Can you hear me?

I grew up in a house that sat on an acre of land at the edge of a forest. I knew how far away I could go and still hear Mom call. If it was close to supper I stayed in the yard. If I did not want to hear her call then anywhere in the woods would give me the freedom to play as I wanted. Of course, I might get in trouble when I came home. And, if I needed help, she could not hear me either. Temptation comes when we get out of earshot.

We are all tempted and the Bible tells us we all sin, (Romans 3:23). If we search the scriptures we can discover the character and content of sin and how to find forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We can also find teaching in the Bible that will help us avoid temptation in the first place.

First and foremost is the need to stay in God’s Word, the Bible. In Genesis 3 we see that when sin entered the world the serpent lied to Eve, and Adam, to get sin started. His first lie begins with, “Has God said…?” When we doubt God’s Word we open the door to temptation. We tend to doubt the word of someone we do not know well. The closeness of our relationship with God and our faith in His Word go hand in hand.

When Jesus was being tempted by the devil He was tempted first to turn stones into bread. He answered that temptation by remembering that man does not live by bread only but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. “Every Word,” keeps rolling around in my mind. All of the Bible is important as food for our spirit. It is the food we need not only to grow spiritually but our very survival depends on the spiritual nourishment of daily taking in His Word.

David said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God,” (Psalm 119). Read, study, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word. Make a commitment now to read through the Bible in 2008. Stay in earshot of God. The life you safe might be your own.
Bro. Robin