Finaly...a post! (well, sort of)

Hello everybody. I would like to say that Phillip and I thank you being faithful to this site. I would also like to apologize for not posting in almost a month! Well, that will change in the coming days now that I am finally (somewhat) settled in here at Vision Forum and as soon as Phillip returns from his travels abroad.

To read more about my intern experiences so far here in San Antonio feel free to check out my blog at : numberedsteps.blogsot.com .

Also, you may want to sign up to Blogarithm. Once you enter your email address you will get an email whenever we update (no spam, promise).

Again, thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned.

-Daniel

C. H. Spurgeon on Sin- posted by Phillip

Sin is a domineering force. No one can sin up to a fixed point and
then say to sin, "This is as far as you go." Sin is an imperious power,
and where it dwells it is hungry for the mastery. Just as our Lord, when
He enters the soul, will never be content with a divided dominion, so is it with
sin. Sin labors to bring our entire personality under subjection.
Hence, we are compelled to strive daily against this ambitious principle.
According to the working of the Spirit of God in us, we wrestle against sin that
it may not have dominion over us. Sin has unquestionsed dominion over
multitudes of human hearts, and in some it has set up its horrid throne and
keeps its seat with force of arms so that its empire is undistrubed. In
others, the throne is disputed, for the conscience muntinies, but yet the tyrant
is not dethroned. Over the whole world, sin exercises a dreadful
tyranny. It would hold us in the same bondage were it not for One who is
stronger that sin who has undertaken to deliver us out of its hand. Here
is the charter of our liberty, and security of our safety: "Sin shall not have
dominion over you."

By Charles Spurgeon, exerpt fromhis sermon Believers Free from the Power of Sin,

Give Heed, My Son - posted by Phillip

This is a poem that my father wrote to encourage young men in their battle against temptation. I hope that you enjoy it and are blessed by its message.

Give Heed, My Son

Where is the man who would saddle his steed
And fight for the maiden with brave, valiant deed?
Where is the man who with dragon would fight,
And vanquish the foe with all of his might?

O, where is the man who for honor and pride,
Would battle the foe that he meets from inside;
Who will deal with that dragon that rages and reels
To comsume the chaste valor true manliness yields?

Who can say to his bride as he bends to his knee,
"Precious gift from the Lord, I've kept my self for thee:
I have fought and defeated the dragon within;
Through Christ I have kept my vile heart pure from sin?"

Our heart is deceitful and given to lust;
Our perception and strength we never can trust.
Cry to Jesus for help as you sink, soon to die,
Like Peter when tall waves had tempted his eye.

Like horses unbridled to mischief do run,
So will our hearts, if not conquered, my son.
Call to Jesus for strength to battle that foe,
For your heart is your enemy if you let it go.

To Jesus, to Jesus our hearts must be wed,
Or defile forever the sweet marriage bed.
Set your face toward The City, and from Pilgrim learn
That faith is the key: For Christ, let your heart burn!

By Michael Bradrick

Temptation's Source - by Daniel

Now that temptation has been defined, the next task is to determine exactly where temptation originates. I believe that Scripture does a very good job at pinpointing the root of the problem in the first chapter of James.

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Every single person is tempted in a unique way because we are all, in one way or another, different from each other. What may tempt you may not tempt me, and vice versa. We must also remember that the secret desires of our hearts are known by Satan and that he will use all of his resources to exploit our weakness. He also knows that there is no “on lure catches all” type of tool for gaining the focus and desires of young men and women. Thus it all boils down to what our desires are and whether they glorify God or not. If they glorify God then we will continue to walk in harmony with Christ, if the desires are not of God then we are only offering parts of our heart to these desires, and thus placing ourselves under the enemy’s control.

Another fact to consider is that, though most of our aspirations, dreams and desires are harmless and even a great motivation for achieving greater things, the fact remains that if these desires are in any way outside of God’s will for my life then it is an ungodly desire, and thus a point of weakness in my character. The reason it is classified as an ungodly desire is because it becomes an object of affection that outshines my love for God. This is very important when you take into account that jealousy is one of God's most predominate characteristics. God wants us to desire him; to hunger and thirst after righteousness. But when we start focusing on our own wants and desires, it is only a matter of time before they become the object of our affection, and thus our new god.

God wants us to focus on Him and Him alone. All of what we do, from taking out the garbage, running a business, or pursuing a college degree, should all be motivated by the desire to fulfill Christ’s purpose in us. My point is that the source of our temptation is not the outer forces of evil that are trying to wreak our live, but rather the problem is within. The only reason you and I fall to temptation is because we have not been diligently fighting the battle of the heart. I encourage you to fight the thoughts and desires that are deep within your being, to take every thought captive under the obedience of Christ as soon as a stray thought crosses your mind. Here’s one example: If you have a desire to make pita (or some other such flat bread), is it good enough to punch down the dough when it has risen due to some added yeast? Well, I’m not the main baker at my home but in my experience it has proven to be much more effective to prevent the yeast from ever getting near my scrumptious pita dough in the first place! If you are able to keep up the good fight in protecting your mind, will, and emotions from anything that might shift your focus from Christ, then you will greatly diminish how, when, where, and even if, you are tempted.

What do you think? Do agree or disagree? Please share your comments below.

The Meaning of Temptation - by Phillip

Before we delve into the topic of temptation we first must have a solid grasp on the meaning of temptation. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines temptation as,

The act of tempting; enticement to evil by arguments, by flattery, or by the
offer of some real or apparent good. Solicitation of the passions;
enticements to evil proceeding from the prospect of pleasure or
advantage.

Temptations prey on the desires of our fallen nature. They come in all forms and from all sides. To accept a temptation always causes us to in some way violate the Word of God. When we face the pull of a temptation it is not always that our inner desire is wrong, but rather that the temptation offered us is a sinful means to satisfy that desire. In other words, the desire for food is natural to all men and is God given. By showing self control, we can satisfy this desire and not fall into sin. But if we do not practice self control, this same desire can be the driving force that causes us to fall into the sin of gluttony.

We must realize that each passion and desire that God has put within us is both a wonderful and yet dangerous thing. Because of our fallen natures, we will accept means to satisfy our desire immediately even if though those means cause us to violate God’s law and fall into sin. If our desires are not checked by the power of God and held in the bounds of His Word, we will never be able to resist temptations.

In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. As soldiers of the Cross, if we are to stand firm against attacks from the enemy (i.e. temptations), we must first know how to recognize them. This takes great care and constant vigilance because temptations come in so many forms. Sometimes a temptation will be 99% good and right just to get us to fall in the 1% where it is sinful.

There are two ways that we can greatly sharpen our skills in identifying temptations. First, we must be faithful in our study of the Word so that we know exactly what things are good and righteous. Second, we must be in prayer that God would give us tender consciences and His wisdom and grace to quickly identify temptations when they arise.

Temptation

During the month of June we looked at the topic of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We have looked deeper into the character of God and seen how we must reflect His character. We have seen that apart from His mercy and forgiveness there would be no hope for us. As we begin a new month, it is our desire to turn our attention from the great topic of God’s mercy and look at one of the responsibilities we, as Christians, have— that is, to resist temptation.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

As we begin to delve into this deep topic, we also want to reiterate our purpose for this blog. Our purpose is to uplift, strengthen, and encourage Christian young men. So as we look at the topic of temptation, we will be specifically applying it to temptation in the lives of young men. We hope that you will stay tuned to the blog posts over the next month and give us your thoughts and feed back on anything that may have encouraged, convicted, or even puzzled you. May God bless you as you strive to stand firm.

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