Tag Archives: religion

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The First Temptation – 30 Days to Victory Devotional

Day 23

Genesis chapter 3 introduces us to temptation.  It reveals Satan’s most effective method of seduction.  Learn these four steps and protect yourself from them.

 

Genesis 3:4  “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

1.  Approach

Satan subtly approached Eve.  He was cunning, sly, masking his true intentions.  The tempter doesn’t approach you in truth saying, “I’m the devil.  I’m here to destroy you.”  On the contrary, he often presents himself as a peer, a guide, or a friend.

He gains your trust by convincing you he understands who you are and how you feel.  It is all a charade to gain entrance into your life.

The devil uses surrogates to get close (more…)

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Sin Hardens The Heart – 30 Days of Victory

Day 14

Your heart can be soft or hard. Which is it right now?

A tender heart is absolutely necessary for the Christian. God warns us to guard our heart diligently because all of life’s actions and emotions flow through it.

Satan works restlessly to corrupt the heart through sin. He knows that if he can pollute our hearts that we are easy prey for his other traps.

A soft heart is essential. You won’t live for God without it. A soft heart is tender toward God. It’s grateful for God’s blessings. It’s attentive to His voice. It’s surrendered to His will. It’s kind and compassionate towards others. It’s saddened by sin and rejoices in righteousness. A soft heart wants to please the Lord in all things.

A hard heart is the opposite. It is selfish and unkind. It’s more interested in pleasing self than the Lord.

A hard heart changes how you feel. It is ungrateful. It forgets God’s miracles and blessings to focus on the material. It is cynical and negative. It cares little for the things of God.

A hard heart changes (more…)

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Sin Corrupts Innocence – 30 Days to Victory over Temptation

Day 12

Innocence is precious.  Protect it from the corruption of sin.

 

Romans 16:19  “For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.”

Most people have a general idea of the definition of innocence.  As I looked up the word in Webster’s 1828 dictionary, I was surprised to see that every definition was based on the word freedom.

Innocence is freedom.  What a powerful truth!

An innocent child is free from the cares of this life.  An innocent man is free from crime and guilt.  An innocent Christian is free from the knowledge and experience of sin.

Sin is destructive by nature.  It destroys all it touches.  It imprisons those who indulge in it.  

Eve was innocent until she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Satan told her the tree would make her wise.  However, God didn’t name it the tree of wisdom.   God called it the tree of knowledge.  Not all knowledge is good.  

At the moment Eve ate of the tree, she was no longer free.  She learned (more…)

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I Abhor Myself – 30 Days to Victory over Temptation

Day 4

Of all the consequences for sin, one of the most sinister is self-hatred. It’s just not worth it.

Job 42:6  “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent In dust and ashes.”

 The world, the flesh, and the devil, will conspire together to lie, deceive and seduce the believer to sin. Only after the sin takes place, they unleash the painful truth.  

Sin is awful.  Sin destroys.  The wages of sin is death.  The sin was a violation against God who loves you so much; an attack against the Saviour died for you; a trespass against your wife, your children, your friends, and your fellow church members.  

Satan will torment you with your wickedness.  How could a child of God stoop so low to do this awful deed?  Lies mixed with doubts and questions consume your mind.  Are you even saved?  Why should you even try to go on?  You are a failure who will keep failing for the rest of your life.  You might as well quit now.

This awful game of temptation and condemnation shows the diabolical nature of satan. He will work so hard to lead us away by our own lust encouraging us to sin and then persecute us with the truth that we already know.  We should not have done it.

Every believer knows sin is wrong.  When we choose to live in sin it creates a level self-hatred that the rest of the world can never know.  

We hate the sin. We hate the consequences (more…)

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You Don’t Have To Sin – 30 Days to Victory over Temptation

Day 3

Let this Truth sink in.  You.  Don’t.  Have.  To.  Sin.  Learn why in this article.

Romans 6:22  “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”

It is imperative that you grasp the magnitude of this truth.  Many people believe in the worldly philosophy of determinism.  

Determinism is the belief that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. Some go so far as to imply that individual humans have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions.  It is a widespread belief among atheistic scientists and philosophers.  Unfortunately, this unbiblical philosophy that makes everyone a victim has crept into our churches.  This false doctrine may take various forms, but they all come from the same corrupt root.

On the contrary, the Bible teaches that everyone is responsible for their choices and actions.  God has given you a free will.  In His sovereignty, He (more…)