When Tempted, Humble Yourself Before God and Change the Channel

In summary of James 4:7 it says,

“So humble yourselves before God, let him work his will in you. Resist the devil, yell a loud “no” and he will flee from you”

Bottom line:

When tempted, gain strength from God and his will in your life.  Tell the enemy “no” and watch him leave.

What this means to me:

When tempting situations come I need to be humble and refocus myself on something different.  When I resist the enemy, he will run away from me.  At times a temptation seems very overpowering and something I’m unable to not given into, but that's a lie from the enemy. God has promised never to allow more on me than he puts within me to handle it. He will not permit any temptation that I could not overcome. However, I must do my part too by practicing biblical methods for defeating temptation.  When the temptation comes, I should refocus my attention on something besides the temptation thought itself. His Word doesn’t tell me to "resist temptation" instead I am to "resist the enemy," and that is very different.  Refocusing works because trying to resist a thought simply doesn't. To resist the thought will only intensifies my focus on the wrong thing and in turn strengthen its allure.  Whatever I resist, persists! Temptation always begins with a thought, so the quickest way to neutralize its allure is to turn my attention to something else. Don't fight the thought, just change the channel of my mind and get interested in another idea.  The battle for sin will be won or lost in my mind.  Whatever gets my attention will get me. That's why it appear Job said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." (Job 31:1 NLT)  And even David prayed, "Keep me from paying attention to what is worthless." (Psalm 119:3a TEV)  Today Father I ask for the Holy Spirit within me to bring these methods to mind next time I’m tempted.

Understand Your Vulnerability

In summary of 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 it says,

“12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Bottom line:

Don’t be so naive and self-confident. No one is exempt.  You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else when it comes to temptations.. Forget about being self-confident; it’s useless.  But you can trust God.  He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you with a way out.

What this means to me:

I really need to be careful and not overly confident as I can fall victim to my vulnerabilities.  I need to remind myself that what I come across is no different than what others have faced over the centuries (it’s not something unique to me.)  So instead of trying to do it all on my own, I can trust God.  He will never let me be tempted beyond the point that I could not overcome it.  In fact if I look to him, he will always provide a way out so that I can endure.  So when I’m tempted, I need to keep my vulnerabilities in mind and work out ways to protect myself.  In this passage God warns me to never to get cocky and overconfident about my ability to handle temptation; if I do, then I have a sure-fire recipe for disaster.  Given the right circumstances, I am capable of any sin. So I must never let down my guard and think i’m beyond temptation: "Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them." (Proverbs 14:16 TEV)  It is much easier for me to stay out of temptation than to get out of it.   I should always remember his promise,  "And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

Following And Serving In Humility

In summary of 1 Peter 5:5 it says,

“In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

Bottom Line:

Willingly submit to leaders / elders above you.  All should serve each other in humility.  God opposes the proud but gives grace and favor to the humble.

What this means to me:

I must be willing to submit to any leader or elder above me.  I am to give them due respect and yield to their counsel.  I am to serve all others (whether I’m a leader or not) in humility.  I need to clothe myself with it each day - to put on, as it does not come naturally. God opposes and will go against those who are proud and that includes me, I’m not an exception.  He will give grace, favor and blessing to those who display humility.  So as a real servant who is humble, I should maintain a low profile and not promote or call attention to myself  In addition, instead of acting to impress, I am to put on the apron of humility and serve. If I am recognized for my service, I am to just humbly accept it but not allow it to go to my head.  Also, I’m not to serve in order to impress people with how spiritual I am.  As a servant, I should not do it for the approval or applause of others. I am to be content quietly serving in the shadows.  I need to realize that at times I may be serving in obscurity in some small place, feeling unknown and unappreciated. I need to remember that God put me where I’m at for a purpose!  He has every hair on my head numbered, and he knows right where I’m at.  So today I ask the Holy Spirit to help me to clothe myself in humility and to serve.  I need to obey and follow leadership above me.

Letting God's Word Activate My Faith

In summary of Romans 10:17 it says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ.”

