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never contradict himself, so
he'll never lie. Jesus reaffirms the verse in Isaiah when he says,
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth we set you free
(John 8:31-21). We know God's truth is in the Bible and, knowing that truth,
we're set free. This includes the freedom from any doubts we may have about
heaven, forgiveness, or our relationship with God.
Temptations
Temptation is the state of being tempted or something
that tempts.
Contrary to the beliefs of some people, even Christians
face temptations. In fact, once we make the decision to follow Christ, these
temptations may come more frequently. That's why we're to put on the full
armor of God. For our struggle is 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 (Ephesians 6:12). The closer we get to God, the harder these
evil forces work to pull us away. We're never completely free from these
attacks. Remember, even Jesus was tempted (see Luke 4:1-13). The best way to
defeat these attacks is to do as Jesus did - follow God's guidance found in
the pages of Scripture. Another important thing to remember is that being
tempted isn't a sin, only giving in to the temptation is sinful.
Failures
Failure is the failing to do or perform; a lack of
success.
When talking about failure, most Christians are
referring to their giving in to temptation. We've all sinned and chances are
we'll sin again at some time in the future. Just because we sin doesn't mean
we're no longer children of God. We do, however, have to admit we've sinned,
take it to God and ask for forgiveness, and repent of that sin. Once we do
that, we no longer have to worry about being punished in any way for that
sin, either now or in the future. God has made the promise,
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1
John 1:9). The more we trust God, the more completely we put our lives in his
hands, the less frequently we'll fail.
God is in it.
Everything that happens in our lives is controlled by
God. But what about the bad things? No event can occur or no person can
affect our lives without God knowing about it and letting it happen. God can
and will make good come from the bad. A good Biblical example is Joseph being
sold into slavery by his brothers. And, like Job, search our hearts and minds
as we might, we may not understand why certain things are happening in our
lives. We can only stand on faith that God will use everything for our good.
Once we understand this, we can have peace. God would never allow something
to happen to us without giving us the means and ability to cope with the
event. What may happen in the future shouldn't worry us today. God is with us
today and will always be with us.
Freedom and Growth
By freedom I'm not meaning as Christians we're free to
do anything that pleases us. We must choose to act in accordance with God's
will and do what's pleasing to him. Our freedom is based on the love we have
for God; our love for God influences the decisions we make. We aren't to act
because of the fear of future punishment for sin or rewards for doing what's
right, instead we act upon our love for God. We don't love God by following
his laws, we follow the laws because we love God.
Attending church, studying the Bible, gathering in
fellowship, and many other things we do as Christians are often viewed from
the wrong perspective. We become legalists and give up our freedom if we
simply do these things because we feel compelled to do them out of some sense
of duty. Instead, these activities should be done |
