Temptation is not sin.

A common misconception among believers, new and old alike, is that temptation is sin. New followers of Christ need to know this is not the case. Otherwise, they will fall into misery and defeat.
“Temptation” is being enticed to sin. You are walking along the path and someone bumps into you, they hurt you; and the thought flits through your head to respond in anger. That’s temptation. A person of the opposite gender walks by, and something inside you tells you to look him up and down; that’s temptation. Someone walking with you says something that hurts, and that same voice whispers that you should slander her reputation. That’s temptation. Let me cover three things about temptation.

1. Temptation is not sin
As a new follower of Jesus, you need to hear this. This is commonly misunderstood. You know that you have passed through the gate and your heart has been been changed; and yet these tempting thoughts still pass through your thinking. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop them from passing through.
As you walk longer on the path, you will learn how to control those tempting thoughts a little, but they will always be there, until sin is removed from every cell of our being. But please hear this: these thoughts are not sin; they are temptation.
Of course, temptation becomes sin when we yield to it. It becomes sin when you respond in anger or slander. It becomes sin when you let your eyes dwell on her and undress her in your mind, or when you create a fantasy relationship with him. But as the old song says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.”

2. No one can make you sin
While you were on the easy road, you were enslaved to sin. It held sway over your life. It controlled you, and you did not have the will or the power to fight back. But when you passed through the gate, the mastery and tyranny of sin was broken. Sin is no longer your master.
There are many wonderful promises about this in our owner’s manual. Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Another verses says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to us all. 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” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
You will often feel all alone in your temptation. You will look up and down the path, and see no one. And in your head you will hear a voice, “no one has ever been tempted like this. No one has ever had to turn his head away from such a beautiful woman. No one has had to deal with such a jerk. It’s not your fault; go ahead and yield.” In case you are wondering, that is the voice of sin.
But the promise of God, who is always faithful to his word, is that no temptation is unique. Every temptation you face has been faced by others, including Jesus, in one form or another. You are not alone. But perhaps more significantly, God promises that no temptation will be so great that it can make you yield. In fact, in the midst of the temptation, God promises that he will make a way clear for you to move out of the temptation before it becomes sin. No one can make you sin.
Of course, we still yield to temptation and sin, but we stumble not because we have to but because we like to. We like to sin. It is the habit of my heart, a habit that started being formed the moment I was born, and a habit that I have fine-tuned most of my life. The mastery of sin was broken at the gate, but I brought my heart habits through with me, and they remain powerful. So did you.

3. God is on your side
Jesus wants you to win. He wants you to succeed so badly that God the Holy Spirit was sent to live inside you, to guard you and to guide you. Paul tells the church that they are to walk “by the Spirit,” and they will not carry out the sinful desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). They are to take each step guided by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit. We will talk a lot more about this later.
I had a basketball coach once who was not on my side. I still remember the first time it happened. I was shooting a free thrown and I heard, “Bet you miss it.” I assumed it was someone in the crowd heckling me, and I was more frustrated that I heard it than anything else. I don’t know if I made the free throw or not, but my guess is that I missed. I got set for the second free throw and I heard the same voice, “Bet you miss it,” but this time I recognized the voice. It was my coach. I turned and looked at him with disbelief, as did the entire team on the bench, and he repeated it again, “Bet you miss it.” This continued for the rest of the season. I must have done something to offend him. I started to expect his taunt every time I shot a free throw. Actually, I could have probably made a lot of money with those bets, but his disbelief in me paid off and I missed a lot of free throws.
How different this is from a person who believes in you and wants you to succeed. I had a wonderful third grade teacher, Mr. Cornforth. He used to come out during lunch break and hit softballs to us. We were amazed; he would stand at one side of the play area and we lined up at the other, and he still hit them over our heads. I loved Mr. Cornforth. It wasn’t until the end of the school year that we figured out he had been a New York Yankee and a good friend of Roger Maris. Mr. Cornforth believed in me. In whatever I did, I knew that he was cheering me on. He wanted me to succeed, and I did. Some times I wonder how much of who I am today is due to that man’s faith in me.
Jesus is on your side. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to “yield not to temptation,” and he is going to do everything he can — short of removing all temptation — to help you win. (As you will learn in later talks, it is the actual temptations that he uses to make us winners.)

God fights for us.

Sometimes things seem a wee bit overwhelming. When we look around us life circumstances can seem insurmountable. I am a fixer by nature. I like to do what I can to fix situations. Perhaps being a mother of five has made me so. I don’t know, but I do know that I like to do everything within my power to make things right when I can. There are times that is not enough. The older I get, the more I realize that God will often allow us to get to the end of ourselves in order to reveal His mighty hand in the situation. At times it really frightens me to let go and let God. However, I find myself in that situation more and more and am beginning to see a pattern. Trial comes, I engage in trying to do all I can and it is not enough to fix the situation so I let go and let God. Perhaps if I relinquished my efforts earlier and yielded to God earlier I would not be seeing this pattern so often! Because God’s love for me (and everyone else) is relentless, He doesn’t give up on us. He does continue to allow us to go through these lessons however, until we finally do get it! He does not want us fighting our own battles. We are ill equipped. He knows all and sees all and is much more able to fight them for us. If we are abiding in Him and walking in His ways He promises to do just that. The following verse makes that very clear, Jeremiah 20:11 NIV 11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. I am determining in my heart to yield faster. It is simply a waste of time battling it out on our own. Satan knows the areas of our lives that we are most vulnerable and these are the areas he is relentless in. If we yield the battle to God earlier, we retain our peace and joy throughout the trial. If we get into an out and out battle ourselves we lose both. We are King’s kids. Through Christ, we have obtained all the promises and blessings of the Father. It’s time we stop wasting time struggling on our own and let Him fight the fight for us. 2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” Determine to let God fight your battles for you. Walk right, love much and seek His will in all areas of your life. When we strive to do it on our own our hearts can become bitter and angry. This will prevent us from interceding and seeking God for the ones that need Him most. Let the “lover of our soul” do the fighting for us.

Spiritual warfare.

The difference between deliverance and spiritual warfare is that deliverance is dealing with demonic bondages, and getting a person set free, whereas spiritual warfare is resisting, overcoming and defeating the enemy's lies (in the form of deception, temptations and accusations) that he sends our way. Deliverance involves the breaking up of legal grounds, the tearing down of strongholds (offensive spiritual warfare), and the casting out of demons. Spiritual warfare on the other hand, is dealing with three key things the enemy sends at us: temptations, deception and accusations.

Offensive vs. defensive warfare

Spiritual warfare comes in two ways: offensive and defensive. Offensive warfare is tearing down the strongholds the enemy has formed in your mind through deception and accusations, and defensive warfare is guarding yourself against the tactics or schemes of the devil.

The enemy's three primary weapons

There are three things that we can expect from the devil. The Bible tells us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces. Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The three primary things we struggle against include:

#1 Deception: To deceive somebody means to make another person believe a lie or something that is not true. When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. Strongholds are built through deception. A stronghold is formed when deception takes hold in a person's mind. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true.From the very beginning, Satan deceived Eve into believing that God's Word was not true. In Genesis 3:4, the devil told her that she will not surely die as God said she would in Genesis 2:17.

#2 Temptation: Temptation often follows deception. First the enemy tells us, "You won't surely die!", then he makes the fruit on the forbidden tree look good to us. Since Eve accepted Satan's deception (his lie), now the tree that she was not supposed to touch looked good to her. She was tempted (enticed) to sin, because she allowed herself to first be deceived. Temptation is when we are enticed or encouraged to sin in one way or another.In Matthew 4, Jesus was led out in the desert to be tempted by the devil. The devil tried to convince Jesus that it would be harmless to jump off a building. Often people will be so drawn to sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend when the enemy tries to convince them that it is all harmless and fun, when it's not harmless at all, but an open door to the devil. Jesus saw through Satan's deception, and resisted the temptation by speaking God's Word. King David said in Psalms 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."When the enemy tempts you, he's showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. The Word of God helps you see the hook behind the worm.

#3 Accusations: The devil is known as the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). He is known to take a believer who has done an embarrassing or gross sin in their past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation over their past.

Raising Kids God's Way - Passing on Your Faith to Your Children

Where is that instruction manual on raising kids? You know, the one the hospital gives you just before you leave with your new baby?What do you mean, there isn't one? Raising a child is such an important, seriously sobering task, it should at least come with a manual, don't you think?What do you suppose this instruction manual would look like? Can't you just see it? It would contain some great categories like, "How to Stop the Whining," and "How to Get Your Kids to Listen When You Talk."Christian parents face just as many obstacles as non-Christians in raising kids. When you add all the distractions and the pressures in today's world, Christian parenting becomes even more than a challenge.A huge part of that challenge is passing on your faith to kids whose priorities are more focused on video games, sporting events, and the latest trends in clothes. And let's not forget to mention peer pressure and media pressure that offers temptations to kids to do drugs, drink alcohol and get involved sexually. Today's kids face an overall absence of godly examples and moral living in a society that is moving toward "freedom from religion" instead of "freedom of religion."But the good news is that there are things you can do to raise godly kids and even share your faith with them along the way.

