The Spirit of Temptation, By Trish M.

The Spirit of Temptation

By Trish M. 

Greetings my sisters in Christ,
Easter’s coming up so it’s quite an emotional time and a celebration time - and believe it or not, Easter has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate and or some giant bunny.
Anyways, today I want to “talk” to you guys about temptation. Look ladies, temptation isn’t a sin, it’s whether or not you fall to temptation.
  Okay, so, when you gave your life to Christ, the devil wasn’t pleased at all and he will do anything to get your relationship with God to fail. In other words, the devil’s going to tempt you with (I will admit) tempting things like money, but we as Christians must seek God so that He can help us through the obstacles that comes with temptation.
But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing. 1 Timothy 6: 9
Temptation can be in any form really. You can tempted to scream at your brother but it’s whether you do it or not that counts; you can be tempted to steal, and hopefully we can rise above that temptation considering that stealing is against one of the 10 rules God said we must not commit. And you can be tempted to "just miss one" Sunday service.
These are all temptations.
Temptation is such a serious subject that when Jesus gave us the prayer to pray to God, yes the Our Father, he added a line directed to temptation.  He said “lead us not into temptation” because even Jesus was tempted. When Jesus was fasting and praying for 40 days and 40 nights, Lucifer appeared to Him and told Him he would give Him anything He wanted if only He will worship him and of course Jesus said No! He rose above temptation, and since we try to be like Jesus as much as possible, we should also rise above and resist temptation.
The Bible has a lot to say about Temptation like in James 1 v 12 , the Bible says "Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him."
So since the Bible is God’s word this means that God Himself is telling us that if we have the willpower to resist the devil’s temptation then we will be rewarded with the crown of life.  I don’t know about you, but I think I want the crown of life. Sounds like a Biblical accessory.
And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man's own evil thoughts and wishes." JAMES 1 VERSES 13 & 14
So you can’t blame this all on the devil. You can also tempt yourself. Your mind and flesh is not the same as your spirit and soul. When we attempt to please our mind and flesh by "rising" to temptation we often end up bruising our soul and spirit
All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26: 41
So what’s the best way to avoid temptation?  I have a few ideas as to how we as Christian girls of today and future Women of God can avoid/ resist temptation.
1.      Resist temptation using the Word of God - This means that every time you feel tempted to do something you know is wrong then just read your Bible or recite a memory verse!.
2.      Distract yourself with praise - We are never tempted when we are in the house of God or we are praising Him so if we continuously praise and worship Him, there is literally no room for the devil to squeeze in and tempt us.
3.      Talk to God - This is the best thing you can do. Just pray to God and ask Him to help you overcome temptation for through Jesus you are an overcomer
The Word of God in the Book of 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 in to it.
God is on your side ladies - and so am I of course!

Pure Heart

Pure Heart 

What:
The definition of purity:
*The condition of being pure 
*Cleanness;freedom from foulness or dirt
*Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin;innocence; chastity; as purity of heart or of life 
*Freedom from any sinister or improper motives or views 
*Freedom from any idioms, or from barbarous or improper words or phrases;as purity of style. 

Why: 
So, you've been doing this Christian thing for a while; you think you're pretty good at it. You read you Bible and pray often; you go to church; and you love God.
These things are all really great things to be doing a Christian, but you need to have a pure heart in the midst of it all. The reason you need to have a pure heart is so that you don't go astray. In the Bible, Jesus tells us that He is the shepherd and we are the sheep. Sheep go astray, they get tempted by rushing streams of water. The shepherd knows that if that sheep takes a drink from the rushing stream, he will fall in and drown. Many Christians get distracted by worldly things, and they fall into them; just as the sheep fall into the rushing streams. But, when you have a pure heart, your eyes are on God, not the worldly things or the "rushing streams." So today, as we talk about how to have a pure heart, listen close, so that you will not go astray. 

