One of the most challenging ways of practicing rational thinking is dealing with temptation.  To borrow a computer term, you are the administrator of your mind.  The administrator determines who, or in this case, what has access.   God has empowered you to control what goes on in your mind.  I have worked as a network administrator.  We use different tools to manage and monitor who has access to the different areas and components of a network.

Lets examine how that idea can apply to our minds.  What level of control do we have and how do we implement this control?  What can we control and to what degree?

We cannot control what thoughts come into our heads, but we can control what we do with them.  Even Jesus, while on earth did not control what thoughts sought access to his mind, but He certainly controlled what happened to them once there.  In Matthew, chapter 4 we have the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.  In this story Jesus was tempted in three different ways; self-fulfillment of physical needs, pride, and power.  Temptation comes in the form of thoughts.  The thoughts, or temptations, come to our head uninvited.  This is what Jesus was experiencing.  This was not the only time Jesus experienced temptation.  Hebrews 4:15 states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”  Jesus was tempted in every way, yet He did not sin.  How was He able to accomplish that?

For the sake of discussion, consider temptations, or tempting thoughts, as ‘negative’ thoughts.  Lets look back at the fourth chapter of Matthew.   Each time a temptation, a tempting thought came to Jesus, He actively responded with a ‘positive’ thought.   Jesus’ source of positive thoughts was the scripture, the Word of God.  He responded to the thoughts of temptation with thoughts of the scripture.

First the tempter said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”   Well, Jesus was the Son of God.  That is a true statement, a true thought.  Jesus certainly could have turned the stones into bread.  He had turned water into wine.  Why not stones into bread?   In order for something to be tempting it must be a viable option.  Or at least it must appear to be a viable option.

This thought had entered Jesus mind and was a viable option.  Now what does He do with it?  He answered with, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’.”  Jesus had quoted Deuteronomy 8:3.

The other option for Jesus, and the option we too often choose, would have been to dwell on the tempting thoughts.  When Satan said to Jesus, via a tempting thought, saying “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”, he knew Jesus was hungry.  After all, He had been fasting for 40 days and nights.  Jesus could have responded to that thought by rationalizing, “Wow, I am hungry.  And you know, I am the Son of God and I’m sure my Father wouldn’t want me to go hungry.”  I need to keep my strength up to do ministry.  I have the power to turn these stones into bread for myself.  Why not do it?”  The longer He dwelt on the thought, entertained the thought, the more opportunity He would have given it to take root in His mind, or his soul. Jesus didn’t give it that opportunity. He fought back in His mind, in His soul.

This is the model, the process that Jesus used as he was tempted in every way and yet did not sin.  This is how He overcame.  Can we do this?  Absolutely!  The same tools are available to us.  In addition we have the example and the indwelling presence of THE LIVING WORD, Jesus to help us succeed.

With what was Jesus being tempted?  Eating is not sinful.  Performing miraculous acts is not sinful.  Why not perform the miracle and turn the stones into bread?  How did Jesus identify the author of the thoughts as Satan?  Remember, the thoughts came to Jesus mind as other thoughts do. He was not simply being tempted to eat or perform a miracle. He was being tempted to be self-serving and reject the very nature of a servant of the Father that he had assumed. This likewise is at the root of our temptations. The answer to all of these is his reliance on, his trust in and his knowledge of the scripture and the Holy Spirit. His determination was rooted in his supreme dedication to the will of his father.

We cannot control what thoughts come in to our head.  We will have negative thoughts.  We will have tempting thoughts.  We can, however, control what we do with these thoughts when they come.  Will we respond to them with positive thoughts, with thoughts from the scripture?  Or will we dwell on them, allowing them to take root in our mind and creating a quagmire that we wallow in?  God, and His Word, can and will deliver us and provide victory.

A Preacher – it’s not what I do, its who I am.

Being a preacher is God’s specific calling on my life in service to him. Being a preacher is not what I do, but it is how serving God lives out in my life. It has become how I identify. Don’t misread or misunderstand – I realize and understand that first and foremost my identity is found in Christ and his grace making me a child of God.  I am nothing without him and that is at the very core of my identity. But being a preacher has become a part of that identity. It has become the natural expression of that identity.

Every Christian is called to follow and serve. That calling is to become integrated into who we are in Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” How awesome it is to be the workmanship of God. We are made by him and in him. We have become a new creation with the old put away and putting on the new. This workmanship, carefully and wonderfully crafted by the master, is made for the purpose of serving. We are created in Christ for good works. Serving is not simply something that we add to our lives and try to do as we find time. It is our purpose, what we are built for.

For me, I am called to be a preacher. What are you called to be? God calls all Christians to BE servants. As his workmanship what are you made to be in Christ?

Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jesus said whoever whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. What on earth does that mean?

Not long after Rev. Elliot said this he gave his life in service to Christ as he was killed by the very people he was trying to reach on the mission field. Jesus, too, gave his life after teaching those words. His life was given as a sacrifice for our sin.

One of the most important Christian disciplines (think habits) is Bible study. As Christians we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Think about that – “The Word of God” – wow! To correctly and effectively study the Bible we must start with a critical assumption – that the Bible is always correct. As we study the Bible we may come across things that do not make sense or we do not understand. We may even come upon things that challenge our beliefs or our world view. But we must accept that the Bible is correct, even if it means we are wrong.

If the Bible is indeed the Word of God it must be always correct. If it is truly divinely inspired then it cannot be wrong. It must stand above all the ideas and opinions of man, including our own. God is never wrong, therefore His Word is never wrong. When we start deciding certain parts of the Bible are wrong we have placed ourselves above God – not a good place to be. The Bible is given by God as a means of revelation. We must allow God’s Word to direct our lives. It starts by approaching it with the firm belief that it is always right.

One of the most important Christian disciplines (think habits) is Bible study. As Christians we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Think about that – “The Word of God” – wow! To correctly and effectively study the Bible we must start with a critical assumption – that the Bible is always correct.

If the Bible is indeed the Word of God, by its very nature it must be, always correct. If it is truly divinely inspired it cannot be wrong. Certainly if one does not believe in God or does not believe the Bible to be divinely inspired there is no logical requirement that it be without error. But if we believe in God and believe that the Word is his means of revelation, it must follow that the Bible is always correct. The only logical set of choices available are whether or not one believes in God and whether he reveals himself through the Word. If a person comes down on the side of belief in God and his choice of revelation through the Word, reasoning demands the acceptance that the Bible is without error.

It is not simply a matter of being error free. The message of the Bible must stand above all the ideas and opinions of man, including our own. God is never wrong, therefore His Word is never wrong. When we start deciding certain parts of the Bible are wrong we have placed ourselves above God – not a good place to be. As we study the Bible we may come across things that do not make sense or we do not understand. We may even come upon things that challenge our beliefs or our world view – sometimes even things we do not like. But we must accept that the Bible is correct, even if it means we are wrong. Our approach to studying God’s Word is to allow it to shape and direct our lives, not validate them. It starts by approaching it with the firm belief that the Bible is always right.

A poem by Allen Hayden

Here I sit surrounded by concrete and steel

Nothing can measure the loneliness I feel

I feel hopeless and want give up all

but then I remember my Bible and mothers prayers

So I decide to give Jesus a call

I have one last chance at freedom

Not in the world, but in my soul

So I pray to the man they call Jesus

And start seeing the miracles unfold

Now I know my life will never be the same

I accepted the Savior, Jesus was his name

I know now I have been bought with a price

God sacrificed his only son, Jesus Christ

I take my faith with me as I go on my way

I know  there will be struggles everyday

I pray people learn of God’s goodness

And how easy it is to accept Jesus in their life

How he forgive their sins only,

If they repent and let the savior in

By Madison Holbrook

The three terms listed above, believing in Christ, accepting Christ and being a disciple of Christ are, in my opinion three different mindsets describing a person’s behavior about God. In some ways, this could map the natural progression of the Christian journey.

Believing in Christ is the most basic, superficial relationship a person can have with God. In fact, I think the word “relationship” is stretching it. Anyone can believe in God. But it doesn’t require any work on creating a relationship, studying the bible, or prayer. It is distinctly separate from someone who chooses to follow God. Satan believes in God. Agnostics believe in God. Demons believe in God. That doesn’t lead to a relationship. A relationship requires action.

Accepting Christ is the bridge between a person’s superficial, separate understanding of God and the deliberate action taken to establish a relationship with Him. In order to get to this point of accepting Him, it requires an understanding and belief that God sent His son to Earth to tell the world that He is the only way to Heaven; His death and resurrection, His charge to the disciples to spread the news all over the world; and the preparation to live apart from the world. When someone accepts Jesus as their Savior, they are making the conscious choice to put themselves second, and do everything for God’s glory.

Defining a true disciple of Christ is somewhat complex. When someone has chosen to accept Christ, they are electing to become a disciple. The two should go hand in hand. However, on a more realistic note, in today’s pluralistic society, becoming a disciple of Christ almost has a radical connotation. God did not call us, His chosen people to become complacent and comfortable. He has called us to rely on faith, prayer and His teachings so we can be His vessels. This means living with abandon, allowing God to fulfill His purpose in us. Becoming a disciple is making a true concerted effort to leave it all to God, and rely on faith.