Tiniest of Seeds
"He told me all that I ever did." - the Samaritan woman in John 4:39
Yes, life is messy and integration of Jesus and faith with life often doesn’t look like what we thought it was “supposed” to or think it "should" look like. Are we shocked? We are literally told by Jesus that this life is full of trials. Yet we as we show up we can heal and grow in ALL God promises. He has after all, overcome. We can too.
He saved me. I can’t say it more clearly than that. Yes, Jesus has proven to me to be the ultimate answer. Has it been easy? No. It’s been 25 years of a winding road that he has made straight. As I continue to walk it out, I can’t help but testify - and to talk with others in their own unique places on the discipleship road. How amazing.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
Tiniest of Seeds
Temptation: Brief Scriptural Exhortation
Temptation is actually a gift! We enter into the abundance of what God has for us as we use temptation to illuminate where we need healing and more of the strength of God in our lives.
This follow-up podcast is a brief scriptural support of the conversation with Bill Bedell on temptation. We need the Word of God to know how to stand against temptation. We are given the mind of Christ, but many of us do not know the Truth to fight with. This brief encouragement gives handles to hold onto in your own battle with temptation. It's packed with Scripture and you'll find it an encouragement.
Welcome. This is Laurine Decker, with Tiniest of Seeds, and this is a brief exhortative word on temptation through the light of the word of the Lord God. I want to start by saying Jesus himself was tempted in all things. As we were tempted. He is our high priest, hebrews 4 says for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. So let us draw near the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need. First Corinthians says let any of us who thinks that we stand take heed lest we fall. But no temptation has overtaken us that is not common to man. But God is faithful and he will not allow us to be tempted above our abilities but with the temptation, will provide a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. James says draw near to God. He will draw near to you, resist the devil and he will flee.
Laurine Decker:I want to also speak to how Jesus was led by the Spirit right after he was baptized. It tells us in Luke 3, Jesus was baptized. Jesus also needed the Spirit to lead him and guide him. It shows us that all over the Gospels, Jesus baptized, the Spirit descended upon him like a dove and then he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. So it is clear that the Lord God does allow us to be tempted. Later on, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. He prays lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil. Your will be done. He also tells his disciples that it is better that he lead, because he will lead the Spirit with them to guide and direct them, to teach and instruct them.
Laurine Decker:The apostle Paul tells us in Romans the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In other places, paul admonishes us to not be concerned about what we eat, whether it's food offered to idols. We are to be concerned first and foremost with loving God and loving others. Paul says I'm all things to all people. So some of the ways that we look at sin in this world we need to look at through the lens of Christ. Whether I eat or drink, I do all to the glory of God, whether I serve, whether I offend, whether I act out in righteous anger as Jesus did in the temple. I do all things to the glory of God. We show up and the Spirit instructs us as to what sin and righteousness are.
Laurine Decker:First John is a great book on love and on sin. It's amazing. And it says things like don't love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And then it says don't go on sinning. Whoever practices sinning is not of me, is not of the Father. So we see that we get to practice renouncing the things of the flesh and receiving his righteousness.
Laurine Decker:And in the conversation that Bill and I had about temptation we go a little bit deeper into that how our story of origin, how our past, how our religious experiences impact the way that we view sin and the way that we look at temptation. Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He was hungry and thirsty for 40 days. I know in my flesh if I was not walking by the Spirit, as Jesus was being led by the Spirit, I would think it was an awfully good idea to turn that stone into bread After all, doesn't it say the Lord, god provides all of our needs according to his riches and glory. How are we supposed to know what is in fact the sin If we are not looking, as Jesus admonished his disciples to do in the Garden of Gethsemane, to watch and pray so that we are not led into temptation? That was after Jesus himself had been led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
Laurine Decker:And so there are a lot of things in the Bible about temptation, about how to resist temptation. Resist the devil and he will flee, take captive every thought that sets itself up against knowledge of Christ. And we can do that because we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. He has declared us more than conquerors over sin and death. If we have received his salvation, we are crucified with Christ, like the apostle Paul says. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. I believe that's in Galatians.
Laurine Decker:We get to strive for one thing and one thing alone, like it tells us in Hebrews not to be hard on my sins, deceitfulness. We can receive from the Spirit and strive to enter the rest of the Lord, god most high alone, strive to please him, show up for him. He will Guide our paths as we look with curiosity at the temptations and listen to the Lord, god most high. Jesus Christ, our shepherd, who is the one that can say yes, feast on this, let that go. I have given you a banqueting table in the presence of your enemies. My cup overflows.
Laurine Decker:Receive the goodness and mercy from my hand so, listeners, we can walk in increasing freedom, joy, love, peace, all of the things that have promised us in Christ. We can, in fact, open wide our mouths, like we are commanded to do, and he will fill them, he will satisfy us, he will give us all that we need for life and godliness today, all that we need and you know what that results in Love, love for God and love for others, and a passion and a desire to see other people walk in freedom and healing and deliverance and rescue. That the Lord, god alone, our Jehovah Rafa healer, our Jehovah Jireh provider, our Jehovah Sid K'nuh righteousness, can provide Pause for a moment to receive a fresh the ministry he has for you this moment. You alone, lord, we receive from your hand, and from your hand alone, your spirit. We ask that you would increase the passion and fervor in our hearts for worship, for prayer, to walk with you. We have the privilege to walk with you in the shallows and in the deep, to live in this world, to be in this world and not of it. May we receive what you have from your hand today in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Laurine Decker:And I want to say if you would like to talk more about any of these concepts, please reach out to me. I love nothing more than conversation about the Lord Jesus Christ and digging into the word with other believers. So go and be blessed today in Him. We bow our knees before the Lord, god alone, and receive from Him alone, and we get to walk with other people and with Him, and I'm so grateful. So thank you so much for listening today.