Temptation Vs. Testing
God doesn’t tempt us – the devil does. God tests us to see if our faith is genuine.
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:13-15
God doesn’t tempt us – the devil does. God tests us to see if our faith is genuine. We are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires. When we think about those desires, they can give birth to sin, and sin brings forth spiritual death. Testing brings fruit. Temptation brings death. Testing brings perseverance, character, and hope (James 1:3). Giving into temptation weakens our faith, ruins our witness, and leaves us hopeless. Be strong today. Turn from sin. Flee temptation, and you will become strong, steady, and usable.
— Michelle Randall
The Cross Cures Everything
Do you realize that your greatest problem on earth has already been solved for you?
Praise and Worship is an important part of our daily walk with the Lord. It’s a powerful tool that can silence the enemy. Praise is a choice that we have but don’t always make. Why is it so hard to praise God in the midst of adversity? Why do we find it easier to complain and ask why, instead of worship? Because the devil knows how effective it is! After all, satan was the worship leader in heaven. He knows what a powerful tool it is. When we choose to praise the Lord in our trials, something amazing happens — as our eyes get off us and onto Jesus, our perspective changes, our heart changes, and the devil looses his hold on us. As we choose to fix our mind on Jesus, we see what He can do instead of what we cannot. It’s this beautiful exchange of my will for His. As we choose to praise the Lord in the midst of difficult things, suddenly they don’t seem so heavy. We are lifted up as we lift our praise to the Lord.
Are you finding it difficult to praise the Lord today? Do you realize that your greatest problem on earth has already been solved for you? That Jesus died to give you hope and eternal life. When we look at it like that, our trials seem a bit smaller — right?
If you are caught in a downward spiral right now, look up to Jesus and begin to praise Him for the cross! Thank Him for dying for you and providing you with eternal life — then, you will be well on your way to regaining your perspective. Oh!!! And blast some worship music!!! That always helps!!
Everyday I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Psalm 145:2
— Michelle Randall
Conformers or Transformers?
We are changed in form and appearance as we wash our mind with the Word of God.
I once heard a pastor say that we are either conformers or transformers. We either conform to the world or transform the world around us! I like that, and Paul did too. He said in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may PROVE what is the good and acceptable and PERFECT will of God.”
Paul is saying that we are changed in form and appearance as we wash our mind with the Word of God. The Word of God is likened to a double-edged sword which has both the ability to cut to the core and stitch up a wound. It’s the Word that washes us clean, heals a hurting heart, and revives us once again. It’s this miraculous transformation of the inner man and woman that is undeniable to the world around us. It is this transformation/change from the inside out that is PROOF that we are indeed born-again Christians (followers of Christ). The number one sign of being born again is change. Something must change — language, likes and dislikes, bad habits, who you hang out with — there must be some sort of proof to the world that it no longer has you.
What’s your proof? How are you different since being saved? Are you a conformer or a transformer?
We have a limited time on this earth to make a difference for Jesus and to transform the world around us! I pray that we will redeem the time we have left!
— Michelle Randall
Titus 2 Talk, Proverbs 31 Woman, Part 3
We had such a blessed time for our third and final Titus 2 Talk of the Summer!
Hi Ladies!
We had such a blessed time for our third and final Titus 2 Talk of the Summer, A Virtuous Woman.
To Be A Mary Before A Martha
When we are still, we can see and hear things that we cannot when we are busy.
We see in Genesis 2 that the Bible prescribes rest, not idleness. There is a difference between the two. God created the earth in six days and on the seventh day, He rested. He was not idle; He rested. Not because He was tired, but because He set the standard for us to follow. The standard for mankind is that we need rest. We cannot just go, go, go, go, because that busyness distracts us from our main job – our Lord first, and if we’re married, our husband, our children, and then ministry. Rest has a way of setting our minds and hearts back on Jesus, and when we’re too busy, we can fill all of that rest time – that quiet time – with noise. But when we are still before the Lord, as Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God,” – we are refocused, and our perspective gets back on the Lord when we rest – when we take time. When we are still, we can see and hear things that we cannot when we are busy; namely, the still small voice of the Lord. Do you sit before you serve? Are you a Mary before you’re a Martha? What Jesus gently pointed out to Martha was that her priorities were out of order. Have your priorities ever been out of order? Mine have. Had Martha sat first, she would have been able to serve in her spirit and not according to her flesh. And we all have been in this predicament at one time or another. Some of us more than we’d like to admit. But I have found that there is a balance between work and rest, serving and sitting. And even Jesus took time away to rest from His busy schedule. And if Jesus took time away, we should definitely take time away to rest as well. The Proverbs 31 woman is busy in her home but not so busy that she’s distracted by her first priority, which is to sit at the feet of Jesus.
— Michelle Randall, Titus 2 Talk Pt. 3, “The Virtuous Woman” Pt. 2
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