January 17, 2011 Temptations 1

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil.

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Can you believe it, we are starting our sixth week of the big trip. But you will notice I have now gone back to subject titles. Hey, today is Monday and a holiday for a lot of people, but for some just another work day. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, please take time to remember why the holiday.

Monday and the day we pray for the leaders of our nation, state, local, and all others who lead us. This does not mean we need to agree with all they do, but we do need to pray for them. Also it is the day we pray for our veterans and please remember we now have veterans that are just 18 years of age and living in hospitals with some limbs missing. And remember this, as we pray and pray for the congresslady who was shot in the head, please remember how many of our military have those injuries and we NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM. Shame on our country for forgetting about our military heroes. Also pray for our active military, for our members of the AIR FORCE, NAVY, ARMY, MARINES, COAST GUARD, MERCHANT MARINES, ALL THE RESERVE UNITS. (Go Navy.) (Dolores and I have a grandson, Daniel Lehman, in the Navy.) Pray for our police and firefighters and remember most firefighters in the United States do it for the love of it and are not paid. Pray for all those who work to keep you safe and healthy... Take this day to pray for others.

Temptations 1: Luke 4:1 - Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. (NIV)

How long has it been since you were tempted by the devil? How long since you have just been tempted by something that causes you to sin? During this week we are going to find out how the devil tempted Jesus and how Jesus handled it, and again we need to follow the examples of Jesus.

I know, we are weak and He is strong, but I am sure if you are like me, we all could do a much better job of handling the temptations by the devil and his workers, and do you know that some of those workers might not even know they are working for the devil? MEN, let me talk to you first since I am a man, and guys, lets not blame it all on the devil, let's just say it is us. Now I am just a few months away from 70, but, ok, when a lady walks up to you and she has on clothing with a top with a diving neckline, do you find it hard to look her in the eyes or do your eyes drop down about a foot? Come on, guys, be honest about it, don't add a lie to the sin. If you are just looking and not looking in lust, well, ok it is a fine line, is it not? Oh, and the temptations are even more... And ladies, let me ask you this, when a man walks by, are you looking at him when he is coming and thinking now that is a nice looking man, or are you looking as he is walking away thinking, nice buns? Ok, so we failed that one, and yes, I used the word we!! Now I have heard that one about God gave us eyes to look, and it is ok to look, just do not look and lust, unless of course you are married to the one you are lusting over.

Ok, let's look at some more of the temptations for we have them each and every day. It seems that a lot of folks have temptations that come in a bottle, I call it Booze, and while one drink is not a sin, when people drink up their paycheck or don't even go to work because they are too drunk to work it becomes a sin. Let me tell you that a lot of folks who come to the food pantry for food have spouses that do just that, drink up the check and don't worry about putting food on the table for the family.

What can be a temptation for one might not be for another. One of the newest temptations for a lot of people is that cell phone, or the texting on them, they cannot put them down. When you drive pickup trucks as I often do or big SUV's you sit high and can see in the cars, and so many are texting while driving. Is it a sin to talk on a cell phone or texting? In some cases I would need to say yes. If it is putting the lives of those in the car or in other cars in danger then it is a sin and no one, no one, I said NO ONE can text and drive and drive having one's attention on the road.
Today I want to look at some things that tempt you, and I am going to do the same thing. I want to look at my temptations real close and I also want to be sure that I am not doing anything to put temptation in front of others. Don't let others tempt you, and don't blame it all on Satan. Let's put the blame of the sins of temptation right where they belong, and they belong to that person we see when looking in the mirror... Follow the examples of Jesus and this week we will see how He deals with it. Let's pray.

Dear Father in Heaven, we have a long list of prayer requests for our leaders and all those in the military and we are just going to ask You to look at our list and honor our requests per Your will. And Lord, we ask this day that we repent from sins and we deal with temptations in life that are sins or lead to sins, and we pray that we can look to Jesus for the example of the way to live. We know Jesus wants us to do that, Father, but we struggle so we need help. Help us, and Lord, help me with the daily messages. Help me really get into Your Word... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Now go forth, turning from temptations and sharing your blessings, and I do pray you are TEMPTED TO SHARE. Love ya, Pastor Dan.