January 21/22, 2011 Tempations 5

Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Good Early Saturday Morning from the Southern Location of the North Pole, where at this time it is 8 degrees. Southern Location?? I am so sorry about Friday, I was up very early in the morning and plowed snow, came home, took care of animals, cleared a few cars at home of the snow. By then it was about 1.00 PM and I sat down to write the daily message and my head kept getting in the way of my fingers. That's is correct, as I was falling asleep and bouncing my head off the key board. Brings back the days of my high school, except the keys were on a manual typewriter, you know one of those with no electric and no screen. I learned on one of those and for a few years after I got this computer I would swing my left arm to hit that carriage return and knock the printer on the floor! Ok, so I did not knock the computer on the floor, but when those electrics came out I did have problems. I do remember well Mrs. Railing who just made me learn to type. I need to thank God for her as her teaching back then sure helps me now as I can type near 70 words per minute. Mistakes? Well, I just can't spell.

Today's prayers go out to Norma Orner who is the ICU being checked out and the reasons are not clear yet what is wrong. She is the mother of Jim Orner who along with his wife Beverly have a few daughters including our baby Allie. And please pray for the family... Jim for employment also.

Other prayer requests. Eleanor, who is still in rehab and we are praying she is back home soon with her son and daughter. Pray for Sally, who lost her husband recently. Please pray for Pastor Tony and Ruby Mayaski. Pastor Tony, who I have always said is a pastor's pastor, has lost most of his sight and his hearing and his memory is starting to go also. Please pray for Pastor Tony and his wonderful wife Ruby. And yes, folks, please pray for my dear wife Dolores who is in so much pain I don't know how she keeps moving, but she does. Also, it is this day we pray for those who work in the fields of Harvest for God. Let me get to the message; again, I am sorry I am late on this.

The Big Trip 6-5 Temptations 5: Luke 4:9 - The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 "For it is written: 'He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 14 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your food against a stone.'" 12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (NIV)

First, we all know that if Jesus did not want to point out things to the devil and more so to us, He would not be letting the devil lead Him around. This all has a point and Jesus is very, very strong and my dear brothers and sisters, we are not, so we cannot let the devil lead us around. Example, a person who has a drinking problem who has come to Christ and has come clean of all drinking and even drugs. They decide to go as ordered into the fields of harvest to get the word out for Jesus. They want to go back to the bars and talk to those folks. Bad, bad idea, for people are weak, we do not have the strength to sit there and not drink again while talking about Jesus. And getting drunk and talking about the Lord is not a good witness. Now there are some good examples of going back to where one might have been to talk about the Lord. One is at the coffee pot at work, you might have been there cursing and being in on the rumor mill when you come to Christ, you change those those at work who will see that in you, they will soon ask about the change and you can start to witness. Another place is, you might have spent some time in prison, and after finding Christ and that might have happened in prison, but anyway, after you get released, you want to work for Jesus by going to the prisons. I think there is no danger in this one, the devil might talk to us, but I don't think those who are out and have Christ in their hearts want to go back in. In fact, it might remind them of how much they hated it in there. Point, Jesus is strong and we are not. Keep going on the scripture and follow the lead of Jesus.

So Jesus is standing on the highest point in the temple and He is being told or tempted by the devil to jump and God will have angels catch Him... Jesus does not jump, saying we should not put the Lord your God to the test. Trust me, you just do not want to go to the top of a building and jump off, for there will be a big mess on the sidewalk. I don't care how much we love God, we just do not want to test Him except on one thing. Oh, yes, there is one thing we can test our Lord on, one thing and I am sure that most of you know what it is. And let me point out a few things first... There is a difference between trusting God and testing Him. We trust God to lead us and to answer our prayers, and if we follow Him, He really will lead us and He will never lead us down the wrong path, we go down the wrong paths when we drift. He also hears and answers all of our prayers. You say, He has not heard or answered your prayers. Remember this, when talking to God and asking Him for things it is in His time and on His terms. And also remember that, like when we were kids and asked our parents for things, sometimes we must remember that "NO" is an answer. Sometimes we don't understand why this happens, but it does. Why is one person healed from cancer while another is not, and sometimes it is the one who does not follow Jesus who gets healed and the one who has trusted and worked for God does not get healed. I want you to look at it this way. One who loves God and gets called home is healed, really, really healed. The one who did not know Jesus and was healed, maybe Jesus did that giving them more time to come to Jesus to be saved. Just think about it. Now there are people who love our Lord Jesus dearly and who have been healed, I know I have been cleared of cancer, and so has our ministry partner, Pamela! Also the biggest healing when praying to Jesus and coming to Christ is YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED OF YOUR SINS! Someone please say Amen on that one...

Now for the one place that you can test our Lord Jesus. It is in your giving, your sharing of your blessings, YOU JUST CANNOT OUT-GIVE THE LORD.

Malachi 3:8 - Will a man rob God? Yet your rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME IN THIS," Says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that you will not have room enough for it." 11 "I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit." Says the Lord Almighty. (NIV)

So there you have it, want to test God, put your dollars working for God, and don't worry about tomorrow. Folks, this really works, it really, really does. Trust me on this one folks, no, don't trust me, trust God. It is in the Bible, folks, and our Lord God does not lie to us. But folks, there is one thing you must do, YOU MUST DO IT IN FAITH. Don't put a dollar in the offering and buy a dollar ticket for the lottery. I have had people tell me that they do not have money to give to God after paying their bills. Answer, Give to God first, give God the best. If you give to God first, in time you will find you have enough to pay your bills. Of course you cannot put money working for the Lord and expect He will see you have two new caddies in your garage, well not for a while anyway. Trust God, and folks, test Him on this one, but do it in faith...

Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for again setting examples for us to follow, thanks for the messages of this week and I am so sorry that I am late on this message. Lord, bless those on our prayer requests list today and also please bless those on the lists of others including Glenvale Church of God. In the name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN.

Now go forth, go forth and share your blessings with others. Love ya, Pastor Dan.