Monday, August 22, 2011

When Mercy Came

Mercy opened my eyes to see
Your glory now revealed
Mercy healed my broken heart
Forged a brand new start

Mercy calmed the tempestuous tides
Within this heart of mine
Created peace inside me
Fashioned perfect harmony

Pain and bitterness melted away
When You arrived on the scene
Fear and gloom took flight

Thank You Jesus Christ
For You are Love
You are Mercy Personified
God bless the day
When Mercy came to stay

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

While We Wait

They say that good things come to those who wait
But what happens when we procrastinate?
Do we wait for God to move without moving ourselves?
Is there something we should be doing
While we exercise patience?

Yes, we must believe for the promise to arrive
But faith without works is dead
Is there something in our hand to offer God
While He waits for the opportune time to bless us?

Lord search our hearts and help us
To prepare for all you have for us
Give us wisdom and grace
To win the race
To see Your promise face to face





Saturday, August 6, 2011

Overcoming Sexual Temptation

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.
Job 31:1


God has called His children to sexual purity. We are to have clean hands and a pure heart. But many believers are falling prey to pornography, and some Christians have participated in premarital sex or have had an affair. Sexual intimacy was created by God. It is a beautiful thing when enjoyed within the context of a marital relationship.

When I was a teenager I had a problem with lust. Although I became a Christian at age 18, my struggles continued. It wasn't until I began to saturate myself with God's word concerning this issue and began to speak it aloud in the face of temptation that I found greater and greater victory. When Jesus was tempted, He spoke the word of God to the devil. This was how Jesus won the battle and it is also how we can triumph over our foe (See Matthew 4:1-11).

Another way to overcome the temptation of lust is to bring it out into the open. Find a believer who is mature and trustworthy and share your struggles with this individual. Ask this person to pray for you and to be an accountability partner for you. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

A third step in growing in purity is to run from temptation. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” We are to run from sexual temptation. This means that we are to keep ourselves from looking at images on the Internet that would compromise our integrity. It may mean that we purchase software that will protect us from pornographic sites. It means that we are to grow in discernment and discretion when interacting with the opposite sex.

Please understand that there is mercy for us when we fall. God forgives our every sin. There are consequences because of our sin that we may have to deal with, but our Lord always forgives us when we confess and repent of our wrongdoing.

It took me a number of years to find substantial victory in this area. I praise God for His overcoming power. He really does set the captives free.

If you are struggling with sexual temptation please pray the prayer below.

Dear Merciful Lord,

Your word says in Romans 6:11 that I am to count myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. I confess to You that I struggle with sexual temptation. I ask you Lord to set me free. I choose to saturate myself in your word concerning this issue. I choose to speak it out loud in the face of temptation. I ask to you to show me who I can talk with about my struggles and I promise to do my best, with Your help, to run from temptation. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.