GROW CHRISTIAN GROW

Sin is the biggest obstacle to growing as a Christian.  Simply defined, sin is either doing what God tells you not to do or not doing what God tells you to do.  When you disobey God, you cannot grow into the mature Christian God and you desire.

What if I were to tell you that there is a simple step to resisting the temptation to sin?  If this simple step is put into practice each time you are tempted to sin, you will find yourself not committing that sin.  It does not matter if it is a sin which you have been struggling with for years.

It has to do with the six inches between your ears.  Yep! Your mind.  You see, every sin begins with a thought. 

You may be saying, "But Pastor Shepard, I can't control my thoughts.  They just pop into my mind!"

That is True.  However, you can control how long they stay in your mind.  You can control how long you dwell on them.

So, you must kick the temptational thoughts out of your mind as soon as you recognize them.  The best way to do that is to think about something else.

The Bible teaches us to refocus our mind when tempted.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (NIV)  So, if you focus on looking for a way out; you are no longer dwelling on that temptational thought.

I can remember growing up and being told that if I felt myself getting mad, that I was to count to 10 before I did anything.  If I did that, I found that I was no longer angry enough to do something I would regret later.  Concentrating on counting to 10 was, in a sense, looking for a way out.  I was no longer focusing on what had made me mad and my anger started going away.

Another good Bible passage to keep in mind is James 4:7, "Submit yourselves then to God.  Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you." (NIV)  When you focus your attention on God, the Devil is at your back.  As you continue to focus on God, the Devil will leave.

How To Resist Temptation Explained . . .(An Excerpt From Lesson 14)

How To Resist Temptation

(And Stop Doing That Sin You Hate . . .)

LOVE GOD

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR