Temptations...A Tug of War

I MUST do what you ask....
    I must stop...
    Stop giving in...
    Stop making excuses...

You, Oh God, are all I that I need!  You give strength when I am weak.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says,  "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it."  You will always give a way out; an exit.  I just have to take it.

Why do I feel that I am in a tug of war? I know what I need to do, yet I will give in to the very thing I know that I shouldn't do! I can relate to what Paul says in Romans 7:5-20 when he says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."

During the day, I feel strong; can think clearly.  I know what I need to do.  Then comes the night.  The same routine; the same pattern.  In and of itself, it is not bad.  But because I feel that You have said to pause...I should.  I should obey.  I must obey. 

I Will stop.  I WILL pause.  I Will surrender.  Strengthen me, Lord!  I come to you as a broken vessel  who can't do ANYTHING apart from You!  I will trust and obey.  When I am weak, You will make me strong.  At night I will look to You!  I will lean on You!

Is there something that you feel that you need to pause or stop doing?  Maybe it is over spending, over eating, or binge watching Netflix.  Or maybe it is spending too much time on social media comparing yourself to all the filtered photos that are posted.  We all struggle with something.

An unknown source once wrote the following. 
Some people fall into temptation, but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time. “Son,” ordered a father, “Don’t swim in that canal.” “OK, Dad,” he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. “Where have you been?” demanded the father. “Swimming in the canal,” answered the boy. “Didn’t I tell you not to swim there?” asked the father. “Yes, Sir,” answered the boy. “Why did you?” he asked. “Well, Dad,” he explained, “I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn’t resist the temptation.” “Why did you take your bathing suit with you?” he questioned. “So I’d be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted,” he replied. Too many of us expect to sin and excite sin. The remedy for such dangerous action is found in Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Whenever we play with temptation, it is easy to drift into great danger. A woman was bathing in the Gulf of Mexico. She was enjoying the comfort of relaxing on an inflated cushion that kept her afloat. When she realized that she had been swept about a half mile out from the beach, she began to scream, but no one heard her. A coast guard craft found her five miles from the place where she first entered the water. She did not see her danger until she was beyond her own strength and ability.

Too often I yield to the temptation with excuses. "It's not THAT bad."  "This will be the last time."  "It's not hurting anyone."  But when you have heard the still small voice of God whispering in your ear to stop doing something it is in our best interest to trust that.

I have chosen not to post what my particular struggle is so that you can insert your own.  I am happy to report that this past week, I have been able to stand strong almost everyday.  Bible verses are my ammunition to fight against the temptation.  It is a retraining of the mind of which I am committed to do!  As I lean on the Lord for His help, my relationship with Him will deepen.  And that is the very thing I desire.

I am a work in progress....

Boldness of Faith

Spring break. Snow. These two words should be far far away from each other. However, on our first full day at Flower City Work Camp (during our Spring break mind you)....we were met with a bone chilling windchill of 10 degrees and periods of heavy snow. Now I must tell you that I don't handle cold very well, and there I was serving on the Side Walk Club. The Side Walk Club is like a Back Yard Bible Club where songs, arts and crafts, games and a dramas based on a Bible story are performed for the children within the city.

I was blessed to be on a team with an incredible group of teenagers as well as adult leaders. It was wonderful to see the confidence that these high school students had in the Lord. Even on that first, snowy day, when no kids showed up, they kept a positive attitude through it all. Teenagers...keeping a positive attitude, seeing the best in people, encouraging and building each other up, working together.....what a joy this was to see first hand!

Our second day proved to be quite a blessing. We had 27 kids show up to our 2nd site...the same one where there had been zero the day before. Apparently there was a miscommunication as to where our location actually was to be held. On Tuesday, while we were waiting outside in blizzard like conditions, there were some precious children waiting for us to show up in a warm,cozy room in their apartment complex! Glad we finally figured it out! We were able to love on these kids and share the gospel with them.

I heard countless testimonies at our final meeting of how groups would go on prayer walks. While on the walks, they would approach people on the street and ask them if they could pray with them. Some accepted it; some rejected it. But seeds were planted. They saw people who took the time to care; to look them in the eyes and ask to pray with them. To share the gospel with them if they were open to it.

This brought conviction upon me. It is easy to sit here and type the gospel message, or to post it on FaceBook or to Tweet scripture. It is another thing to go up to a total stranger and begin a conversation about the Lord. But why should it be? It did take me out of my comfort zone a little bit. Most of the circles I'm in...everyone is already a believer. If I'm to be an obedient follower of Christ, then I must do what He says in the Great Commission.....

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

He will empower us through the Holy Spirit to go out and share our testimony with others. The thought of missing an opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who is ready to respond horrifies me. After reading about the convictions of D.L. Moody and how his boldness in the faith changed a man has challenged me.

D. L. Moody made an covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o’clock, he realized that he had not yet witnessed; so he went out in to the street and spoke to a man standing by a lamppost, asking him, “Are you a Christian?” The man flew into a violent rage and threatened to knock Moody into the gutter.
Later, that same man went to an elder in the church and complained that Moody was “doing more harm in Chicago than ten men were doing good.” The elder begged Moody to temper his zeal with knowledge. Three months later, Moody was awakened at the YMCA by a man knocking at the door. It was the man he had witnessed to. “I want to talk to you about my soul,” he said to Moody. He apologized for the way he had treated Moody and said that he had had no peace ever since that night on Lake Street when Moody witnessed to him. Moody led the man to Christ and he became a zealous worker in the Sunday school.
The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 205

What if Moody had not gone out that night? What if he chose sleep over His conviction? I know that God will get His work done with or without me. I read that Billy Graham felt that he was God's second choice for his evangelism ministry. Mr. Graham was willing to be used and was open before the Lord every morning. I don't want to miss out on being used in any capacity by the Lord. It requires a daily surrendering with an open heart. A daily sensitivity to His leading. Less of me...more of Him.

This week has deepened my need to be bold in my faith and to love people unconditionally. It has done the same within the hearts of my four children and my husband. We are different. Our eyes have been opened. I am looking forward to see how the Lord will use us in this journey as we are obedient to Him!