THE SIMMERING POT

by John, SFCC Elder

Satan is predictable in what he does. God is not?

When trouble comes, Satan stirs the pot raising the fire to make it hot; then lowers the fire to make it simmer.

He's always adding a scoop of new troubles to add a new level to the pot, and then he's raising the fire to make it hot; then lowering the fire again to make it simmer.

All through this, adding a splash of condemnation to burn the lips and adding a dash of guilt to add a new smell; an aroma that fills a place that makes it hard to escape.  Then he's raising the fire to make it hot and lowering the fire to make it simmer.

The more the pot is stirred the greater the anticipation grows; the greater the fear. Life is different now. It's been so long my joy is gone, my heart can't feel, my mind is numb. I have no energy. I have no will to cry out because he stirs the pot raising the fire to make it hot and lowers the fire to make it simmer.

Satan is predictable in what he does but, God is not? We struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. God has a plan. God had a plan to fix the original sin in the Garden of Eden and all through the Bible he has never wavered from His plan. There is a reason for everything He does. He along the way is mindful of each and every one of us. Through out our Christian walk we all have been witness to each deliverance and healing in our own life and the life of others. God teaches sometimes in hard harsh ways. We many times come to tears and extreme anguish from the stirring of the pot but God prevails always in the end.

We are warned through out the Bible -

Don't give up. Keep your faith, stand and see your deliverance.

Do Not Fear - Don't give up!!! 

Even when Satan comes, he stirs the pot raising the fire to make it hot.

Then he's lowering the fire to make it simmer.  

I. WINNING OVER TEMPTATION

James 1: 12-18

¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

I want us to look at what God has to say about man's oldest problem, temptation. It goes all the way back to Adam. Greg has a Bible study at his house on Friday night and he's teaching on Genesis. We studied about creation and talked on many fascinating things that are said about our beginning. Then we came to the creation of man then woman and the temptation of Eve in the garden.

We all face temptation. Sometimes even when you know what's right to do it's difficult to say "No".

Oscar Wilde once said, "I can withstand anything except temptation." The only way to get rid of temptation is to give into it.

The Bible talks about two different kinds of testing. One is called trials. The other is called temptation.  Both of them use the same word in Greek -- "peirasmos". Sometimes it's translated "trials", sometimes "temptations". It doesn't matter because sometimes a situation can be both a trial and a temptation. But to distinguish them -- trials are situations designed by God in order to help us grow. Temptations are designed by the devil in order to cause us to sin.

¹² "Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him."

 There is a prize, a reward, for enduring temptation. It is being "blessed". The blessing comes from having your life under control, so that there is no bad habit that is devastating you. When you say "no" to temptation it produces a blessing in your life.

How do I say no when I want to say yes?"  James gives us these insights.

II. YOU MUST BE REALISTIC

You will be tempted. It's just like trials, temptations are inevitable. Have you ever met a pious person who says, "I thank God I have never been tempted in 42 years. 

Everybody's tempted. You're tempted. I'm tempted. Every day we're tempted. You never get too old for it. You never overcome it by getting too spiritual.  Everybody's tempted. The more you grow toward the Lord, the more you're going to be tempted. It's a fact of life.

The reality is all of us are tempted.  There's a misconception that says, once you're born again you've got it all together.

You've arrived so you fake it and wear a mask and pretend like, "How could anybody do something like that?" We all are tempted.

I Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man."

Note the phrase "common to man" -- that means we're all in the same boat. We all have the same temptations, the same problems.

When I was younger I remember how comforting it was to realize that people I thought had it all together and there life seemed perfect really could and would struggle with problems. It some how liberated me from thinking I was weak or different because the struggle was so hard for me. We all have the same struggles and problems.

It is not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin to give in to temptation.

Hebrew 4:15

"Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet he sinned not."

He was perfect. He was tempted but He never gave in.

It's not a sin to be tempted. It's a sin to give into temptation. I meet a lot of Christians who are intimidated by temptation. They think "How could I have such a thought?"

The devil put it in your mind; it's not your fault. You are human. Temptation proves you're human, not that you're evil. It's not a sin to be tempted; it's a sin to give in to temptation. I believe the more committed you are the more you're going to be tempted.

The most helpful thing you can do for yourself is to take responsibility.

Accept responsibility. Don't blame other people for your problems. We love to blame people, even God.

¹³ "When tempted, no one should say, `God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone."

God does not tempt, but we love to blame others. We are in a society of irresponsibility. Blame society, blame the government, blame the environment, blame heredity, blame your parents, blame your spouse, blame the devil, even blame God.

Some people say, "It must be God's will or He wouldn't have let it happen."

Don't make your bad choices and then blame them on God. God does not tempt. He never contradicts His word. God is not going to tell you one thing and have the Bible say something different. If the Bible says something and you say something different, you're wrong. Be responsible. Don't blame God and don't blame other people. It's a sign of immaturity.

