Ancient myths tell of Diogenes who took a lamp in search of an honest man. Some cynics said that when he got to New York somebody stole his lamp. It is easy to look around and decide the situation is hopeless. However, there are still some honest people out there who reverence God and respect their fellow man. One is Joe Walsh of Brentwood. Some time back, Joe a delivery truck driver with only $.89 in his pocket found a bank deposit bag loaded with cash lying in and in the parking lot. He quickly told some nearby workers he explained, “that protected me from being tempted. I had no business keeping that money.” Friends later told him he was a fool for turning it in. But was he? Suppose the bag contained 1000 or two. Is that the price of your integrity or can you be bought for less? This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
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John T. Polk II
Psalm 91
Vs. 1-2 specify exactly Who it is that gives a believer security;
Vs. 3-8 describe what kind of security can be expected;
Vs. 9-16 designate what is expected of the believer.
There is no definite author or history to explain this Psalm, but there is also no reason to question its place in this Book. It may well have been written by Moses, as was the previous Psalm. Let us emphasize, rather, the terms for God: (1) “Most High” (Hebrew El Elyon), because there is none equal to Him (Isaiah 45:20-23; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6), therefore “the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48; 17:24-25). The virgin Mary was told her son “will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32). (2) “Almighty” (Hebrew, El Shaddai), because He is the source of all blessings, therefore He could deliver on His promise to Abram (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-6). To the church of Christ in Corinth, God promised, “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty”(2 Corinthians 6:18), who “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). (3) “LORD” (Hebrew Jehovah), the name God revealed to Moses that neither Abraham, Isaac, nor Jacob knew (Exodus 6:2-8). This name is associated with the covenant God made with Israelites only, that brought us to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:13-29)! (4) “God” (Hebrew Elohim), means “Strength, Power,” and “In the beginning” would be the only “power” present who could create and organize “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6-9). There is only one God of Heaven and Earth.
Verses 1-2: The four figures of speech denote security for someone who keeps close to God: “secret place;” “shadow;” “refuge” and “fortress;” “trust.”
Verses 3-8: Rather than speculate as to specific distresses, these figures of speech, some applied to Satan, should help God’s obedient people visualize His protection by staying close: (verse 3) “snare of the fowler” (2 Timothy 2:26); “perilous pestilence” (2 Timothy 3:1); (verse 4) wing cover and feathers (Matthew 23:37); “shield and buckler” (Ephesians 6:16). Things God’s people should fear not: (verse 5) “terror” by night (John 12:35); arrow by day (Ephesians 6:16); (verse 6) “pestilence” in darkness (John 3:19-20); “destruction” at noon (Matthew 27:45-46); (verse 7) thousands dying on each side; (verse 8) “the reward of the wicked” will not mistakenly come upon the righteous.
Verses 9-16: As a consequence of living closely with “the LORD” (verse 9), the obedient can expect: protection from “evil” or “plague” (verse 10); angelic help (verses 11-12); (verse 13) to walk over the “lion,” “cobra,” “young lion,” “serpent” (representations of the Devil, 1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 12:34; Ezekiel 19:1-9; Revelation 12:9). This is to be done for one who has: (verse 14) “set his love upon Me,” “known My name,” (verse 15) desire to “call upon Me.” “Long life,” and “salvation” will go to the faithful (verse 16).
The Devil tempted Jesus Christ to sin by misquoting Psalm 91:11-12 (Matthew 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-12). The Devil omitted the phrase “to keep you in all your ways,” leaving the impression that God had promised to save any obedient person from being injured altogether. God’s protection promise was not that, but that “angels” were “charged” with encouraging after temptation, as in the case of Jesus, Himself (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:13). The Devil’s “guardian angel” doctrine was designed to give a false sense of security, thus minimizing the strengthening of one’s faith by perseverance. “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).
All Scriptures and comments are based upon the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
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Eugene Adkins
CONFUSION AND TRANSGRESSION by Sewell Hall
Here’s a good article that I got from the church in Wise, VA this morning. I thought it was worth sharing:
Have you ever heard anyone say, as an explanation for some sinful action, “I have become so confused I don’t know what is right anymore”? As a rule, the person who says such a thing is one who has had clear convictions but has acted, or is about to act, contrary to them.
