Follow the Joyful Example of Jesus

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Resist temptation by drinking in the joy of Jesus!

            We all face temptations! That’s a fact of life. Resisting temptation is a learning process.  The best role model as our “teacher” in this process is JESUS! In Matthew 4 and in Luke 4 we read about how He experienced temptation from Satan in the wilderness. What can we learn from His example?

            First, we need to keep in mind that Jesus was fully human.  He had physical and emotional needs as we do.  He did not have the spiritual needs human beings have—He already knew God’s love & had no need for forgiveness because He had never sinned. But He did have needs for food, water, air, security and shelter. And He had the need for human fellowship.

            Do you remember how Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations? He quoted the Word of God right to Satan’s face! If this method was good enough for Jesus, then it should be good enough for us.  But …do we KNOW the Word of God? It’s important to read and study the Bible.  We don’t have to be able to recite, word for word, the scriptures.  But to hide His Word in our hearts means that we know what it says and we can apply it to our lives.

             If you are not in the habit of reading the Bible daily, may I encourage to start today?  The more of His Word we have in our heart, the more joyful we will be and the more we will be able to resist temptation.

Joyfully and Boldly Put on Your Armor

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  There are no boundaries on how much joy can be yours! 

            It’s a good thing to set boundaries most of the time.  We need them to protect us, to keep us accountable and to help us make wise choices.  But God has set no limits on the amount of love and joy He has stored up with YOUR name on it! 

            On the other-hand, our enemy, Satan, tries every trick in the book to entice us to go beyond the boundaries that God has established in His Word. God sets specific boundaries for our good….to keep us from harm. Satan wants us to ignore those boundaries and selfishly set our own rules. When we do that, rather than worshipping God….we are worshiping ourselves. That sounds brash, doesn’t it?  But when we substitute our will for God’s will, we are putting ourselves ahead of Him …and saying “no” to a deeper relationship with Him. And that’s exactly what the enemy wants! 

                We are warned by Charles Stanley in his book When the Enemy Strikes that we should never forget the devil’s purposes. They are:

·         To draw us away from God.

·         To thwart God’s purpose for our life

·         To deny the glory of God in our life.

·         To destroy us in any way he can, including physical health. 

As Ephesians 6:11 says: Let’s joyfully “Put on the full armor of God, so that you (we) will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

No Tempting from God...

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  When we are feeling weak, a great big serving of joy in the Lord is exactly what we need!

            “Feelings of weakness can be good or bad,” writes Charles Stanley. “If feelings of weakness drive a person to greater dependency on God, the outcome is good! But if these feelings are allowed to spiral downward into sin or feelings of self-pity, discouragement, or despair, the results are obviously bad.”      

            Often when we are weak, we give into temptation. Let’s not confuse trials with temptations! Charles Stanley explains: “A trial is a time of testing with a goal of strengthening the person who is going through the trial.  A trial reveals to a person an area of weakness so he can learn to trust God in a deeper way to provide what is lacking.  The trials God may send or allow in our lives are designed to test us and show us where we are weak and need to become stronger.

            A temptation, on the other hand, is intended to entice us to do evil. It is aimed at our eventual destruction.” And it is NOT from God! 

James 1:13 tells us: “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”

            God will be with us through the trials and He will give us the strength to resist temptation…IF we relinquish control.

           

           May our prayer be: “Father, give us strength, wisdom and joy in relationship with You as we stand strong in the trials and resist temptations.”