III. ANOTHER THING, WE NEED TO BE READY

When temptation comes, be ready. Be prepared for it." Jesus said to His disciples in the garden before He was arrested, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation." Paul warned us to "Put on the whole armor of God".

Be ready. Be prepared.

"Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed. Don't be deceived my dear brothers..."

We need to be ready and prepared for temptation. Temptation does not warn you in advance. One of the reasons it's a temptation is because you don't even know it's there. It catches you by surprise. You've got to be ready and on your guard. We can be most vulnerable after a tremendous success. We think we're doing OK. The Bible says, "Let him who thinks he standeth, take heed lest he fall."

How do you prepare for temptation? How do you get ready for it? By understanding how it operates.

II Corinthians 2:11

"In order that Satan might not outwit us, we are not unaware of his schemes."

God wants you to know how the devil operates, how he tempts. The only thing you can say about the devil that's good is this: he's consistent. He's been using the same old bag of tricks for 2000 years and longer. It's very easy to discover his process. Temptation is a process, never just a one-time act.

James outlines the four steps that the devil uses in order to tempt you.

1. The first step of temptation is desire. ¹⁴ "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires..."  It's an inside job. Most desires are OK. You couldn't live without desires: a desire to eat, drink, sleep, the sexual desire, the desire to accomplish. God gives us these desires. Those are good desires.

They are good gifts. But any desire out of control becomes destructive. Satan loves to take routine desires and turn them into runaway desires. You are consumed, obsessed by it: food, work, having fun, sex, money.

Legitimate desires but when they are out of control they become a problem. Temptation is like steel in a magnet. There's an inward and outward part. There's an outward circumstance. But there's an inward drive, desire. If it wasn't for the inward desire you wouldn't be tempted. It starts on the inside. It's often the fulfillment of a legitimate desire in the wrong way at the wrong time. It always starts with the desire.

2. The second step is deception. "He is dragged away and enticed ..." James uses a couple of terms from the sports world. The word "dragged away" is a hunter's term which literally means "snared in a trap". "Enticed" is a fisherman's term which means "lured by bait". The secret of great fishing is in the bait.  You must use the right kind of bait for the right kind of fish. How many fish will you catch with a bare hook?

You've got to put bait on it, and the right kind of bait for the right kind of fish.

What kind of bait does the devil use on you? He knows your hot button. He knows your weakness.  He knows you inside and out. He knows what turns you on. He knows what you will fall for. He hides his hook in his bait and the bait appeals to your weakness.

The crazy thing is that often we see the hook and we know it's a temptation but we keep right on nibbling. People say I know what I'm doing. I'm an adult. I'm not going to get hurt. I know how far to go."

And that person is deceived. They've gone to step two -- from desire to deception.

It always starts with the desire. Then Satan moves to deception. Temptation always looks better than it really is. Desire turns to deception and deception turns to disobedience.

3. Disobedience. "Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin." What begins in your mind results in an action. It starts in your imagination. The battle starts with your thoughts. It moves from your thoughts into actions. First the devil gets your attention, then he gets you to have an attitude, then he gets you to commit the action.

He knows if he can get your attention he will eventually get you to commit the action. People say, "What's the danger in a harmless fantasy?" What starts in your mind eventually comes out in your life. It always begins in the imagination. What you flirt with, you will fall for.

That's the whole purpose behind television advertising. They try to get you to imagine something.  They know if they can get it in your imagination they've got you. If that didn't work nobody would advertise. We're silly to think that's not true. You think you haven't done anything but you have.

The Bible says that what starts in your mind eventually comes out in your lifestyle. Desire leads to deception, deception leads to disobedience. Disobedience leads to death.

4. The 4^th is Death.  "Sin, when full grown gives birth to death." That's the tragic consequence of giving in.

What is death?  It's the exact opposite of living. If you overcome temptation you get the crown of life, but the wages of sin are death - spiritual separation from God.

James says we are free to choose any way we want to live. I could choose any way I want to live and so can you. God gave me the freedom of choice. I could choose to live any way I want to. But I am not free to choose the consequences of the choices.

In order to overcome temptation, in order to break a bad habit, first I've got to be realistic, and admit I have a problem. Then I've got to be responsible and not blame anybody else and quit making excuses. Then I get ready by understanding what happens during temptation so I can learn how to avoid it.

Now all of a sudden in verse 17, James switches gears. He starts talking about the goodness of God. It seems like he forgot what he was talking about as it says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows."

James is talking about temptation then all of a sudden he redirects our thoughts to the goodness of God.

First he's talking about something negative then he's talking about something positive. He's refocusing our attention on something else. Why? It's because that's the next step in overcoming temptation. Be realistic, be responsible, be ready, and be refocused.

IV. BE REFOCUSED

If temptation begins with our inner thoughts then changing what we think about is the key to overcoming it. This is the principle of replacement, the key to overcoming temptation. The key to overcoming temptation is not to fight temptation but simply refocus your thoughts. Change your attention. Turn your attention on something else. Shift your thoughts. Change your mind. Refocus.

