Prayer

My God, Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, King of kings and Lord of lords, there is none like You. You and You alone are God, and You are my God, my first love. May my love be full and pure. All of life, a life abundantly full of love and good and justice and grace, is from You. I seek other ways at my own peril, and yet I do. The results are never good. Thank You for allowing me to run home to You again and again, and for greeting me with open arms again and again.

Each day will begin remembering it is Your day, a day You have created and sustained. I commit my life to You, to Your praise and pleasure. What a way to live!

Amen

Daily Question

What are the things that compete most strongly with God for your heart?

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A Nasty Web

Daily Reading

2Samuel 13-15

Daily Thought

There is irony in Absalom’s name; it means peaceful. His life was anything but. It began before he was born. When his father, King David, committed adultery and murder, Nathan pronounced God’s judgment on David’s family, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2Samuel 12:10). Chapters 13-15 tell of torrid events that wreak havoc in David’s household. At the center of the storm is Absalom.

David had many wives, and with many wives came many children, each with the same father, not necessarily the same mother. Amnon thought his half-sister Tamar beautiful and desired her until he took her by force, then disposed of her in disgrace. Absalom, Tamar’s full-brother, brooded about revenge against his half-brother for two years before killing Amnon. The other brothers fled Absalom, fearing they could be next, and Absalom himself fled the city of David, fearing his father’s displeasure.

It took some convincing, but King David eventually invited Absalom back to Jerusalem; however, he refused to see Absalom for two more years. During that time, the handsome Absalom stole the hearts and loyalty of many of the people, including Ahithophel, a trusted advisor to the king. It turns out Bathsheba, the woman of David’s adultery, whose husband David murdered, was the daughter of Eliam (2Samuel 11:3), the son of Ahithophel (2Samuel 23:34), thus, Ahithophel, David’s counselor, was Bathsheba’s grandfather. Sin weaves a nasty web. At chapter’s end, David fled his throne, fearing the now strong Absalom.

The reason David ends up exiled from his city and his kingdom traces backward to choices, bad choices, he made. David’s adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah are glaringly bad, but that’s not when his bad choices began. “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful” (2Samuel 11:2). Wrong place to be, but still not the beginning of bad choices. Turn back one more verse, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle,  …David remained at Jerusalem” (2Samuel 11:1). There it is!

As a teenager, I was told “nothing good happens after midnight.” Every teenager hears this because every mother says it. What’s wrong with 1am? Perhaps nothing, but after midnight is the wrong time to be in the wrong place, and that’s David’s situation. David was supposed to be at war. War is where the men were, leaving all their wives at home in Jerusalem. Where David was. On the palace roof. At bathing time. Wrong time, wrong place. David did not fall into sin, as if by chance. Temptation seeks opportunity and David provided it. 

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, You made this world and called everything in it good. You gave this world to the people You created and told us to take care of it. You said everything is yours except one thing, and we then wanted the one thing.

God, shape my heart to desire nothing more than You and Your kingdom. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, may I think about these things. Strengthen my resolve, keep me from evil, and do not let me give sin a foothold in my life. May my eyes at all times be focused on You.

Amen

Daily Question

What are places in your life where sin can most easily gain a foothold?

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Temptation

Daily Reading

Judges 16-18

Daily Thought

One of the scribes asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28, 30).

Samson had God’s strength… “Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat” (Judges 14:6).

…but he loved Delilah. “After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).

David had God’s heart… “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people” (1Samuel 13:14).

…but he loved Bathsheba. “He saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman” (2Samuel 11:2-3).

Solomon had God’s wisdom… “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1Kings 3:12).

…but he loved one thousand women. “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart” (1Kings 11:3).

Lest I fool myself, believing I can resist temptation on my own, I should remember that I am not stronger than Samson, more godly than David, nor wiser than Solomon. But I know someone who is and I’m not on my own. 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:15-16

Daily Prayer

Almighty God of Wisdom, God of Love, I pray that my heart reflects Your heart. You have made me for a purpose. I am Your workmanship. May I keep my eyes on Jesus. May I fully love You. May I not find things attractive that would steal my devotion to You.

May I love You with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength, and thank You for Your grace that carries me when I fall short.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Daily Question

How close are you to keeping the greatest commandment?

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Bad Witch

Daily Reading

Numbers 23-25

Daily Thought

At first, it would seem, Balaam does well and obeys God. Balak, the king of the Moabites, needed outside help to attack the Israelites. By outside help, I mean supernatural, spiritual help, and he didn’t care what kind of spirit. So Balak contracted Balaam, a prophet for hire, to curse the Israelites. However God met Balaam on his way to the king. The angel of the Lord, with a drawn sword in his hand, made it clear to Balaam, “Speak only the word that I tell you” (Numbers 22:31, 35). Balaam feared the word of God more than the sword of Balak and obeyed. “Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?” “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?” (Numbers 23:12, 26) And finally, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?” (Numbers 24:12-13). Those are good words, words we would do well to remember. So, rather than curse, Balaam blessed Israel.

