October 22 Read 1 Kings 21:7
Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
You may have heard the term “Jezebel” used to describe an evil woman. If you read the entire 21st chapter of 1 Kings, you will see that Jezebel was not a nice person. Her husband, Ahab, wanted a plot of land near his house, but it belonged to Naboth, and he didn’t want to trade it or sell it – even for better vineyards or a lot of money. This really upset Ahab, and Jezebel set out to fix it. She impersonated Ahab and wrote letters to elders of the city saying that Naboth was doing bad things and should be stoned. The elders of the city believed the letters and did just that, and then Jezebel told her husband, Ahab go take possession of the vineyard he wanted.
This backfired, because the Lord punished Ahab, and he said, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.” Ahab sold his soul to the devil by listening to Jezebel, about whom God said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.”
Ahab repented, and was spared God’s wrath, although God did punish Ahab’s son later on. But the lesson here is that we must be careful whom we associate with, and who we listen to. Ahab should have questioned Jezebel more about Naboth’s death, but he was so blinded by his desire for this vineyard that he readily accepted her story and did whatever she suggested. And Jezebel was listening to Satan when she concocted such a tangled web of deceit.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Make sure you are hearing from God and making decisions that are His and not those of Satan. Resist the temptations to be persuaded by others to do things that are wrong. Check out situations thoroughly and make sure that God is in control!
October 23 Read James 1:13-15
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.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “The Devil made me do it!” We laugh at this, but truly, it is serious business. Because God gives each of us free will, the devil is able to tempt us in a number of ways every day, and it is up to us to choose how we will respond. As I have said before, Satan looks for even the slightest opening to infiltrate our hearts and minds, and once he gets in, he worms around and expands and draws us into his world.
Here’s a great example. Suppose someone told you something in strictest confidence. They trusted you, and insisted, “You cannot tell anybody else!” You agreed. Then, it “slipped out,” as you were talking to someone… an “innocent slip,” and you begged that person never to repeat it. That person agreed. However, it “slipped out” from their lips, and soon it was common knowledge… the plea to “not repeat this” forgotten as the tale was passed on, and embellished. Ultimately, the person who first told you this information was deeply hurt, and your friendship and trust was ruined. You were now labeled a gossip, and someone not to be trusted – and not just with information. You lost friends, you were not given even simple responsibilities, because others felt you would mishandle them, and ultimately, you fell in with an unsavory crowd of like-minded individuals who didn’t care if you were honest or trustworthy, because neither were they. Do you see where I’m going with this? One “simple” slip of the tongue could lead to your downfall. And Satan would be standing on the sidelines, clapping and cheering, and marking one more victory in his little black book.
Don’t let this happen to you. Focus on God. Consult Him about everything in your life. Keep your heart and your mind on Him and His word and ways. Flee the devil and his temptations. As it says in James 4:7-8, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
October 24 Read 1 Timothy 6:9
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
When I was a teenager in the ‘70’s, it was quite common for girls to be encouraged to “marry a rich man.” Adults, especially people our grandparents’ age, were of the mindset that a successful life for a young woman would be one where her husband went off to work every day, while she stayed home, kept the house and reared the children, played bridge and had teas and coffees, and worked in the church. There were several marks of “success” for women: not having to work outside of the home; diamond rings, bracelet, and other jewelry; and a fur coat, to name a few.
You are probably thinking this is so stupid, and you’d be right! But this was just before women really began to enter the workplace as anything other than teachers, nurses and secretaries, and certainly before women made enough money to support themselves without additional income, usually from a husband. Our grandparents felt that a rich man could be our ticket to success and happiness. I also remember dreaming of perhaps becoming a registered nurse. My grandparents encouraged me to become a doctor instead – because “doctors make more money!” They weren’t bad people to suggest this, and there is nothing wrong with a career that pays well, or being married to a rich man or woman. But what is wrong is making money our goal.
If money is your goal, you may find that you forego other things in order to obtain it. You may work long hours that take you away from your church, family, and friends. You may do things that are immoral or illegal in order to obtain it. You may hurt others in order to prosper yourself.
There is nothing wrong with having money… if you use it for the right purposes. But having money, and the things it can buy, as your ultimate goal in life is a form of idolatry. It takes the focus off of God, and HE should be our focus, and His service should be our aim.
God will make you rich in ways you can’t even imagine. He will bless you if you use your wealth to further His Kingdom. He might even give you money, jewels, cars, big houses, and all the trimmings. But you must be a good steward of everything He gives you – no matter its size.
October 25 Read Galatians 6:1
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Have you ever known of someone who was convicted of a crime, and you said to yourself, “Good! They had it coming!” This scripture points out that we should be careful of this, because we are all sinners, and we are all tempted. At any given point, any one of us could succumb to Satan’s pull, if we don’t keep constantly focused on God.
So, the next time you hear about someone who has fallen, stop and pray for that person. Ask God to heal their hearts and to bring them into awareness and repentance of their sins. And thank God for His grace and mercy, as you stand up to Satan and resist his temptations in your own life.
October 26 Read Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
I cannot stress enough how important this is. I truly believe we all have intention to do what is right – to follow Jesus and give ourselves completely to Him. But that is our spirit; our flesh is another issue.
How many times do we do something we know is wrong, and then we quickly say, “Oh, but I didn’t mean it!” And maybe we truly didn’t mean to do or say what we did, but it’s “out there” now, and we have to deal with it. Or, we may say, “I don’t know what came over me!” That’s an easy one – it was Satan! We gave him an inch, and he took a mile!!!We must stay close to God and ask Him to guard us and guide us every minute of every day. It will get easier, the more we practice it. That’s not to say we can’t stumble or be tripped up by Satan, but staying close to God will ensure that it seldom happens, and when it does, we know Who can help us repair the damage.
October 27 Read Matthew 6:13
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Where do we go to get help with temptation? We go to God. He will sustain us, strengthen us, and help us to resist. He is always the answer, in every situation, and resisting temptation will help us to manage every area of our lives.
When you ask God for help, even before you receive it, be sure to praise Him, and to thank Him. His is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!
October 28 Read 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
You might think that this scripture is telling you that God will never tempt you with really BIG temptations, because He feels you might not be able to resist. But that is not the case. The fact of the matter is that, first of all, God doesn’t tempt you – Satan does. And secondly, God will give you the strength and whatever is necessary to escape/resist the temptation, no matter how large it is. You will not be tempted beyond what you are able to resist, if you stay close to God, because He will equip you with everything you need to resist!
Also, you may face temptations that are so alluring that you don’t see how you can possibly bear to resist. For instance, you may be encouraged to smoke or drink or do drugs at a party – or to have sex – and you fear rejection and ridicule if you don’t indulge. You may also just feel like you want to give in to the lure. But God will not fail you. He will help you bear the “consequences” of resisting temptation. He will take care of those who follow Him. It may not seem easy, but you will get through it.
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