Wow! That is a great question! The truth is because of His great mercy. Jesus is giving us all a chance to be rescued from our sin and to come to Him before He returns.
You see, when sin came into this world through the act of disobedience by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they ate the forbidden fruit, it opened up the door for Satan to enter and create all sorts of chaos and to try and disrupt God’s unstoppable plan. Satan has tried so hard, and for a long time, to get us all to turn away from God by tempting us with all sorts of bad things! And, because God gave us all free will, we’ve made a mess of this world. The world is full of bad people, terrible situations and evil temptations.
The good news is that, in order for us to have eternal life with Jesus, we have to admit our sins, believe that Jesus is who He says He is and then choose to follow Him. We have to turn from all those bad things and bad people and accept Jesus’ gift of grace. If we don’t, we’re not going to enjoy the salvation that Jesus gives us and the eternal life He promises.
But, make no mistake. Jesus will someday come back and He will defeat Satan once and for all. But, He loves us and wants to give us every opportunity to come to repentance and to choose Him as our Savior before He does return. That’s why He is waiting.
Showing posts with label temptation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label temptation. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Friday, 6 November 2009
If God has more power than Satan, why doesn’t He destroy Satan?
Great question! The truth is that no one knows why God allows Satan to live and roam the Earth and allow bad things to happen And, for the record, let me just say also that God could take Satan out anytime that He chooses, if he wanted to, but that God has a greater unstoppable plan in store for us. In fact, I know God can take Satan out because, eventually, God does get rid of Satan by throwing him in the Lake of Fire.
The real question is why didn’t God do it yesterday or why doesn’t God just do it now??? I mean, if God had gotten rid of Satan yesterday, I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today, right? The best way to get rid of temptation, it seems to me, is to get rid of the Great Tempter, right??? So, why doesn’t God do that?
Well, the Bible does not directly answer that question. Perhaps God is allowing Satan to tempt us because it brings us closer to God’s glory and developing a relationship with Jesus when we overcome those temptations. And, don’t forget the most important aspect when we battle those temptations to do bad things: God sent His one and only Son right in the middle of that battle and it is through His death on the cross that you are saved! And when you put your love, faith and trust in Jesus in spite of Satan’s lies, tricks and temptations, Jesus’ glory will shine through you and you will be able to overcome anything! “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
The real question is why didn’t God do it yesterday or why doesn’t God just do it now??? I mean, if God had gotten rid of Satan yesterday, I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today, right? The best way to get rid of temptation, it seems to me, is to get rid of the Great Tempter, right??? So, why doesn’t God do that?
Well, the Bible does not directly answer that question. Perhaps God is allowing Satan to tempt us because it brings us closer to God’s glory and developing a relationship with Jesus when we overcome those temptations. And, don’t forget the most important aspect when we battle those temptations to do bad things: God sent His one and only Son right in the middle of that battle and it is through His death on the cross that you are saved! And when you put your love, faith and trust in Jesus in spite of Satan’s lies, tricks and temptations, Jesus’ glory will shine through you and you will be able to overcome anything! “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
What would happen 2 da world if Satan turned [his heart] to God and became good??
Wow, that is a very interesting question! Do you realize that if there was no Satan, then there would be no evil or no temptation? If Satan became good again and became Lucifer, the archangel, there would be no wars, no hate, no jealously, no sin, period! That would be kind of cool, wouldn’t it?
What would we be like??? Would we be like robots just worshipping God without really understanding who God is? Would we know who Jesus is? Would there even be a Jesus??? I mean, if there was no sin, then there wouldn’t be a need for Jesus would there? Hmmm…
But, sadly, there is a Satan and he is a terrible, terrible being. He uses lies, doubt, distractions and evil to take our eyes off God. And, because there is a Satan, that’s why God sent us a Savior. God sent His one and only Son down to Earth to take all the sin of the world upon Him so that we wouldn’t die but that we could have eternal life with God in Heaven.
And, here’s sort of the weird part about this that kinda sounds kooky but it’s true: Satan exists so that we can have a personal relationship with God. Like I said earlier, if there was no Satan, we wouldn’t need Jesus and we’d all walk around like a bunch of robots not knowing God’s full greatness. But, because Satan shows us how weak we really are, we know we need Christ in our lives to overcome Satan’s attacks. And the only way to know Christ is to have a personal relationship with Him.
We need to accept Christ into our hearts and talk to Him every day through prayer and ask Him to help us from the evil one’s temptations. Remember when Jesus taught his disciple how to pray? It’s called the Lord’s Prayer and part of it, after acknowledging God and His greatness, is a request where we ask God to, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus knew Satan’s power and knew that we couldn’t battle Satan without God’s help. It was so important that he included it in His prayer.
That tells me that, as tough as I think I am, I can’t do it without God’s help. I need God in my life. I need Jesus, who died for me on that cross, to save me from Satan. And, the best part is…He will! All you have to do is ask Him and trust in Him and believe that He died for your sins and the sins of the world.
What would we be like??? Would we be like robots just worshipping God without really understanding who God is? Would we know who Jesus is? Would there even be a Jesus??? I mean, if there was no sin, then there wouldn’t be a need for Jesus would there? Hmmm…
But, sadly, there is a Satan and he is a terrible, terrible being. He uses lies, doubt, distractions and evil to take our eyes off God. And, because there is a Satan, that’s why God sent us a Savior. God sent His one and only Son down to Earth to take all the sin of the world upon Him so that we wouldn’t die but that we could have eternal life with God in Heaven.