So, the question of Balaam, borrowing from Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”

Reading a few chapters ahead, we come to Numbers 31:16 and discover the deceit of Balaam, “Behold these [women], on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord.” Balaam could not curse the Israelites, but he knew how to defile them. He enticed them with the women of Moab to worship Baal.

“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” ~Revelation 2:14

Sin is a seductress and we walk willingly into its hell. What Balaam couldn’t do by appealing to the demonic with a curse, he accomplished by appealing to the flesh with temptation. And it worked. Balaam was a bad witch.

Daily Prayer

My Father, may I always obey you, no matter how costly. And obedience is costly. Your Son obeyed Your will and paid the price of the cross, bearing My sin. And obedience is rewarded. You gave Him the Name above all names, that at the Name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord.

And obedience is costly. I offer my body a living sacrifices. And obedience is rewarded. Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master’s happiness. May I store up treasures in Your home, not mine.

Amen

Daily Question

What has it cost you to follow Jesus? What has been the reward?

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Back to Egypt

Daily Reading

Numbers 14-15

Daily Thought

Over and over the people complain. The common theme, “Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3). We read this and we ask incredulously, how can these people ignore the memory of slavery in Egypt? 

The same way you and I do.

Just as God had delivered Israel from their slavery of Egypt, he has delivered us from our slavery to sin. And yet, too often, we want to go back. We want to go back to our sin, our prison, our slavery. It doesn’t matter what God accomplished for us on Christmas and Good Friday and Easter. God in the flesh died on the cross, then rose the third day, delivering us from the misery of slavery to sin and Satan. In spite of all that, in those moments when our fleshly desires get the upper hand, longingly look back, we think we had it better in Egypt. We prefer our sin. 

The Israelites forsook the journey because they lost faith in the Promised Land. All sin is lost faith, faith in the Promised Land, faith in the promises of God. All sin is lost faith, the choice of something tangible, however trivial, over the eternal.

Daily Prayer

My God, may I remember Your justice and also Your grace. May I reflect on Your holiness and Your love. I choose sin too often, and deserve slavery. But You are patient. Thank You. Thank You for Your Son who took my sins and pleads my case. That in His Name and by His blood, I have His righteousness. 

Because of Jesus, may I be holy and righteous. May I love what is good and despise the rebellion that leads to slavery. May I live freely a life that displays Your goodness and glory.

Amen

Daily Question

What sins attract you the most, and why?

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Against Temptation

Daily Reading

Luke 4-5

Daily Thought

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” ~1John 2:16-17

Jesus went from baptism to battle, being assaulted by Satan in the wilderness. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). Perhaps Satan had been eavesdropping at Jesus’s baptism when coming out of the water heaven tore open and God spoke, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The challenge seemed reasonable, Jesus had not eaten for forty days, but behind hunger hid the temptation to clutch again his deity for himself, the desire of the flesh. “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4), easier said when one is not famished.

If “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16), Satan offered Jesus an easier way and showed him what he loved, “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (Luke 4:5), the desire of the eyes. All Satan demanded in exchange was Jesus’s heart. How often Satan need offer much less to get mine, but Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:8). 

Finally, boastful pride, Satan set Jesus “on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here’” (Luke 4:9). The angels will protect and the world will know, but “not my will, but yours, be done” is the answer to pride and Jesus rebuked Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12).  

Jesus knows the power of temptation and I only its sting because I so frequently give in, but I know the power of Jesus.  

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ~Hebrews 4:15-16

Daily Prayer

Dear God, I pray to You because You are the One true God. There are no others. I know that You are good and powerful and wonderful. I know that You care about me. I can’t quite figure out why, but I’m glad. You cared so much that You sent Your Son to heal me.

God, I need to be healed. I cave into temptation and sin leaves me broken, but by Your grace and strength, I am made new. You are the only wise God, my Savior. To You be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore.

Amen

Daily Question

How do you best fight temptation?

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Delight

Daily Reading

Psalm 36-39

Daily Thought

The serpent spoke to Eve, “Did God actually say…” (Genesis 3:1). That’s the voice of temptation and sin still talks to us, “transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart” (Psalm 36:1). We were made in God’s image, so we must be deceived to sin. “You will not surely die,” said the serpent. “You will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). The lie is not that we don’t know, but that God is somehow not the final word. Every sin is deception, “there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.” (Psalm 36:1-2). We deceive ourselves that no one is watching, or that what we do does not matter–“Why can’t I if it doesn’t hurt anyone?” 

It does, and always God first.

Our best defense against sin, therefore, is not willpower, but worship, finding our delight in God’s delight, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The fruit of the tree was delight to Eve’s eyes, but a lesser delight. Rather she would delight herself “in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), transforming our corrupted desires as we “drink from the river of your delights” (Psalm 36:8). Drink often and drink deep and temptation’s flavor turns sour.

Daily Prayer

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep. 

