Battling Temptation
Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:9-24
Focus Verse: Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
Temptation
does not single out people. Temptation comes to everyone, Christian or
not. As a Christian we can have victory over temptation, and we do
that by memorizing the word of God. Let us not forget that God is in
control of everything. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says "But remember that the
temptations that come into your life are no different from what others
experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from
becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are
tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give into it."
NLT
Let us be sure that we are not putting ourselves into
tempting situations. If you have a weakness with alcohol, don't stand
in the doorway to the bar. If your weakness is remaining pure
sexually, don't go to places where you would see things that would
tempt you to do something wrong. Whatever your weakness is (and you
know what it is) you can be sure that is where Satan will attack you.
If you think that you are never tempted, then you are deceived and may be in the most danger of all. He will not hit you at your strong point. Remember Jesus has given us
the example of how to overcome temptation, and that is through His word.
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
Friday, February 28, 2020
Friday, February 14, 2020
God Will Make a Way
God Will Make a Way:
if your heart is ready and willing
Scripture reading: Luke 19:1-9
Focus verse: Luke 19:3-4, “He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran a head and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
Zacchaeus was chief tax collector and a wealthy man. Possibly he was a well-educated man given his position in the government. He was not liked by many people; they referred to him as a sinner. Possibly he loved bribes and could take tax more than required. We are also told that he was a short man. In spite of all these, he heard that Jesus was passing through his town (Jericho) and he decided in his heart that he too would see who Jesus was. Because of his short stature and being that many people were following Jesus, he realized that his desire to see Jesus could not be possible since the crowd was a barrier. Still determined in his heart to see Jesus, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree that was on the road where Jesus was to pass through. Jesus reached the spot, looking up he saw Zacchaeus and he told him to climb down since He was going to stay at his house. So he came down at once!
We should stop focusing on our limitations but focus on God who is able do all things. God will always provide a way for us to reach him or to do his work if we are ready and willing. He doesn’t require us to be perfect before we can reach Him or serve him. Like Zacchaeus, all human beings are sinners and limited in one way or another but still we can reach God no matter what tries to hinder us. The way of God may seem undesirable or unpleasant before men and it requires a lot of humility for one to find it. God provided the sycamore-fig tree for Zacchaeus to use in reaching to Him but it needed a lot of humility and self-decrease by Zacchaeus given his position and wealth in order to climb it. There are many sycamore-fig trees around us that God provides for us to reach him but we have to decrease ourselves (humble) in order to grab one. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you. There are things we cannot change in our nature just like Zacchaeus couldn’t change his height, but God will always provide us with a way out if we ready and willing.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church, Mfangano Kenya
if your heart is ready and willing
Scripture reading: Luke 19:1-9
Focus verse: Luke 19:3-4, “He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran a head and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.”
Zacchaeus was chief tax collector and a wealthy man. Possibly he was a well-educated man given his position in the government. He was not liked by many people; they referred to him as a sinner. Possibly he loved bribes and could take tax more than required. We are also told that he was a short man. In spite of all these, he heard that Jesus was passing through his town (Jericho) and he decided in his heart that he too would see who Jesus was. Because of his short stature and being that many people were following Jesus, he realized that his desire to see Jesus could not be possible since the crowd was a barrier. Still determined in his heart to see Jesus, he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree that was on the road where Jesus was to pass through. Jesus reached the spot, looking up he saw Zacchaeus and he told him to climb down since He was going to stay at his house. So he came down at once!
We should stop focusing on our limitations but focus on God who is able do all things. God will always provide a way for us to reach him or to do his work if we are ready and willing. He doesn’t require us to be perfect before we can reach Him or serve him. Like Zacchaeus, all human beings are sinners and limited in one way or another but still we can reach God no matter what tries to hinder us. The way of God may seem undesirable or unpleasant before men and it requires a lot of humility for one to find it. God provided the sycamore-fig tree for Zacchaeus to use in reaching to Him but it needed a lot of humility and self-decrease by Zacchaeus given his position and wealth in order to climb it. There are many sycamore-fig trees around us that God provides for us to reach him but we have to decrease ourselves (humble) in order to grab one. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you. There are things we cannot change in our nature just like Zacchaeus couldn’t change his height, but God will always provide us with a way out if we ready and willing.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church, Mfangano Kenya
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Not Every Storm Calmed
Not Every Storm Calmed
Scripture reading: Matthew 14:22-32
Focus verse: Matthew 14:28-29 – “Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus.