Instead of looking at what you're being tempted by, just look somewhere else. Refocus. Philippians 4:8 says "Think on these things, things that are good, positive, just, honest."

Focus your mind on the goodness of God. Why? Because the more you fight a feeling the more it grabs you. Don't focus on what you don't want. Focus on what you do want. Turn your attention. Be refocused. Get your eyes off the negative.

Get your eyes on the goodness of God. Are you a chronic worrier? It's because you doubt the goodness of God. Whatever gets your attention gets you. Whatever you resist persists. Stop fighting it, just refocus. Turn your back on it.

You can't fight a feeling. But you can weaken it.

Don't try to argue with the devil. He's a lot better at it than you are. He's had thousands of years of experience. When you refocus, it may mean physically removing yourself from the situation. Joseph was in a tempting situation and he left his coat and ran. If you have to leave your coat, leave your coat. Walk out.

I Corinthians 15:33

"Bad company corrupts good character."

You know your weakness and God does to.

Maybe you need to be redirected.

"He chose to give us birth through the word of truth that we might be a kind of

first fruit of all that he created."

 He's not talking about physical birth. He's talking about being spiritually born, a rebirth, starting over with God.

V. BE REBORN

The single most important principle in breaking bad habits and getting control of your life is to let God have control of it. Get Him in your life so He can start changing your character. Being born again gives you a new capacity to resist temptation. You don't have enough power in your own willpower. That's why you keep falling. You need some supernatural power. You need Jesus Christ in your life.

That's what it means to be reborn. It means you get a fresh start on life. Ask Christ in. Ask Him to make the changes and give you the power you need to do what you know is right to do anyway.

You will not be able to say no to temptation until you first learn to say yes to God. You need His power in your life. You need to not only be redirected and these other things but you need to be reborn.

That's the starting point. Then you'll have more than just your own power.

What is your most vulnerable area this morning? What is your weak spot? God knows it. The devil knows it. Have you ever figured it out? If you haven't, you need to because once you've figured out where you're weak you will know when and where you're most likely to fall and you can avoid it.

It's stupid to put yourself in situations that will automatically tempt your weakest area. Where are you vulnerable? Be realistic about the problem.

Where do I have a lack of self- control? Is it my temper? Is it my appetite? Is it spending? Is it my words? Is it drinking? Is it cocaine? Drugs? Is it lustful thoughts? What is the area that Satan knows is my hot button and he's always baiting me in that area? Figure it out and then admit it to God.

Tell "God, You know the areas you've fallen in. You've stumbled. Ask Him for a clean slate. Say to Him I want to start over. Get free of the past. Get forgiveness. You know that is possible.

 Then salvation is the first step in victory over temptation. Ask Christ to come into your life and give you the power.

I Corinthians 10:13,

"God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it."

What a great promise! God never puts more on you -- He never allows more on you -- than He puts in you to bear it up!

You say, I just couldn't help myself!" God says that is not true. You're just depending on yourself instead of depending on Him.

God says, "I will make a way out if you trust Me." The fact is there is hope and you can change if you want to and if you'll let Christ change you from the inside out. There is a way out if you

Trust in Him. You cannot live in a temptation free world. It's all around you.

Here are the resources you need in order to help you fight temptation:

1. Fellowship with other Christians. You will not make it if you do not have fellowship with other Christians. We were not meant to fight the battle by ourselves. Get involved with some Christian friends. Get involved in a Bible study, a small group.

2. Get into God's word. The Bible is our secret weapon against temptation. It is the truth. Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Do you want to be free from that bad habit? Fill your mind with this book. Refocus on it.

Instead of thinking about what's getting you down, get your mind on what's good, whatever is true, and just and holy. Study it, meditate on it. Get into a Bible study. If you know the truth it will keep you from being deceived.

If you want to know how Satan attacks, study the Bible.  What is the payoff? "Blessed is the man who endures temptation...... when he is tried he shall receive the crown which is life... (you begin to enjoy the abundant life) ... which the Lord has promised to them that love Him."

I'd like to close with an invitation. If you have never accepted the Lord Jesus as your savior, don't let this call go unanswered. I see it in the news reports every day. Have you noticed there's an intense evil in this world that should alarm us all? The intensity grows with wars and rumors of wars. There is talk of devastating diseases such as the bird flu that could spread around the world and take many lives. It continues with weather changes that cause the seas to roar and rivers to flood.  There are signs that are easily found in the Bible and it declares that we will know the season of the return of our Lord. The signs that most clearly put the season in the days we are living are in Luke 21.  Jesus talking of His return says Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled and that a generation will not pass away till His return. The Jews retaking Jerusalem in 1967 ended the time of the Gentiles.

In the book of Daniel the prophecy of 70 weeks puts the return of Jesus to be soon. There is not a prophecy that needs to be fulfilled that would stop the Lord from coming for His church at any second. Now is the time to get right with God.  

Luke 21

²⁴They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

 ²⁵"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

 ²⁹He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

 ³²"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.