6B-Danger ahead! Bible Survival

 

The Big Idea: Be on guard against danger zones such as money, sex, power and anger. 

Dangerous Temptation Everyone Faces!

While our family was stationed in Germany, I took a road signs test as part of getting a German license. Memorizing all the traffic signs, sometimes with German writing, was challenging. But it was important for us to know how to navigate the roads, especially when on a winding dark side street or flying down the autobahn. 

God knows that we as human beings face many danger zones in life. His Word, the Bible warns us of danger signs of which we should be aware. He gives us the advice how to avoid the pitfalls and survive the onslaught of temptations that come our way. Don't be surprised at difficulty to live the Christian life. Listen to what the Apostle Paul told the early church:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. I Corinthians 10:13

God will show us a way out. An excellent way is from reading and memorizing His Word. It has timeless truths that transcend culture to show us all we need to live well as a follower of Jesus.

 

BEWARE OF DANGER ZONES

Money, sex and power are three biggies. They can lure us and trap us. Sometimes the three go together. We will start with these three obvious ones first.

Financial difficulties

Money is useful. We need it to live. We can use it to bless others. However obsession with money and possessions (the LOVE of money) is the problem. Despondency over never having enough is a pitfall. Plead to our Heavenly Father for our daily needs and turn the focus to Him.

But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. I Timothy 6:9-10

O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.  First, help me never to tell a lie.  Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.  Proverbs 30:7-9

Practically:

• Pray for God to help you break from an obsession with money or things.
• Pray to God for your daily, practical needs.
• Ask God to satisfy you.
• Ask yourself if you put money, things, pleasure in a higher valued position than God. Confess that you want Him as Lord of your life, not being controlled by other things.
• If you are blessed with money ask Him to guide you how to use it for His honor.

 

Sex

God is the creator of sex. You may think, oh yeah, it is for the populating of the species. Okay that might be part of it. But the reality is, sex is created by God to make two people one. It is designed for that incredible connection in its purest form, between a husband and wife. I cannot even begin here to list the warps and deviations of this through the centuries.

There are several problems with sex. It can be used for power. It causes jealousy and can even lead to murder. It can be abusive. It can warp minds to the point of obsession like a drug (porn). It can deeply hurt people instead of unite who it was meant for.

Even a one night stand has a lingering effect on people, sometimes with very serious consequences. This is because God created it to be so intimate it is the mingling of two souls that are united before God. It is not to be taken lightly. Satan has long used this to trap, crush and destroy. No wonder he gleefully uses obsession and abuse related to sex.

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" Matthew 26:41

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. I Thessalonians 4:3

Practically:

• "Run from sexual sin!" (1 Cor. 6:18) If you are tempted, find a way to separate yourself from the influence.
• "Keep watch" (Mt 26:41) means to be on the alert for danger signs. Be ready. Know this happens way too easily so be aware.
• "Pray." (Mt. 26:41) Yes, it is as simple as that. I remember at a date's house excusing myself to the bathroom. I knelt at the bathtub and prayed for the Lord to help me find a way out of that situation. He gave me the courage to do so.
• Confess sin to God (I John 1:9) and start clean. Stay close to Him.

 

Power

Power is coupled with pride. The Bible speaks a lot about the humble and the proud. The Old Testament in particular speaks a lot about justice. You may not feel like you are in a position prone to power. Most of us don’t. But most of attempt to wield control over others. We do it with our spouse. We do it with our children. We do it on boring committees. Sometimes it is labeled passive aggressive behavior. 

Humility is so important for everyone of us no matter what age or position we are in. Here are just a couple verses about God's desire for a humble heart.

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. Psalm 138:6

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment. Isaiah 2:11

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

 

Practically:

• Ask God to give you a humble heart. You are not born with this nature.
• Ask God to rid you of pride.
• Ask God for help in everything. Lean on Him as your Lord.
• Seek to look out for the interests of others. Ask God how you can serve others (even family members)

 

Anger

Anger and Revenge go hand in hand. Some like to say their anger is OK because it is righteous anger for the name of Christ. The problem with anger is, God can handle it. We can't. It has the ability to fester and take hold of our mortal bodies and minds and corrupt what Christians should convey to the world;  kindness and longsuffering. These verses from both the Old and New Testament talk about not letting sin control you. It is control ultimately we should give to God. Satan warps it into something that never goes away except by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Psalms 4:4

And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4: 26-27

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them  back,” says the Lord. Romans 12:9

Practically:

• When feeling anger, give time before you respond (Ps 4:4).  
• If you struggle with anger, confess that to God. Admit it to Him and to yourself (I John 1:9).
• Stop yourself when you feel anger coming on. Stop angry thoughts. Practice this. Memorize a verse like Ephesians 4:26 and remind yourself of it.
• If you struggle with revenge, study what the Bible has to say on that subject. Pray to turn it over to Him. Acknowledge He has better timing and methods than you do (Rom 12:9).

 

The no brainers

The Bible points out areas in which we human beings struggle. We are aware of some that seem obvious. The book of Galatians tells us that these are very clear. No brainers. Even people who are not Christians know that these are ultimately harmful. These hurt other people and lead to a variety of consequences.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5: 19-21

Instead the same passage in Galatians tells us the way to counter these sinful ways.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5: 22-25

Practically:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you develop these qualities by His guidance.
• Consider your sinful bent to be put to the cross with Jesus. What does that look like in real life? Think about Him being nailed to the cross for your sin. Ask Him for help only He can give, to restore and renew your decision making process, your thought life, the situations in which you find yourself, and so on. Consider it taken care of by Him.

This is part two in a series about learning to survive temptation by using Scripture. Next week we will look at some very practical areas of temptation. A toxic thought life, and foolish talk. The Bible will show us how to combat these everyday temptations that seep into our life.

Up Next: Toxic Thoughts

Previous Post: Temptation Happens

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Reflect:

1. Is there one area in particular in today's list where you struggle? Can you become more aware of it when it comes, in order to learn to coach yourself by Scripture?

2. Do you see a Bible verse in this blog that would be good to memorize? Maybe you know of another one I didn't mention that is helpful to you. Put this before you this week on a notecard, a post-it note or something.

3. Pray asking God to reveal problem areas to you. Ask Him how He and His Word might help.