How:
So, you want a pure heart. Here is how to do it:
Step 1: Get rid of the temptations! What is it in your life that is the "rushing stream"? It may be a show on TV that has impure actions or words on it.Pick up the TV remote and turn the power button off, or find a clean alternative TV show or movie.  It may be someone who you are hanging out with that is not talking the right way, or using the right actions. Then, you should stop hanging out with them. Don't get me wrong, you should still be kind to them, but you can't be "best buddies." Whatever it is in your life that is impure, hit the power button, break up with them, whatever it is, do it. 

Step 2: Obviously, after turning off the TV, or breaking up with whats-his-face, you are going to have some spare time, the time that you were using to...you know. So, break out your BIBLE!!! That's right, begin to hide God's Word in your heart. Then you need to use your Praying Powers!!!!! Pray that God would lead you to the right decisions  and give you a pure heart! 

Step 3: Begin hanging out with Christians. Maybe it's your mom, or a teacher or possibly some kid in your gym class. But by hanging, even if it's only like....jogging together in gym class, will help you. hearing positive words is great! 

Step 4: We all have our weaknesses. Maybe you need to work on patience, or self-control or joy. Whatever it is, one great way to purify your heart is to put your weaknesses into practice. So, let's say Cassidy need to work on patience. Take a look at this situation and tell me which way Cassidy used patience better:

Situation 1: Cassidy is in the lunch line at school. There are about seven kids in front of her. Timmy Powers, the kid in front of Cassidy, is taking forever deciding whether to get the green jello or yellow jello (They're both gross anyways.) Another minute has gone by, Timmy is still not settled, and Cassidy is getting really hungry! She takes the green and yellow jello cups, and dumps them on Timmy's head!!!! Cassidy has to pay for both of Timmy's jello cups, (now she can't afford her own red jello,) she gets lunch detentions for two weeks, and she gets grounded at home. 

Situation 2: Cassidy is in the lunch line at school. There are about seven kids in front of her. Timmy Powers, the kid in front of Cassidy, is taking forever deciding whether to get the green jello or the yellow jello (They're both gross anyways.) Another minute has gone by and, Timmy is still not settled, and Cassidy is getting really hungry! "Hey, Timmy, I like the red jello best," Cassidy says in a calm matter. "Oh, cool," Timmy reaches back, and pulls a red jello cup out of the case. He smiles at Cassidy, pays for his lunch, and Cassidy grabs a red jello cup as well. Then the lunch lady compliments Cassidy on her patience with Timmy. Cassidy smiles, and then has a nice lunch with her friends. 

As you probably already know, situation 2 was a much better choice. Sometimes it can be hard to become good with out weaknesses, but it is a vital step in making a pure heart. 

The Final Step: Stay close to God. Pray and read your Bible as often as you can, go to church. If you are using dirty words or actions, that is one thing you really have to get rid of, and quick!!!! Your walk with God will be great when you take these steps! 

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

In The World, But Not of It, By Kimberly M.

In The World, But Not of It

By Kimberly M.

It seems like no matter what you do or where you go, you hear or see something against God's commands. You watch TV, and a commercial for an R rated movie comes onto the screen. You walk into the supermarket, and someone swears because they dropped bottle of soda on the ground. You go to the electronics section in a store to look at the computer games, and radios play music with bad lyrics.

It's so easy to be tempted to watch that commercial, even if it's just for a couple of seconds. Or, to stay in that section of the store longer to hear a bit more of that song. But, is that what God wants you to do? Let's see what the Bible has to say:

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Remember that little saying that goes, "Garbage in, garbage out!"? It's true. If you are listening or seeing wrong things, pretty soon you may slip up and say something bad, too.

Satan wants us to do or make the wrong decisions. He is the master of worldly things and temptations. We need to stay clear of his tricks, and remember what God wants you to do. Stay strong and resist the urge of temptation. When you do feel tempted, remember this verse:

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Above all, keep Scripture in your mind to protect you from wrong:

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.