Kenneth Crews

I Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

I heard a story of a man who was on a fast.  He had committed to not eating for a certain period of time, and in order to show the devil how strong he was in his commitment he went through the drive thru at Mcdonalds.  He purchased a Big Mac, and then set the sandwich in front of himself for the endurance of the drive home.  He could not overcome the temptation however, and broke his commitment! 

Why would anyone tempt themselves????

I use that story as an illustration of what temptation is.  Most commonly temptation is brought before us as a means used by the devil to get us to sin.  Temptation seeks to appeal to our natural appetites (hunger, acceptance, relief from pain, etc.) and cause us to go beyond the boundaries set by God.  God is the answer for all of our needs – but the enemy wants us to find temporary relief somewhere else.  He wants us to lie to gratify that need of acceptance.  He wants us to fulfill our lustful desires for sensual gratification.  He wants us to disobey to satisfy that curiosity.  But we can win against temptation!

Here are a couple of things you need to know about temptation:

• God doesn’t tempt us to sin. Satan does.
• God does make a way out of the temptation as our Scripture above states.
• Submitting to God’s way is the first step in avoiding the pitfalls of temptation.
• Resistance is the next step!

There is grace and forgiveness when we do mess up.  But we do not have to mess up!  We can win against temptation!  God’s grace ensures that! 

Psalm 1:1-3

1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 
2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 
3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 

If you leave a plant to fend for itself, most likely it is going to die.

If you leave a puppy completely to fend for itself, most likely it is going to die.

If you leave an infant to feed himself, clean himself, calm himself, most likely he is not going to survive very long.

Your spiritual man – the renewed man that Paul speaks of in his epistles – requires nourishment and care.  That comes from developing a daily walk (daily devotional life) with God.  A daily devotional life usually includes a time of Bible reading and study, prayer and worship, and a time of meditating on God’s Word (listening for His voice to speak to your heart). To grow spiritually you must put in the work.  In essence, we need a daily workout routine spiritually.  Even Jesus took time to pray! 

The benefits of a daily devotional life are numerous.  You will become better equipped to handle life’s circumstances the way God intends.  You will be able to share with others the reasons why you believe what you believe.  You will be strong in your faith.  You will set an example for others to follow.  You will be able to draw from what you have read and the spiritual encounters in prayer that you have had when times of temptation or struggles with doubt arise.  You will unlock the power of prayer in your life.  Just like a runner is able to run further and further after every run, you will be able to go deeper and deeper in your faith!

Here are some practical things you can do to develop a daily routine of Bible reading and prayer:

• Purchase a devotional book
• Sign up for notifications from a Bible app on your phone
• Create a daily checklist or reminder
• Keep your Bible nearby at all times just in case you have a few minutes throughout the day to read
• Find someone to keep you accountable until you establish the habit

You can do this, and you will not regret it!

IGNITE!

1 Kings 19:11-13

When I read that passage I am reminded of a time that my family and our youth group went on a hiking trip into a cave called Whispering Cave.  It is said of that cave that you can hear a person whisper from one side to the other due to the form and shape the cave has taken over time.  Elijah found himself in a whispering cave in the text.

Elijah had just come out of an amazing period of his life.  He had called down fire from Heaven, destroyed the idolatrous priesthood of Baal, and seen the Lord provide the sustenance he needed to get to the “cave”.  But still Elijah was in a place of depression and self-pity.  Sure, his life was threatened by an evil queen who was out to get him for what God had done; but how could this powerful prophet get to such a place?  Honestly, I do not have a good answer for you today.  But I do know from experience that this same course of events happens to almost every Christian.  Maybe you are in one of those down seasons in your walk with God.  If you can hold on like Elijah did you will find out that God has a way of whispering just what you need to hear.  Let me encourage you with some simple truths I have taken from this passage of scripture:

We need to quit looking for the spectacular and make sure we are listening close enough to hear His whisper.

In the cave where Elijah was there came a powerful wind, a damage-causing earthquake, and a blazing fire; but none of those things carried with it the presence of the Lord.  Then Elijah heard a still, small voice.  He heard a whisper.  That is when Elijah went out from the cave and had an encounter with the Lord. 

Are you listening for the whisper, or just looking for the spectacular?

When Elijah heard the whisper he put himself in a position to have the encounter with God that he so desperately needed.

Through that whisper, that still, small voice, Elijah was reminded that God knew exactly where he was.  It sounds a little bit crazy to say that Elijah needed such a reminder after the experiences immediately preceding this one.  But Elijah was in a desperate spot.  Again, my experience has taught me that in our lowest seasons and valleys is when we need to hear the whispers most frequently. 

Hearing that whisper gave Elijah the encouragement he needed to move out of that valley he was in.

God not only reminded Elijah that He knew where he was, but it also reminded Elijah that God was not through with him.  God gave Elijah a plan to go and anoint some men to take positions in God’s plan for His people.  God gave Elijah a purpose by telling Elijah to anoint his successor in the office of the prophet – namely Elisha.  God gave Elijah further encouragement by letting him know that there were still 7,000 people that remained faithful to Jehovah; so Elijah was not as alone as he thought he was.  Then Elijah obeyed.  This turn-around was the result of hearing the whisper. 

How do we hear the whisper of God?

The answer is simple to tell but acting on this truth tends to be a little more difficult.  To hear the whispers of God we must be seeking Him.  The prophet Jeremiah said that when we search for Him with our entire heart that then we would find Him.  God’s whispers are heard by those who are not only looking for the fire, the earthquake, the miraculous, etc.  His whispers are heard in our times of personal prayer.  His whispers are heard as we read His Word with an open heart.  His whispers are heard when we search His Truth without distraction.  His whispers are heard when we allow ourselves to get alone with Him.  Today I believe God wants to whisper to your heart.  Maybe this devotion is His way of doing that.  I pray and hope that it is.  Just be encouraged…

Sometimes God whispers.