Tag Archives: temptation

TEMPTATION!

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And 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 that you can endure it.”

Now, we’ve all had our fair share of struggles. Life sometimes feels like trying to outrun a bear in a pair of flip-flops—downright impossible and a little bit ridiculous. But here’s the thing: God knows our limits better than we do. He’s not in the business of seeing us fail; He’s in the business of building us up, even when we think we’re about to break.

When temptation sneaks up on you like a stray dog sniffing at your back door, remember that God’s already got a way out mapped for you. It may not be flashy, but it’s there, like that one back road you always take when the main highway’s jammed up. It’s the way that’ll get you through without a scratch, as long as you trust the map He’s given you.

So next time you find yourself in the thick of it, don’t just look at the problem. Look for the way out. God’s put it there just for you, and you can trust that He knows exactly what you can handle. As Lewis Grizzard might say, “Life’s tough, but so are you, especially with the Good Lord leading the way.” And like Michael Joe Harvell would remind us, “There’s always hope because God’s always faithful.” 

Hold on tight to that promise, and remember, you’re never walking this road alone.

-MJHarvell

Need A Hot Pick Me Up?

Old School!

It’s the middle of the week, so I thought I would share a little pick me up.  Take all of your troubles and the challenges of life and lay them aside for just a few moments.  Now think about riding down the road on a cool night and out of the corner of your eye you see something orange, almost like a fire, but better.  It’s the “Hot Now” sign at Krispy Kreme.

You pull in and get a dozen of the hot, soft, moist pieces of heaven and head back out to your car to open the box and observe one of the most beautiful sights known to man – glazed perfection in a never-ending circle of sweetness.

Shades Of Gray!

Your mouth waters and before you know what you are doing, your hand has reached in grabbed and delivered a sensation that lasts only a few seconds, but that can be repeated at least three or four more times, before the guilt kicks in.

Who knew that soft, light and fluffy could be so good?  Vernon Rudolph did in July of 1937, when he rented a building in what is not historic old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC and began cooking the doughnuts using a secret yeast raised doughnut recipe that he purchased from a New Orleans French chef.  He cut a window in the side of the building and sold directly to the folks, who could smell what he was cooking.

Light From Above!

Now don’t you feel better?  The only thing that could possibly make you feel any better in this moment is to actually be enjoying a “hot now Krispy Kreme doughnut”. If just reading about it and looking at these pictures of the old Krispy Kreme doughnut sign that I took one day in Spartanburg, SC doesn’t do it, then I have two words for ya:  ROAD TRIP!

Pray For What???

Photo 3Everybody knows that they should pray, but very few actually take the time to do it! Most people pray when they are in trouble or when life fails to work out the way that they had planned.  I think that one of the things that gets in the way of our praying on a regular basis is not knowing what to pray for.  So, I thought that I would share a few suggestions to hopefully encourage us all to take some time today to pray!

Remember that prayer is conversation! Prayer is simply you talking and listening to God.  In the same way that you would have a conversation with a friend, you can have a conversation with God.  You have to learn to listen in a different way, but with a little practice – you will be hearing God in the Spirit in no time!

Pray For People! God loves people!  God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross, so that people might be able to have relationship with their Creator.  Pray that your family, friends, neighbors and even enemies might get into this amazing relationship!  If you have not gotten into this relationship, then pray and ask God to help you!  If you need help getting into relationship with God, then drop me a line!

Pray Against The Enemy! Ask God to tear down the works of Satan.  Pray that Satan’s thoughts will be taken “captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ!”  Satan is at work all around us and one of the greatest weapons that we have against his evil schemes is prayer.  Make sure that you are using this weapon and using it wisely!

Pray For The Holy Spirit! Ask for the Holy Spirits conviction of sin and leading into freedom.  Ask the Spirit to help you hear, receive and become obedient to God’s Word, so that God’s will and purposes might be accomplished in and through you!

This is just a few of the things that you and I can and should be praying for! Take a few moments right now to have a little conversation with God – just share your heart.  You will be surprised at what a difference it will make!