This must be what the Holy Spirit was saying about Eve in 1 Tim. 2:14. “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”
To say that she was deceived is not to say that she was ignorant. She quoted perfectly what God had said: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Gen. 3:2,3). She was deceived when she thought there could be any valid reason for disobeying God.
We cannot know how long Adam and Eve avoided the forbidden tree. With so many other trees from which to eat, there was no need to eat of it. There is no evidence of confusion regarding the right and wrong of eating or the wisdom of abstaining. They were happy ignoring it.
But along came Satan to draw Eve’s attention to the tree she had been avoiding. He drew here attention to the beauty of the fruit and somehow convinced her, perhaps by eating of it himself, that it was good for food. If he did eat of it, the fact that he did not die surely gave support to his contention that she would not die. One can see the confusion mounting. The arguments she considered conclusive against eating were rapidly being snatched by arguments for doing so. Which arguments were valid? Both seemed to be.
Had Adam been nearby, or had God spoken again, she might have been reminded once more of the strong reasons for rejecting the fruit. But as it was, the voice of God grew weaker in her memory as the desirability of the fruit was magnified by Satan’s glib lies. All that was needed to tip the balance was the final suggestion of an apparent virtue in eating — the thought that she would become like God. Never mind the legalistic prohibition; surely one could not be blamed for wanting to be like God.
“She took of the fruit and ate” (Gen. 3:6). Tragic words! Tragic consequences! Consequences reaching down through countless generations even to us!
The great mistake of Eve was in allowing herself even to begin thinking about disobedience. This was the mistake of Achan when he first saw the Babylonian garment (Jos. 7:21), of David when he first saw his beautiful neighbor bathing (2 Sam. 11:2) and of Judas when he first thought of betraying Jesus. It is the same mistake each of us makes — men and women alike — whenever we sin.
The Bible says much: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown brings forth death” (Jas. 1:14,15).
There is ample defense available. If we are wise enough to meditate on God’s laws in such circumstances, (Psa. 119:11), and to ask Him for deliverance (Matt. 6:13), He will, with the temptation, “also make the way of escape” (1 Cor. 10:13).
But all too often, in the name of open-mindedness and objectivity, we feel we are obligated to look at the other side, to consider the “arguments in favor of” sin. We may even be so foolish as to parrot the existential line: “I must get away to myself and sort things out.” If this means getting away for Bible study, meditation and prayer, fine! But this is seldom what it means. As a rule, what it means is: “I want to be left alone to rationalize my way through the sin that entices me without having to reason with those who would logically or scripturally expose my folly.”
Such conflict between conscience and passion, between logic and emotion, between authority and anarchy, between flesh and spirit will indeed produce confusion — confusion bordering on insanity. But it is a confusion for which we are responsible. It is the peculiar malady of “those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” and who “did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:10,12). It is never surprising when such a person, “being deceived,” falls into transgression.
In Jesus’ day “there was a division among the people because of Him” (Jn. 7:43). They were confused by the contradiction between His claims and the accusations of their rulers. Jesus stated clearly who would not be confused: “If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak of My own authority” (Jn. 7:17).
Wanting to do God’s will will save us from the confusion, deception and transgression into which our mother Eve fell.
Sewell Hall – Gospel Power, Vol. 16, No. 11, March 15, 2009
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J. Randal Matheny
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Eugene Adkins
Yeah, his name is at the top and at the bottom ;)
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Eugene Adkins
I’m pretty sure that’s his name and not a location. The email gets sent out by E.R. Hall Jr. so I’d say Sewell is probably a relative…or they just share the last name. Either way, I’m pretty sure Sewell Hall is the person’s name.
Glad you could use it. I love it when I read a good article a day or two before a topic I’m going to preach on. Very providential I think.
