A Nugget from New Life Network
(excerpts from Victoria Musgrove of Future Now Ministries)
Scripture for the Day Feb.19, 2019
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James 1:13)
Temptation means a desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise — a thing or course of action that attracts or tempts someone. Sometimes we have a tendency to think temptation lies all around us, but God actually says it begins within us! Temptation starts in YOUR MIND NOT IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!
Think about it this way. If you didn’t already have an internal desire, then the temptation could not attract you. We naturally move toward whatever we give attention to. Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior. We must already have an internal desire in order to be tempted
in the first place.
Mark 7:21- 23 says, “For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you”.
If Satan is known as the father of lies, we can’t be foolish and think that the world alone pollutes us. Most of you know the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. The devil is not stupid. The minute he knew Jesus was going to be fasting food for forty days, he tried to tempt him with food. Most of us would’ve been like, “You had me at cheeseburger”.
But Jesus knew the truth. And he spoke, regardless of how he felt. He spoke the truth to the father of lies, and the devil left. We only overcome a lie with the truth! We don’t have to get opinions from others before we make potential stupid decisions. Most likely the person you ask is battling in their minds what you already are.
So my question is who’s your source of truth? Or rather what is? Reading the Bible isn’t just a good thing to do, it’s absolutely VITAL. You will never be able to separate a truth from a lie unless you know the truth!
John 8:32 says, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” –
This verse is talking about setting YOURSELF FREE FROM WRONG THINKING!
Only you have control of your thoughts. Think God’s thoughts and watch your life change. We defeat bad thoughts when we think of something better. We must practice the principle of replacement. Satan can’t get our attention when our minds are preoccupied with something else!
“We take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)
“Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” (Philippians 4:8)
Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)
We must never think we’re beyond temptation. Don’t put yourself in a position to fail. Avoid tempting situations. We are not exempt, for we could fall on our faces as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence. Cultivate God-confidence.
My Prayer For You Today: “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
