2009-11-18T11:02:49-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com http://www.gospel.com/feeds/topics/temptation http://gospel.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/17/temptation-not-just-for-the-rich-and-famous/ 2009-11-18T11:02:49-05:00 Not a season goes by that we don’t hear of some public figure’s fall from grace. A famous pastor is exposed as a hypocrite. A politician’s career is engulfed by scandal. We watch, and we wonder at the many ways in which sin brings down the high and mighty. But we're not so immune to temptation as we might like to think... http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hard-times/shaking-the-snake-that-stalks-you-5952 2009-11-03T09:08:34-05:00 The next time the serpent comes your way, the Bible says, "Resist him." "I know who this is. I'm not falling for this again!" That's how you stand up to him. You claim the victory that Jesus Christ won over Satan when He died on the cross. Take your stand! Go to your Savior and unleash Jesus on that serpent. No compromise. No giving in. No accommodation. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%205:8-9&version=NIV 2009-10-05T16:50:15-05:00 The devil is depicted here as a prowling lion--quietly lurking and waiting to pounce when it spots weak prey. But his attacks can be resisted simply by standing firm in the faith, and remembering that we're not alone in being targeted by his wiles. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%204:15&version=KJV 2009-10-02T14:30:41-05:00 God didn't send us a savior who doesn't know what it's like to be tempted--on the contrary, Jesus experienced every temptation that we do. The difference between us and Jesus, of course, is that he never sinned. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hindrances/death-in-a-sticky-web-2542 2009-10-02T10:11:24-05:00 Listen, if you've been flying pretty close to the devil's web lately accept this as a loving warning from God. Touch the web and you will pay a price you never could have imagined. When sin looks good, remember that death on a sticky web. The destroyer is waiting to wrap you up and make you his. But in Jesus' power you can get away. Do it now, while you can! http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2010:13&version=NIV 2009-09-30T18:13:18-05:00 Temptation strikes every one of us, and it can often seem that temptation is just too hard to resist. But this verse tells us that God never allows us to be tempted beyond what we're able, with his help, to successfully resist. http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%204:1-11&version=NIV 2009-09-24T16:15:13-05:00 This story, in which the devil takes Jesus out to the desert to tempt him with offers of power and safety, gives us a lot of insight into the character of Jesus' adversary. He makes vast promises in exchange for worship, but simple Scripture has the power to keep him at bay. http://hutchcraft.com/a-life-that-matters/radio-program/temptation-beating-8276 2009-09-16T14:23:40-05:00 I heard one Senator addressing his concern with what has seemed like an infinite flow of money to bail out companies and institutions. He simply said, “We need an exit strategy.” Well, the military talks about exit strategies, too, as in how to successfully leave Iraq or Afghanistan. Then there’s the exit strategy they encourage you to think about when you get on a commercial airliner–be sure you know where the exits are, just in case. An exit strategy…that might be what you need right now. http://hutchcraft.com/a-life-that-matters/radio-program/stopping-what-will-sink-you-8264 2009-09-16T11:58:14-05:00 I’m Ron Hutchcraft, and you know, that story says a lot. Don’t underestimate the power of temptation to lure you to the rocks–to disaster. http://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hard-times/when-the-container-lies-to-you-5918 2009-09-16T11:09:05-05:00 Don't fall for those lies on sin's package. Check its real contents, as exposed graphically in the Bible. If you've already opened sin's package, get out while you can. If you're looking at a compromise that God calls sin, run the other way. You haven't got time for the pain, for the scars, for the slavery, for the shame. Do it God's way, even if it's harder, even if it takes longer. Remember, it's the narrow road that leads to life. It's the wide road that leads to destruction