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Chad Dollahite
Illustration: The Battle Against Lust
[This illustration comes from All Pro Dad, via their "Play of the Day" e-mail. I highly recommend this (as well as Family First's "Family Minute") to all the dads out there. To subscribe, go here (for Family First, click here). Oh, and they have a version for the moms, too - click here to sign up for iMom's "Espresso Minute." --Chad]
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were seductress, mermaid-like creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. The Greek hero Odysseus had to sail by this dangerous vortex and, in order not to plunge into ruin, come up with a plan. According to author Kim Luret,
“Odysseus instructed his crew to first plug their ears with beeswax and once that was done, to tie him securely to the mast. His orders were strict–the sailors were not to remove the wax from their ears, nor respond to him in any way until the ship had safely passed the island of the Sirens.
As they got within earshot of the Sirens, Odysseus became as a man possessed. He had never heard anything so alluring or beautiful. He was utterly captivated and began fighting against the ropes, shouting impassioned orders for the crew to turn the ship towards the island. Unable to hear his commands, the sailors ignored him. They hunched over their oars and rowed with a fury.
This infuriated Odysseus. He threatened execution to all who disobeyed his orders to free him at once and turn the ship around. But the sailors neither heard him nor cared. They had made an agreement in advance to report to and obey the real Odysseus, not this inflamed creature who’d gone temporarily mad. Their orders came from truth and reason, not from a lie and insanity. And by sticking to their pre-planned agreement, captain and crew got out alive.
Once they’d made a safe distance from that dangerous place, the sailors removed the beeswax from their ears and untied their captain. No longer within earshot of the Sirens, Odysseus was himself again. And he thanked his crew for staying true to the orders from his real self.”
For many men, the situation Odysseus found himself in is akin to the fight against lust. If we don’t take radical steps to protect ourselves, we’ll shipwreck our lives. Here are 10 practical ways to help in your battle against sexual lust.
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Eugene Adkins
Good topic to tackle, Chad.
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Eugene Adkins
I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Sometimes the source of the news from “the grapevine” is sour grapes!
Let’s be careful in understanding the difference between passing along information and passing along gossip after it reaches our ears.
Gossip can be such a tempting thing, but if we know it’s gossip, then we should let it die on the vine. Let’s strive today to pass along the Good News instead of the sour stuff.
“He who goes about talking of others makes secrets public, but the true-hearted man keeps things covered.” (Proverbs 11:13 BEV)
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J. Randal Matheny
Great post, Eugene. What’s the BEV? That’s a new one on me.
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Eugene Adkins
It’s a translation called the Basic English Version on an older Bible Program I have. The program lets me use two versions at the same time along with a concordance and some other stuff. I keep the BEV and the KJV with strong’s #’s up for my studies. The BEV seems to be a fairly reliable version with a few exceptions in the NT, but the OT is really good, especially in books like Proverbs.
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Weylan Deaver
The BEV is a new one to me, too. My grandfather used the Greek, ASV and KJV, but he enjoyed reading from the Berkeley Version (which is rarely heard of).
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Eugene Adkins
Hey Weylan, since you and Randal both asked, I decided to try and check out what else I could find out. It seems as if what my Bible program is calling the Basic English Version is called the Bible in Basic English in other places on the Internet.
Here’s a link – http://www.biblestudytools.com/bbe/
I guess maybe I should start using BBE although my program uses BEV if I want to be “technically” correct. I thought I would pass this along in case you guys wanted to check it out further.
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Richard Mansel
Resisting Temptation
“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is… A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.” [C.S. Lewis].
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Ron Thomas
An excellent post!
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Weylan Deaver
Yes, Lewis was a thought-provoker. I don’t remember if it was he, or another writer, who made the point that Jesus knew temptation’s power even more than any of us, since, by resisting till he conquered, he always experienced temptation’s full force.
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J. Randal Matheny
The way my Savior went
UPDATE: This was intended for Forthright Mag and has now been posted there. I plead jetlag.
The struggle between spirit and flesh is great, Father of lights, between self-will and your purpose, for it caused drops of sweat as blood on the brow of my Savior.
The battle seems most fierce at the end, as it was for him.
The moment of truth, in the dark, alone.
Alone but for the dew from heaven upon the ground, but for your ear to welcome a plea for delivery and a choice to follow your will.
Raise me up, Lord, from the soil of pain and turmoil, that I may go steadily to suffer for your name.