And, here’s sort of the weird part about this that kinda sounds kooky but it’s true: Satan exists so that we can have a personal relationship with God. Like I said earlier, if there was no Satan, we wouldn’t need Jesus and we’d all walk around like a bunch of robots not knowing God’s full greatness. But, because Satan shows us how weak we really are, we know we need Christ in our lives to overcome Satan’s attacks. And the only way to know Christ is to have a personal relationship with Him.
We need to accept Christ into our hearts and talk to Him every day through prayer and ask Him to help us from the evil one’s temptations. Remember when Jesus taught his disciple how to pray? It’s called the Lord’s Prayer and part of it, after acknowledging God and His greatness, is a request where we ask God to, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus knew Satan’s power and knew that we couldn’t battle Satan without God’s help. It was so important that he included it in His prayer.
That tells me that, as tough as I think I am, I can’t do it without God’s help. I need God in my life. I need Jesus, who died for me on that cross, to save me from Satan. And, the best part is…He will! All you have to do is ask Him and trust in Him and believe that He died for your sins and the sins of the world.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Why did God send Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan?
That is an awesome question! If you read the very first line of the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1, it says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, He allowed Jesus to be tempted. And you’re saying, “Okay…but why???”
God sent Jesus to show us how to resist the devil. Remember, Jesus is God so, if He wanted, He could have made Satan disappear with just a thought. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!
And, if you were listening real close you heard how Jesus set the example for us. Do you recall? He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He turned to God’s Word. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.
Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.
So, that’s why God sent Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. It was to demonstrate to us how we can beat Satan by turning to God and by turning away from the temptation of the devil. Remember Philippians 4:13…”I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, He allowed Jesus to be tempted. And you’re saying, “Okay…but why???”
God sent Jesus to show us how to resist the devil. Remember, Jesus is God so, if He wanted, He could have made Satan disappear with just a thought. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!
And, if you were listening real close you heard how Jesus set the example for us. Do you recall? He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He turned to God’s Word. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.
Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.
So, that’s why God sent Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan. It was to demonstrate to us how we can beat Satan by turning to God and by turning away from the temptation of the devil. Remember Philippians 4:13…”I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
Saturday, 4 July 2009
How would Jesus live without food for 40 days? Wouldn’t He die of hunger?
This is an awesome question! I’m with you …that seems an awful long time to go without even some chips or some beef jerky or some sort of snack! I don’t think I could go 30 minutes without some Cheeto’s…
But, here’s the thing about fasting. If you trust God and are an obedient servant and occupy the time you would have spent eating with prayer and worshipping God, He will take care of your need for food. God has that divine ability. The key is, though, that you have to replace eating with worshipping God completely.
I heard a funny but cool saying the other day. It said that fasting without prayer is called…hunger! But prayer with fasting is called “feasting in a spiritual sense.”
You know, one of my favorite parts of that whole story is the last verse, Matthew 4:11, that reads, “Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.” That shows that, even though Jesus was God, He was also man and needed, for lack of a better term, “first aid.” It shows Jesus’ humanity. He was hungry, He was tired and He was mentally weary.
Aren’t you thankful that Jesus experienced these things and taught us from experience how to resist temptation, how to live, and, most importantly, how to love? I know I am.
But, here’s the thing about fasting. If you trust God and are an obedient servant and occupy the time you would have spent eating with prayer and worshipping God, He will take care of your need for food. God has that divine ability. The key is, though, that you have to replace eating with worshipping God completely.
I heard a funny but cool saying the other day. It said that fasting without prayer is called…hunger! But prayer with fasting is called “feasting in a spiritual sense.”
You know, one of my favorite parts of that whole story is the last verse, Matthew 4:11, that reads, “Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.” That shows that, even though Jesus was God, He was also man and needed, for lack of a better term, “first aid.” It shows Jesus’ humanity. He was hungry, He was tired and He was mentally weary.
Aren’t you thankful that Jesus experienced these things and taught us from experience how to resist temptation, how to live, and, most importantly, how to love? I know I am.
Friday, 19 June 2009
How could Jesus be tempted?
That is an awesome question! If you read the very first line of the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1, it says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, he allowed Jesus to be tempted. You see, it is not a sin to be tempted. The sin is giving in to that temptation.
You wanna know what’s really cool? Jesus is God. And, Jesus is man. I’m telling you this because, if Jesus had wanted, he could have made Satan disappear with a thought or the blink of an eye. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!
Jesus set the example for us. He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.
Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.
So, how could be Jesus be tempted? Because God allowed it to show us how we can resist the devil. The key is that Jesus did not give in to the temptation and He turned away from it.
So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, he allowed Jesus to be tempted. You see, it is not a sin to be tempted. The sin is giving in to that temptation.
You wanna know what’s really cool? Jesus is God. And, Jesus is man. I’m telling you this because, if Jesus had wanted, he could have made Satan disappear with a thought or the blink of an eye. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!
Jesus set the example for us. He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.
Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.
So, how could be Jesus be tempted? Because God allowed it to show us how we can resist the devil. The key is that Jesus did not give in to the temptation and He turned away from it.
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