Bible Thoughts

April 1, 2001

All men, including Christians, are subject to temptation. This is the way that God allows us to make choices and decide whether we will serve him or serve Satan. Temptation, then, serves a useful purpose for the disciple of Christ. When one has resisted a temptation, that person is stronger with each victory.

It is not wrong to be tempted. Sin results in the yielding to temptation. The song we often sing, "Yield not to temptation," expresses the desire of those who want to be faithful to God. Even Jesus was tempted of Satan, but resisted every effort of the adversary to entrap him.

Temptation is the means for trying our faith. When thoughts of evil enter the mind, and they will--since the initial thoughts are not wrong(that is temptation), they become the means of proving our strength. We have the power not to surrender to the temptation or to give in to the evil that allures us.

Evil thoughts will enter the mind of even the strongest of Christians. Keeping those thoughts and then acting such out is when sin enters. One may see an opportunity to make a lot of money through devious means and think of all of the benefits such funds would bring. If the thought takes root and is not suppressed, when actions of evil follow, then it becomes sin. Controlling one's desires is the way to be faithful to the Lord. The evil thoughts will arise in the mind of each but the disciple does not have to say yes to such desires.

Learning to control our thoughts is the aim of every faithful disciple. When we are tempted by lusts of the flesh, Paul states that there is a way of escape. When we are tempted to lie, put it out of the mind or simply speak the truth. We can shut evil thoughts out of our mind or think of good things or change our circumstances or pray or any number of proper escapes to free ourselves from the power of Satan.

Some become discouraged because they have evil thoughts. Understand, temptation happens to every person. One is not free of such because of his/her faith. In fact, Satan will target Christians in the hope that they will yield to the flesh. Do not let evil thoughts lead you to sin: use a way of escape. Paul said we could overcome such efforts of the Devil.

Temptations try our faith. As we grow stronger, we are more prepared to deal with temptation. However, even the strongest, as Peter, find themselves in circumstances that test one's faith. When we use a scriptural way to escape, we are protecting our souls and preparing for the next onslaught of Satan. "Resist the Devil" and win a victory.

When men seek new discoveries or proclaim a truth, such actions have almost always been met with prejudice. Such may be of little consequence, or, it may be an almost impossible barrier. Medical discoveries and practices have been made in spite of prejudice. Inventions have survived the prejudices of the day. Prejudice led to the crucifixion of the Son of God. Prejudice has locked many hearts, closed many minds, and blinded many eyes. An aged Christian(and preacher) once told of a school board forbidding him to teach that man would eventually fly by mechanical means. The board decided it could not be done, but the Wright brothers did it!

Prejudice is making up one's mind before careful investigation. It is to pre(before) judge. Prejudice is not limited to the material side of life, but has, over the years, kept many people from understanding the truths of the Bible. When one has believed something for years or has relatives who accept some teaching or is unwilling to acknowledge that one might be wrong or any other of a host of conditions that interfere with an honest examination, prejudice reigns supreme. There is no doubt in this writer's mind that prejudice is one of the greatest barriers to teaching a person the truth.

Never make up your mind about religious truth until you have given a fair and honest hearing to the one trying to teach. Simply open the Bible and compare what is taught with the scriptures. If the Word of God conflicts with what you believe, be ready to change to the truth. Do not let prejudice endanger your soul.-April 21, 1966(revised)

”When you see, what do you see?" Many things happen during our lives. Some of them are good, pleasing things, Others are trials and tribulations, and when we look back at all those things, what do we see? Now, like many people we may see a life that has been hard and rough, where nothing came easy and nothing went your way. That may be true but in the above verse Paul gives us some advice about this matter. He first tells us not to lose heart, even though the outward man is perishing. We see Paul following this advice when we read of his life, and it seems that when life starts to get rough and you feel like giving up that is the time to fight the hardest. Paul states that even though the outward man is perishing the inward man is being renewed day by day. He goes on to say that this life with all it’s trials and afflictions are but for a short time, and they are working to get a far more important and greater reward. We often do not see the things that can’t be seen, like the strength that comes when we overcome trials or the future we are building for ourselves. Life may not be grand, and it may not be bed of roses but we do know as Paul states in II Corinthians 5:1, if this earthly body suffers we still have a building from God in heaven, and no matter what happens we always have to keep that in mind.-Vaughn Botha