Because that is the way my Savior went.
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TFRStaff
TFT: Milestone Friday
Today our “Thought For Today” reached a milestone of 15 years … Wow, Thanks for the memories.
If you had a favorite share it with us. My favorite comes from my favorite granny: “There is plenty of cheese in a mousetrap, but you never see a happy mouse there.”
(Prov 2:6-7) For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.
“Thoughts For Today To Brighten Your Day”
From: Glenn, Mercedes & Lauren Hitchcock
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Ron Thomas
Peter
What can be said about Peter that has not been said? I don’t know, but as I was reading I reflected on his determination to not deny the Lord. Before his denial, the Lord took him, James, and John out nearby to where He desired to pray. The three disciples were fatigued. They genuinely wanted to stay with Jesus as He prayed, knowing this was a time of great anxiety for the Lord. They had been with Him through the years, and in this stressful time they most surely wanted to be there and support him (not that they knew what to do or say). The Lord returns from His area and time of prayer and finds them all sleeping. He speaks to one, but He speaks to all, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). It was not long after this that Peter denied the Lord.
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J. Randal Matheny
Satan is not a one-talent tempter. Nor does he make one-time attempts. He never sleeps. He studies his prey with intense dedication. He knows our weaknesses and our weak moments. His wiliness merits our best attention.
All that can be said of Satan, for ill, can be said, and much more, of the Lord, for good. The Lord is not a sleepy guardian. His eye is always on his people. He knows our weaknesses and our weak moments. He knows us thoroughly, for he made us. He gives us every advantage, every resource, every escape from the evil one. His sovereignty merits our humble submission and willing obedience.
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Chad Dollahite
Reminds me of Psalm 121:2-3: “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” As the old saying goes, for the faithful Christian, “Sleep peacefully, for God is awake!”-
J. Randal Matheny
Ament to that! For sure!
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Richard Mansel
Are We Being Stalked?
Temptation stalks us every day because Satan is relentless. What can we do to protect ourselves?
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Daniel Haynes
The Temptation of Jesus
Concerning Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (4:1-11), specifically Jesus’ response in verse 4, Albert Barnes offers the following lessons:
- That Satan oftens takes advantage of our circumstances and wants to tempt us. The poor, the hungry, and the naked he often tempts to repine and complain, and to be dishonest in order to supply their necessities.
- Satan’s temptations are often the strongest immediately after we have been remarkably favored. Jesus had just been called the Son of God, and Satan took this opportunity to try him. He often attempts to fill us with pride and vain self-conceit when we have been favored with any peace of mind, or any new view of God, and endeavors to urge us to do something which may bring us low and lead us to sin.
- His temptations are plausible. They often seem to be only urging us to do what is good and proper. They seem even to urge us to promote the glory of God, and to honor him. We are not to think, therefore, that because a thing may seem to be good in itself, that therefore it is to be done. Some of the most powerful temptations of Satan occur when he seems to be urging us to do what shall be for the glory of God.
- We are to meet the temptations of Satan, as the Savior did, with the plain and positive declarations of Scripture. We are to inquire whether the thing is commanded, and whether, therefore, it is right to do it, and not trust to our own feelings, or even our wishes, in the matter.
From Barnes’ Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Richard Hill
Design parameters and authority
When looking through machinery manuals you occasionally see the phrase, “Do not operate outside the design parameters.” Why do manufacturers include this statement? They don’t want you to have a breakdown because you didn’t follow operating instructions.
Operate equipment within the design parameters and it’s possible to run some equipment for decades without a single problem. Ignore them and you can have a huge mess on your hands in short order.
Spiritually, sexually, mentally and morally, we were made to operate within a certain set of design parameters. These parameters were not created to stifle or punish us.
In fact, quite the opposite, they keep us safe and bring us happiness. Misuse your sexuality and grief will follow. Often for the rest of your life. Yet a man and woman who follow God’s directions for marriage will experience the marvelous intimacy and pleasure He intended.
Envy, greed, worry, even hopelessness will destroy from within, but God calls on us to do and be the opposite of each one of those things. By doing the opposite we are healed within and find a blessedness that can only be found in Him.