Bottom Line:

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

What this means to me:

My faith develops when I hear the Good News (Message.)  The more I hear and see in example from His Word and from other Christian, coupled with my own experiences of trusting in what he said, the more my faith grows.  People will hear the Good News (Message) only when someone tells them about Christ.  If the Word isn’t told, then there’s nothing really to hear.  This is a reminder for me to be sharing my faith and the Message with others.  In my own life, taking a step in faith can sometimes be a scary thing.  Left to my own, I am not very courageous, I often fear taking risks, afraid of failing.  What I have learned over time is that a person of faith walks confidently in life.  I become a person of faith when I let God’s Word be activated in my life.  Daily I am encouraged when I read.  There are times and passages in which  I find myself saying, “I can do this!”  So unlike traditional self-help books who can only tell you a course of action, God’s Word not only gives me the course but also gives me the power to do it.  As I follow and obey His Word my faith grows.  I can look to the thousands of promises in the Bible to continue to give me confidence.  They remind me that If I do what God asks of me, he has promised a certain result.  Today I will consider what I think God wants to accomplish in my life.  I will claim his promises and follow his Word.

Do Every Task With Equal Dedication

Luke 16:10

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

Bottom Line:

If you can be trusted with small things, you will trusted with larger things.  However, if you are dishonest with small things you will be dishonest with the larger things.

What this means to me:

How I handle smaller and minor things is a true indicator of how I’ll handle larger and more trustworthy things.  When I trusted with small tasks and prove myself over time then I will be given larger tasks.  So as a servant for Him I need to do every task I get (small or big) with equal dedication. Whatever I do, I need to "do it with all my heart." (Colossians 3:23 NIV)  I need to remember that I will never arrive at the state in life where I’m too important to help with menial tasks. God will never exempt me from the mundane. It's a vital part of my character curriculum. The Bible says, "If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody." (Galatians 6:3 NLT)  It is in these small services that I grow more like Christ. Jesus himself specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid: washing feet, helping children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because he came to serve. It wasn't in spite of his greatness that he did these things, but because of it, and he expects us to follow his example. (John 13:15)  There will always be more people willing to do "great" things for God than there are people willing to do the little things. The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants.  Today I will server with my whole heart whatever it is God gives me to do.

Learning To Serve, Even When It’s Inconvenient

In summary of 2 Timothy 2:4 it says,

“No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of civilian life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him.”

Bottom Line:

Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

What this means to me:

If I am to be a true follower and soldier for Christ then I should avoid getting tied up and occupied with the worldly things that don’t really matter.  If I allow myself to get occupied with these things then I won’t have time to do the things God has planned for me.  My ultimate goal is to bring honor to God in what I do.  So like a soldier who has dedicated himself to serving, I will attempt to not become occupied with outside things.  I will concentrate on carrying out orders in order to please the one who has enlisted me.  In practicality, as a servant for Him I need to make myself available to serve and not fill up my time with other pursuits that could limit my availability.  I need to leave a margin so that I can be ready to jump into service when called on.  And much like a soldier, I must always be standing by for duty and not only when it's convenient for me.  A real servant will do what's needed, even when it's inconvenient. So today I ask myself, am I willing to be available to God anytime?  Will I allow him to mess up my plans without becoming resentful? I want to remember that I belong to him and I don't always get to pick and choose when or where I will serve.  I also need to remember that I need to give up the right to control my schedule and allow God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.  I will add to my Q.T and prayer list a reminder that I’m God's servant, so his interruptions won't frustrate me.  I will make my agenda to be willing to do whatever God wants to bring into my life.  I will strive to see interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and to be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him.

Jesus Measures Leadership by Service

In summary of

Mark 10:42b-3 it say,

“They let leadership go to their heads and lord/power over others.  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant”

Bottom line:

Don’t let leadership go to your head thinking that you’re better than others, instead you serve the rest just like a servant.

What this means to me:

Being a leader doesn’t give me the privilege to kick back, not work hard and power over others.  Instead Jesus explains that a leader is one who serves the needs of the ones they lead.  So for me this means that I need to be careful to not be selfish and lord / power over others.  To do a leadership job that pleases Jesus, I need to have a servants heart and be willing to serve in the way that I lead.  Our culture / world defines being a leader or greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. When you can demand service from others, you've arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.  Yet God will determine my greatness by how many people I serve and not by how many people serve me.  If I’m not careful (not keeping in mind a having a servant's heart) I can easily be tempted to misuse my God-given SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences) for my own personal gain. While knowing my SHAPE is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is much more important.   My shape will reveal my ministry, but my servant's heart will reveal my maturity. No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs. Anyone can serve. All it requires is character. The best evidence I can have of a servants heart is to look at the results of what I do.  Jesus said, "You can tell what they are by what they do." (Matthew 7:16 CEV)   Today I will think through my attitudes and be sure I am putting on the heart of a servant especially as I lead others at work today.