Pause! When tempted, what is at stake?

Andy Stanley explains that, when tempted, our legacy, our future, our family, and our faith are all at stake.  Great suggestions on how to deal with temptation are provided.


Videos:
Dealing with temptation Part 1A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEn1RhHW3YM
Dealing with temptation Part 1B: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjSXT9_x5gQ

Part 1 study guide: http://media.northpointministries.org/content/sunday/pause/pause1.pdf

Videos:
Dealing with temptation Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71U2LDT9854

Part 2 study guide: http://media.northpointministries.org/content/sunday/pause/pause2.pdf

Videos:
Dealing with temptation Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NTh4UBLhJ8

Part 3 study guide: http://media.northpointministries.org/content/sunday/pause/pause3.pdf

Dealing with temptation Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofGmfbZSE38

Part 4 study guide: http://media.northpointministries.org/content/sunday/pause/pause4.pdf

Appetites, feelings, passion, and impulses

 

Faith based upon what is happening in our lives is...

Communion thoughts January 3, 2016
Circumstantial faith (Most ideas inspired by Andy Stanley- Faith, Hope, and Luck series)

The summer before my Freshman year in college, I became frustrated with things in my life.  One might say I was at a low. My parents had been fighting more than usual and I lacked confidence in how to handle life.  So, I went out to a local lake where there was a pavilion and decided to go through Proverbs and pray for God’s guidance.  I wanted to write out a moral code- create a standard from which to live.  I felt very close to God at that time.  By the end of the week, a lot of prayer time and spiritual clarity had been attained and right before I left on the last day, I went out to the end of the dock and decided to throw a hook in the water.  I sat at the dock moving the hook up and down as I prayed.  After about 15 minutes of witnessing bluegills swim up to the hook, inspect it and then swim away, it was clear they weren’t going to take my imaginary bait…after having a very great “moment” in prayer, something made me think to ask God to make a fish bite the hook.  So I said “God, make me a fisher of fish.”  I know…what a weird way to say, “God, make a fish bite my hook.”  With no bait, suddenly a fish immediately attacked my hook!  In less than a second after I said the word “fish.”  I about fell off the dock into the water and couldn’t believe what had happened.  I felt like I was part of a New Testament miracle!  At that time, that “miracle” made me feel like God was guiding me and that He was with me.  Then I decided to try walking on water….that didn’t go so well.

Looking back, I really believe God either knew the fish was going to bite my hook and that the Holy spirit moved me to pray that prayer, or He made the fish bite the hook.  It sure gave me a boost in confidence.  However, there have been plenty of circumstances in life that have occurred- circumstances involving pain, sadness, and hardship that might have made me interpret God’s presence in my life differently. 

Is your faith impacted by your circumstances?  Have you ever felt closer to God when things are going the way you thought they should go?    Has your faith ever waivered depending on your circumstances?  If I get that job…then God is with me and I love him.  If I get an A on the test or if my test comes back negative…then I have no problem believing in God.  We’ve heard amazing stories of answered prayer.  Friends are healed, the check comes in the mail, in younger years…”shew, I didn’t get caught”, the cop didn’t pull me over, she said yes, a fish bites an empty hook…these circumstances seem to strengthen our faith.    But what do we do when our prayers aren’t answered?  What happens to our faith then?

As we focus on the cross and we remember His sacrifice for our salvation, may we remember our faith is based, not upon whether or not God answers our prayers the way we think they should be answered, but upon a man who died on the cross and came back to life.  This moment is about an amazing miracle that set us free.  This moment is what drove the growth of the early church before the bible existed and through intense persecution.  Our faith has nothing to do with us or our circumstances.  May we stay here…in this moment…when our circumstances make us want to doubt.

Hebrews 12:2-3   Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.