God is not shocked at our sins and failings!

This passage from the week's study on reforming the life challenges but ultimately reassures the believer - in the midst of our very tempting, relativistic culture.  It addresses our tendency to be weak and fall - but talks about it as we look at the rock-like certainty of Jesus power to keep us on the straight and narrow.

Paul encourages the Corinthians, saying,

13, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (ICor 10).

No temptation! - meaning, even then those under the sound of Paul's voice were dealing with nothing that hadn't happened before.  In Israel's ancient days...

 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come (verse 11).

Paul then hammers home the point --

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, [fn] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ (I Cor 10:1-4)

 And the sad fact that --

with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness (ICor10:5) 

Temptations are not new, and believers are called to avoid and escape them! God was not pleased with that generation's response to temptations.  Their judgment time of death found them on the wrong side with God.  They gave in to their sin-problems and failed to draw on Jesus' power to live differently -- Scripture shows us the way,

The Psalmist warns, the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong (Psalms 125:3).

Jesus' heart has plumbed ours, saying I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32)

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment (2Pe 2:9)

He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again (2Cr 1:10).

With public apologies pouring from podiums and pulpits all around us today in the culture - here is a strong Word reminding the believer of the very different standard God expects.  May we continue to be strong and confident in Him!

Renewal and revival counters deception...

Dear Friends, Believers and Seekers, last week's call to discernment stirred us to examine fundamental issues of faith, such as what separates obedient believers from those who are not and who are opening themselves to deceptions.

Many critical discourses of the New Testament address the problem of deception because it is so rampant in the experience of the church.

Passages in Second Corinthians, Matthew and Revelation tell a story of how believers must approach truth, what is the barrier and enemy to being able to see truth, and what this means about deception.

II Cor 4:16-18 reminds us that understanding truth is basically about spiritual insight,

"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look - not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen

Matthew 24:11-13 and 24 warn that we open ourselves up to deception only when we yield to sins and neglect practicing and immersing ourselves in God's truth,

"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Rev 19:20 tells the final story of how deception takes those who yield to sin,

"Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

What depths of insight and happiness are in store for those allowing God to seal us in His truth! May your experience in Him and His Word grow deeper every day.