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February 4,
2006
"Truth and
Tactics Concerning Temptation"
--James Goll
Encounters Network
www.jamesgoll.com
 Five
Foundational Truths
Concerning Temptation
At times, it is important that we have a firm foundation in
our life, family, and ministry. In times of transition, it
is also imperative that we re-look and even re-establish a
solid foundation in our lives. I want to redefine some moral
boundaries so that we do not become deceived by the enemy.
Sound good? Then proceed ahead with me to look at Five
Foundational Truths Concerning Temptation.
1. God Tests, but Never
Tempts
Whereas, God may test our faith, but He never tempts us.
James 1:13 states:
"...Let no one say when he
is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot
be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt
anyone." --James
1:13
The
purpose of divine testing is to sanctify and strengthen.
James 1:2-4 tells us:
"Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And
let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
--James 1:2-4
The
purpose of satanic tempting is to deceive and destroy (John
10:10).
2. Temptation Begins in
the Flesh
Temptation almost always begins in the flesh.
James 1:14 explains, "But each
one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his
own lust." Our flesh sets fire to sin. Satan
then simply fans the flame higher.
3. To Be Tempted is Not a
Sin!
Temptation, in and of itself, is not sin! Jesus was
repeatedly tempted (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15), but He was
sinless.
Martin Luther once stated, "You can't prevent the birds
from flying over your head, but you can keep them from
building a nest in your hair."
"A temptation only becomes sin when we accept it, when we
fondle it, when we enjoy it." --a quote from Martin
Lloyd-Jones.
4. The Essence and
Strength of Temptation
The essence and strength of temptation is two-fold:
a. The enticement to satisfy legitimate needs
through illegitimate means.
b. The enticement to push virtues to the extreme
of religious legalism with unquestioned acceptance.
5. The Problem of Giving
into Temptation
The more often we say "yes" to a temptation, the more
difficult it becomes to say "no." Sin is addictive and habit
forming. It builds to ever increasing dimensions. It has a
hardening effect on the soul of the individual (Hebrews
3:12-13). It is a lie at the core. It offers one thing and
produces another.
Satan Especially Likes to Tempt Us...
1. When our faith is young--when the Christian is
newly or recently converted (I Timothy 3:6).
2. When our faith feels strongest--when we think we
are invulnerable to sin (I Corinthians 10:12).
3. When we are in an alien environment and culturally
unaware of the enemy's schemes in a given region.
4. When our faith is being tested in the fires of
affliction:
a. Physical affliction (Matthew 4)
b. Spiritual affliction (Job 2:1-10)
5.
Immediately following great spiritual highs and lows. Heed
the lessons of Elijah in I Kings 18 and 19.
6. Perhaps Satan's most effective tactic in tempting
us is to put his thoughts into our minds and then blame us
for having them.
a. See I Chronicles 21:1, Matthew 16:13-23, John
13:2, and Acts 5:1-3 on Satan's ability to put his
thoughts into your mind.
b. "When thoughts or inclinations contrary to
the will and ways of God creep in, many dear Christians
mistake these miserable orphans for their own children
and take upon themselves the full responsibility for
these carnal passions. So deftly does the devil slip his
own thoughts into the saints' bosom that by the time
they begin to whimper, he is already out of sight. And
the Christian, seeing no one but himself at home,
supposes these misbegotten notions are his own. So he
bears the shame himself, and Satan has accomplished his
purposes." --William Gurnall author of The
Christian in Complete Armour
c. The devil's scheme is to speak in the "first
person" and trick us into thinking that the statements
are about us.
7.
A related tactic of temptation is for him to launch his
accusations as if they were from the Holy Spirit. How do we
distinguish between satanic accusation and Divine
conviction? Remember: God's conviction eventually releases
"hope," while the enemy's fruit of accusation ultimately is
condemnation.
When Too Much of a Good Thing
Becomes a License for Licentiousness/Lawlessness
Most of us won't often be tempted to commit blatant sins
such as robbery, murder, or rape. Satan is too clever and
subtle for that. He knows that we will recognize the
flagrant wrong in such temptations and refuse to act on
them. Instead, his tactic is to entice us to push something
good beyond the boundary of the will of God until it becomes
sin.
He
treats us like the proverbial frog in the pool of
water--gradually turning up the heat of temptation, hoping
we don't notice that we are approaching the boundary of
God's will and jump out before something good becomes sin.
When those boundaries are erased, then the devil typically
moves on to other expressions and temptations that
previously we would not have even considered.
The following statements reveal the sinful results in a
number of areas where we are tempted to take the good things
that God created beyond the boundary of God's will:
1. Physical rest becomes laziness
2. Quietness becomes non-communication
3. Ability to profit becomes avarice and greed
4. Enjoyment of life becomes intemperance
5. Physical pleasure becomes sensuality
6. Interest in the possessions of others become
covetousness
7. Enjoyment of food becomes gluttony
8. Self-care becomes selfishness
9. Self-respect becomes conceit
10. Communication becomes gossip
11. Cautiousness becomes unbelief
12. Positiveness becomes insensitivity
13. Anger becomes rage and bad temper
14. Loving-kindness becomes overprotection
15. Judgment becomes criticism
16. Same-sex friendship becomes homosexuality
17. Sexual freedom becomes sexual immorality
18. Conscientiousness becomes perfectionism
19. Generosity becomes wastefulness
20. Self-protection becomes dishonesty
21. Carefulness becomes fear
22. Spiritual compatibility becomes illegal soul ties
23. Freedom becomes an occasion for the flesh
24. Improper intimacy in relationships breeds false
spiritual union
25. Encouragement turns to flattery
26. Pursuing goals becomes a "driving spirit"
27. You are more impressed with the words coming out
of you than you are the Word coming into you. (Prophetic
words become a replacement for the written word.)
28. Success-motivation becomes boastful pride of life
29. Emotional Healing ministry becomes a "rescuer
mentality"
30. The Healing Touch becomes a "familiar touch or
spirit" in a wrong place and with a wrong motivation
By James Goll
Encounters Network
www.jamesgoll.com
~~~~~
James' Upcoming Itinerary:
February 10-11, 2006
Prophetic Encounters Intensive
Chris Poole and EN Team
It will now be held
at the Nashville Vineyard
615-599-5552
www.jimgoll.com
February 21, 2006
Prophetic Encounters
Chris Poole and EN Team
Encounters Ministry Center
2389 Henpeck Lane
Franklin, TN 37064
615-599-5552
www.encountersnetwork.com
February 17-19, 2006
James W. Goll
Open Bible Fellowship
1439 East 71st Street
Tulsa, OK 74136
918-492-5511
www.obftulsa.org
February 23-25, 2006
Engaging Heaven Prophetic Conference
James W. Goll, Chuck Pierce, Paul Keith Davis, Rick Joyner
Hosted by Passion and Fire Worship Center at
New Life Vineyard Church Facilities
2470 Princeton Rd.
Hamilton, OH 45011
513-777-8217
www.passionandfire.org
|
oul.
James W. Goll surely wrote this under the influence! I have been
educated, challenged, nourished and provoked...