A few weeks ago I had the experience of riding on a passenger motor boat on a very stormy lake. I didn’t like it and I prayed that it would calm down but it was never calming but instead getting worse. I was tempted to think thank God is not listening to my prayers and I thought I really needed to begin confessing any sins in my life if this was the reason my plea was not being answered according to how I wanted it. So tough it was that I began to think of what’s next for my family if die then this verse of Jesus walking on water came to me. God spoke to me in midst of the storm and told me that not all storms are to be calmed, others you will walk over them as Jesus did. At one time He calmed the storm but on another note He walked over them and gave Peter the power to walk over them too and we too must prepare ourselves with the same mind.
Storms are part of our everyday life. We have storms of sicknesses, rejection, divorce, separation, poverty, shame, death, persecution among others. Many at times we pray that God would lift them out because they seem too heavy for us to bear. We feel much pain when our physical health is deteriorating and we find hard when our needs constrains us. Yes, it’s ok to pray for God take out the condition from us but at the same time we need to prepare our hearts and mind to be ready to accept what is God’s will for us. Unlike other disciples in the boat, Peter became different from the other eleven disciples since he is the only disciples who walked over water. Storms of life can make us be different from others in our faith and it can be a way that God uses to make us be different from others. Our storm experience can be a source of motivation for them who would go through them some day. Storms make to rely on God and see him as our only source of help. We trust him more for his help.
Paul, 2 Cor. 1: 8-9 – We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on our strength but on God, who raises the death. Also in 2 Cor. 12:7-9 Paul indicates that he was given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him and keep him from becoming conceited because of the surpassing great revelations. Three times he prayed for God to take it away but God told him that His grace is sufficient for him, and that His power is made perfect in weakness. Paul finishes by saying that “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ power may rest on me.”
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church, Mfangano Kenya
Scripture reading: Matthew 14:22-32
Focus verse: Matthew 14:28-29 – “Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “Tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus.
A few weeks ago I had the experience of riding on a passenger motor boat on a very stormy lake. I didn’t like it and I prayed that it would calm down but it was never calming but instead getting worse. I was tempted to think thank God is not listening to my prayers and I thought I really needed to begin confessing any sins in my life if this was the reason my plea was not being answered according to how I wanted it. So tough it was that I began to think of what’s next for my family if die then this verse of Jesus walking on water came to me. God spoke to me in midst of the storm and told me that not all storms are to be calmed, others you will walk over them as Jesus did. At one time He calmed the storm but on another note He walked over them and gave Peter the power to walk over them too and we too must prepare ourselves with the same mind.
Storms are part of our everyday life. We have storms of sicknesses, rejection, divorce, separation, poverty, shame, death, persecution among others. Many at times we pray that God would lift them out because they seem too heavy for us to bear. We feel much pain when our physical health is deteriorating and we find hard when our needs constrains us. Yes, it’s ok to pray for God take out the condition from us but at the same time we need to prepare our hearts and mind to be ready to accept what is God’s will for us. Unlike other disciples in the boat, Peter became different from the other eleven disciples since he is the only disciples who walked over water. Storms of life can make us be different from others in our faith and it can be a way that God uses to make us be different from others. Our storm experience can be a source of motivation for them who would go through them some day. Storms make to rely on God and see him as our only source of help. We trust him more for his help.
Paul, 2 Cor. 1: 8-9 – We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on our strength but on God, who raises the death. Also in 2 Cor. 12:7-9 Paul indicates that he was given a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him and keep him from becoming conceited because of the surpassing great revelations. Three times he prayed for God to take it away but God told him that His grace is sufficient for him, and that His power is made perfect in weakness. Paul finishes by saying that “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ power may rest on me.”
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church, Mfangano Kenya
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