What does this have to do with authority? Everything. Too many people, including some Christians, whine about how restrictive the Christian life is. They seem to think God is keeping them from having fun. These people are ripe for the picking. They give into temptation because they’re not convinced the Lord has their best interests at heart. It’s so sad since the happiness they seek is found by living within the design parameters.
Our view of authority is one of the big problems in western culture. Those of us sixty-ish and under were raised in a culture that promoted civil disobedience and to some extent it carried over into our view of the authority of God.
Like it or not, God is sovereign. Accept it or not, God is holy, just, and merciful. Believe it or not, He has your best interests at heart.
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jimnewy
Very thoughtfully put Richard.
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Steve Lucas
Richard, as a neophyte in farming as a avocation, I need to do a better of reading those operating manuals to stay within the design parameters. Sometimes it is just to easy to contact the equipment manufacturer or service manager to get to the heart of the matter. As a possible parallel, I wonder if part of the issue with Christians today is not the design parameters of God’s Word, but rather relying on the preacher, elder or teacher as a source of knowledge. How can we initiate or create a fire within the heart of fellow Christians to go to the source of all goodness and knowledge, venture into God’s Word?
Thank you for your thoughts!
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Richard Hill
One of my biggest concerns is people who study books about the Bible, but not the Bible itself. From the hugely popular Max Lucado books to the Spiritual Sword to the adult quarterlies in Sunday school so many people aren’t going to the source.
Doctrinally speaking Max has some views I can’t accept, yet his books are read by the thousands. We don’t use the quarterlies, but when I visit congregations that do, it seems the vast majority have read the lesson, but not the text, except to skim it to find the answers for the questions.
There is no substitute for the Word of God even if it’s good material. If you’re not reading the Word how will you really know if it’s good material or bad material. I fear this is where the majority of our members are today.
Conservative, progressive, it doesn’t seem to matter. Many spend most of their time in secondary sources. They are persuaded by how well they like a particular writers style. This should be a huge red flag since style has absolutely nothing to do with how biblically accurate it is.
How do we get people into the Word? We use that dirty word, duty. People must know they are expected to read their Bibles. People live up or down to the level of expectation. We need to raise the bar. Guilt can be a wonderful thing if it helps us do what we should.
On a practical level we need to promote accurate yet readable translations. We need to promote reading whole books of the Bible and not just disjointed segments.
For the novice we should suggest specific easier books. From the gospels most people suggest reading John, but I think Mark or Luke is a little easier to digest. Books like Acts, the prison epistles, James, 1st Peter, and 1st John have a lot of easier reading within them. From the Old Testament, Genesis, Judges, Ruth, Esther, Proverbs, Jonah all make for great reads for the person new to Bible reading. Obviously, there are others that should be on the list but here’s my point. Don’t start them in Leviticus, Ecclesiastes, Romans, Hebrews and Revelation.
We need to preach and teach less topical and more expository.
I believe this these things are a good start for getting people back in the Word.
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Ed Boggess
Granny bank robber – JAM
A 79-year-old woman was arrested in Chicago after she tried to hold up a bank at gunpoint. She wore a black sunglasses and white visor that read “princess” and threatened the teller with a toy gun. The Chicago Sun-Times says she might be the oldest woman ever charged with bank robbery in the city. The apostle Paul once told Timothy, “Flee youthful lusts.” While we may outgrow some temptations, apparently there is a whole new inventory of allurements tailor-made for our stage in life. If the devil doesn’t get us with one, he will try another. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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J. Randal Matheny
Jesus fasted
Here’s a point to ponder. I always thought that the temptation to turn stones into bread came to Jesus as a result of his being hungry from his 40 days of fasting. So far so good. But, since fasting seems to be a means of spiritual strengthening, might we also look at Jesus’ fasting as preparation that he might meet his temptations in a stronger position than if he had not fasted? What do you think?
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mtmcvb
Not sure if 40 days of fasting would have better prepared him to resist temptation of food (40 days puts one in a pretty weak condition). I am not sure he knew that the temptations were coming. We are told that the Spirit drove him into the wilderness to be tempted. But we are not told that Jesus knew that was the reason. In my understanding, normally fasting done to make one stronger for a specific temptation was done with the knowledge of the coming temptation or problem. At least it seems that way to me from my readings. I could be wrong.