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. ~Psalm 36:5-11

Amen

Daily Question

Can you sin without hurting anyone?

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Against Temptation

Daily Reading

Luke 4-5

Daily Thought

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” ~1John 2:16-17

Jesus went from baptism to battle, being assaulted by Satan in the wilderness. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Luke 4:3). Perhaps Satan had been eavesdropping at Jesus’s baptism when coming out of the water heaven tore open and God spoke, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The challenge seemed reasonable, Jesus had not eaten for forty days, but behind hunger hid the temptation to clutch again his deity for himself, the desire of the flesh. “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4), easier said when one is not famished.

If “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16), Satan offered Jesus an easier way and showed him what he loved, “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (Luke 4:5), the desire of the eyes. All Satan demanded in exchange was Jesus’s heart. How often Satan need offer much less to get mine, but Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:8). 

Finally, boastful pride, Satan set Jesus “on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here’” (Luke 4:9). The angels will protect and the world will know, but “not my will, but yours, be done” is the answer to pride and Jesus rebuked Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12).  

Jesus knows the power of temptation and I only its sting because I so frequently give in, but I know the power of Jesus.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. ~Hebrews 4:15-16

Daily Prayer

Dear God, I pray to You because You are the One true God. There are no others. I know that You are good and powerful and wonderful. I know that You care about me. I can’t quite figure out why, but I’m glad. You cared so much that You sent Your Son to heal me.

God, I need to be healed. I cave into temptation and sin leaves me broken, but by Your grace and strength, I am made new. You are the only wise God, my Savior. To You be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore.

Amen

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A Nasty Web

Daily Reading

2Samuel 13-15

Daily Thought

There is irony in Absalom’s name; it means peaceful. It was not to be. When David committed adultery and murder, Nathan pronounced God’s judgment, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2Samuel 12:10). Chapters 13-15 tell of torrid events that wreak havoc in David’s household. At the center of the storm is Absalom.

David had many wives, and with many wives came many children, each with the same father, not necessarily the same mother. Amnon thought his half-sister Tamar beautiful and desired her until he took her by force, then disposed of her in disgrace. Absalom, Tamar’s full-brother, brooded revenge for two years before killing his half-brother Amnon. The other brothers fled Absalom, fearing they were next, and Absalom fled the city of David, fearing his father’s displeasure.

It took some convincing, but David eventually invited Absalom back to Jerusalem. David, however, refused to see Absalom for two more years, and during that time, the handsome Absalom stole the hearts and loyalty of many of the people, including Ahithophel, a trusted advisor to the king. Turns out Bathsheba, the woman of David’s adultery, whose husband David murdered, was the daughter of Eliam (2Samuel 11:3), the son of Ahithophel (2Samuel 23:34). Ahithophel, David’s counselor, was Bathsheba’s grandfather. Sin weaves a nasty web. At chapter’s end, David fled his throne, fearing Absalom.

The reason David ends up exiled from his city and kingdom traces to choices, bad choices. David’s murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba are glaringly bad, but not the beginning. “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful” (2Samuel 11:2). Wrong place to be, but still not the beginning of bad choices. Turn back one more verse, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle,  …David remained at Jerusalem” (2Samuel 11:1). 

As a teenager, I was told “nothing good happens after midnight.” Every teenager hears this because every mother says it. What’s wrong with 1am? Nothing necessarily, but after midnight is the wrong time to be in the wrong place. David was supposed to be at war. War is where the men were, leaving all their wives at home in Jerusalem. Where David was. On the palace roof. At bathing time. Wrong time, wrong place. David did not fall into sin, as if by chance. Temptation only seeks opportunity and David provided it. 

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, You made this world and called everything in it good. You gave this world to the people You created and told us to take care of it. You said everything is yours except one thing, and we then wanted the one thing.

God, shape my heart to desire nothing more than You and Your kingdom. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, may I think about these things. Strengthen my resolve, keep me from evil, and do not let me give sin a foothold into my life.

May my eyes at all times be focused on You.

Amen

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Temptation

Daily Reading

Judges 16-18

Daily Thought

Samson had God’s strength… ”Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat” (Judges 14:6).

…but he loved Delilah. “After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).

David had God’s heart… “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people” (1Samuel 13:14).

…but he loved Bathsheba. “He saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman” (2Samuel 11:2-3).

Solomon had God’s wisdom… “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1Kings 3:12).

…but he loved one thousand women. “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart” (1Kings 11:3).

Lest I fool myself, believing I can resist temptation on my own, I should remember that I am not stronger than Samson, more godly than David, nor wiser than Solomon.

One of the scribes asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28, 30).

Daily Prayer

Almighty God of Wisdom, God of Love, I pray that my heart reflects Your heart. You have made me for a purpose. I am Your workmanship. May I keep my eyes on Jesus. May I fully love You. May I not find things attractive that would steal my devotion to You.

With all my heart, with all my mind, with all my strength, I love You.

Ame