TEMPTATIONS, GOD’S FAITHFULNESS AND SATAN’S ANCIENT PLAY BOOK
by John Barnett
Scripture: Matthew 6:13, I Corinthians 10:13
Temptations, God’s Faithfulness and Satan’s Ancient Play Book
John Barnett
Matthew 6:13, 1 Cor. 10:13
This week as I waited for the doctor and my annual physical the nurse went through the standard checklist of vital signs of my health. We all know them: blood work, temperature, weight, pulse, blood pressure.
But, my own personal numbers were not sufficient, they were compared to what was ‘‘normal, healthy, and average’’. Anything not normal and healthy was flagged and I was talked to in no uncertain terms of how to remedy the abnormal, high, or dangerous reading. The list before us is the ‘‘normal’’ readings of a spiritually healthy Christ follower.
As we open to Matthew 6, we are opening to the almost universally known prayer Christ left for us. These verses also provide the complete guide to our spiritual health, given to us by Jesus Christ Himself.
Our Daily Check-up
As we read these words, we are reminded that God wants us to not do an annual physical. We are to check our levels each time we pray.
Healthy believers focus regularly on God as their Father.
They also seek to surrender to His control, as they walk through each day following His will.
These healthy believers seek for God’s provision of His strengthening grace to help in time of need, as they seek to stay cleansed of anything that would cause spiritual infections.
That leads us to the sixth petition in Matthew 6:13, where we find that a healthy believer understands that they need God’s protection constantly. Listen to Christ’s words again:
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
What is the answer such regular prayers for protection?
Temptation is as old and as deadly as it was the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. Please turn back for a moment to Genesis 3 where most Bibles would identify the summary of this chapter as the Fall of Man, or the Original ...
John Barnett
Matthew 6:13, 1 Cor. 10:13
This week as I waited for the doctor and my annual physical the nurse went through the standard checklist of vital signs of my health. We all know them: blood work, temperature, weight, pulse, blood pressure.
But, my own personal numbers were not sufficient, they were compared to what was ‘‘normal, healthy, and average’’. Anything not normal and healthy was flagged and I was talked to in no uncertain terms of how to remedy the abnormal, high, or dangerous reading. The list before us is the ‘‘normal’’ readings of a spiritually healthy Christ follower.
As we open to Matthew 6, we are opening to the almost universally known prayer Christ left for us. These verses also provide the complete guide to our spiritual health, given to us by Jesus Christ Himself.
Our Daily Check-up
As we read these words, we are reminded that God wants us to not do an annual physical. We are to check our levels each time we pray.
Healthy believers focus regularly on God as their Father.
They also seek to surrender to His control, as they walk through each day following His will.
These healthy believers seek for God’s provision of His strengthening grace to help in time of need, as they seek to stay cleansed of anything that would cause spiritual infections.
That leads us to the sixth petition in Matthew 6:13, where we find that a healthy believer understands that they need God’s protection constantly. Listen to Christ’s words again:
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
What is the answer such regular prayers for protection?
Temptation is as old and as deadly as it was the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. Please turn back for a moment to Genesis 3 where most Bibles would identify the summary of this chapter as the Fall of Man, or the Original ...
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