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Randal Matheny
Good points, Mark, you’re likely right that he didn’t know what was coming.
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Laura
Well see, this raises an interesting question. God knows everything, right? And Jesus is God, right? If God is omniscient, and Jesus is God, then doesn’t that mean Jesus is omniscient and therefore knows everything? Was there ever an instance presented in the Bible in which Jesus was caught off guard or by surprise? I wonder…
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mark mcwhorter
Jesus emptied himself of something. I know it has been argued for centuries as to exactly what was emptied. However, we know that Jesus was God but Jesus was not omniscient while on earth. He grew in wisdom and stature with God and man. It would be pretty hard to do that if he was already omniscient in the form of man. It was after his baptism and after his being filled with the H.S. that he performed his first miracle. He frequently stated during his ministry that he spoke what the father told him; that he performed what the father desired.
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Daniel Haynes
Adding to what Mark said, I suppose one needs to consider the implication of Matthew 24:36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
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jimnewy
Interesting thoughts, Randal. Viewing fasting in the manner John commented on Jesus could have been preparing Himself for the temptations to come by gaining spiritual strength over the physical. Of course, without a lot of information to go on here, we can only speculate.
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Laura
Living IN the world, but not being OF the world
Every week brings new challenges to the Christian in trying to be set apart from the world and remaining holy as God would have us be. This week has been no different for me. This week I had to stand up to my employer, who spent well over an hour trying to convince me to lie on something for the benefit of the company. The actions he was asking me to take are illegal and in violation of written corporate policy. And needless to say, lying is sin. He used the same tactics used by Satan himself. “It is not illegal”, he said. Being charitable, perhaps he is just ignorant of the law. He negated the consequences of the action by inserting that little word, “not”. And why, if I did it, I’d be just like everyone else, because everyone else does it. It would help me advance and be to my own personal benefit. And finally, in not doing so, I’m causing problems for the company. The account of the garden of Eden came to mind immediately, as did the temptation of our Savior Himself. I so wanted to say, “get behind me Satan”. But I took a different tactic: put it in writing. That ended the conversation.
My prayer this week is that my fellow Christians, when faced with such temptations, have ready recollection of the teachings of the Bible to give them the strength and the courage to not be of the world while they are living in the world.
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Mike Riley
Good for you, Laura! Standing up for what is right may not benefit you in this life, but it certainly will in the life to come. May God give us all the courage and backbone to do what you did in standing for and upholding God’s truth.
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Laura
And may God give me the courage and strength to continue to stand firm. The pressure is hard. The song, Will Your Anchor Hold? comes to mind. I can hear our congregation singing that in my head!
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Mike Riley
Amen and Amen!
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jdh2010
Well done, Laura. Keep standing.
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Richard Mansel
Thank you for your courage, Laura. Proud of you!
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Richard Hill
From platitudes to real world. Thank you for your specific example of faith in action.
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Leah Guinn
So impressed. Love the “put it in writing.” That says a lot right there.
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Laura
My integrity test is this: If you aren’t willing to put what you are doing in writing, you probably ought not be doing it. I find asking people to “put it in writing” works almost 100% the time.
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Daniel Haynes
And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:7-9, ESV -
TFRStaff
Outline on Origin of Sin
G. E. Watkins has a new sermon outline on “The Origin of Sin,” dealing with its pre-eden origin, its origin on earth (Eve) and within the individual. For a taste, in the temptation with Eve, he mentions Satan’s three tactics. Here’s one:
Satan implies unfair treatment. It seems as if Satan said to Eve, “Surely God has not given you such an unfair restriction.” Today, Satan is having his way with us when he can convince us that in living the Christian life we are burdened, mistreated and deprived.
Well worth some quiet meditation on how sin thrives among and within us.
Steve Lucas, and 
jimnewy are discussing. 
mtmcvb, and 2 others are discussing. 
Leah Guinn, 
Very good. I’ll be dealing with this tomorrow, looks like. Do you know the author?