Living Your Faith

First, as a parent you must live out your faith in your own life. It is impossible to give away something you don't have. Kids can spot a phony from a mile away. They're looking for the real deal from their parents.Living your faith can start with simple things, like showing love, kindness, and generosity. If your kids see you finding ways to "be a blessing," it will become a natural and normal way of life for them too.

Sharing Your Faith

Second, start sharing your faith early in the lives of your kids. Being a part of an active Christian church shows your kids that you think spending time with God is important. Make it a point to let them hear you talk about the great things happening in the church. Let them hear how much you've been helped by being in the midst of people with similar beliefs who pray for you and you for them.Sharing your faith also means reading the Bible with your children in a way that causes it to come alive for them. Find age appropriate Bible resources and lessons to incorporate into your family-fun times, as well as your child's education. Make family devotions and Bible reading a priority in your weekly schedule.Also, incorporate Christian entertainment,videos, books, games and movies into your child's life. Instead of feeling deprived of fun, let them discover and enjoy quality and inspiring forms of amusement that will also encourage them to develop spiritually.Another great way to share your faith with your children is to allow them the opportunity to make and develop Christian friendships. Their faith will be strengthened if they can share the same values with their friends. Make sure your church offers a children's program and youth group that your kids will want to be involved in.

Pentecostalism

Pentecostalism or Classical Pentecostalism is a renewal movement[1] within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks. For Christians, this event commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, as described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts.

Like other forms of evangelical Protestantism, Pentecostalism adheres to the inerrancy of scripture and the necessity of accepting Christ as personal lord and savior. It is distinguished by belief in the baptism with the Holy Spirit as an experience separate from conversion that enables a Christian to live a Holy Spirit filled and empowered life. This empowerment includes the use of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and divine healing–two other defining characteristics of Pentecostalism. Because of their commitment to biblical authority, spiritual gifts, and the miraculous, Pentecostals tend to see their movement as reflecting the same kind of spiritual power and teachings that were found in the Apostolic Age of the early church. For this reason, some Pentecostals also use the term Apostolic or full gospel to describe their movement.

The first Pentecostals were radical adherents of the Holiness Movement. These early 20th century Christians were energized by revivalism and expectation for the imminent Second Coming of Christ. Believing that they were living in the end times, these evangelicals expected God to spiritually renew the Christian Church thereby bringing to pass the restoration of spiritual gifts and the evangelization of the world. In 1900, Charles Parham, an American evangelist and faith healer, began teaching that speaking in tongues was the Bible evidence of Spirit baptism. The three-year-long Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, California, resulted in the spread of Pentecostalism throughout the United States and the rest of the world as visitors carried the Pentecostal experience back to their home churches or felt called to the mission field. While virtually all Pentecostal denominations trace their origins to Azusa Street, the movement has experienced a variety of divisions and controversies. An early dispute centered around challenges to the doctrine of the Trinity. As a result, the Pentecostal Movement is divided between trinitarian and non-trinitarian branches. Comprising over 700 denominations and a large amount of independent churches, there is no central authority governing Pentecostalism; however, many denominations are affiliated with the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

There are over 279 million Pentecostals worldwide, and the movement is growing in many parts of the world, especially the global South. Since the 1960s, Pentecostalism has increasingly gained acceptance from other Christian traditions, and Pentecostal beliefs concerning Spirit baptism and spiritual gifts have been embraced by non-Pentecostal Christians in Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches through the Charismatic Movement. Together, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity numbers over 500 million adherents.

What is a carnal Christian ?

Answer: Can a true Christian be carnal? In answering this question, let’s first define the term “carnal.” The word “carnal” is translated from the Greek word sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” This descriptive word is seen in the context of Christians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. In this passage, the apostle Paul is addressing the readers as “brethren,” a term he uses almost exclusively to refer to other Christians; he then goes on to describe them as “carnal.” Therefore, we can conclude that Christians can be carnal. The Bible is absolutely clear that no one is sinless (1 John 1:8). Every time we sin, we are acting carnally.

The key thing to understand is that while a Christian can be, for a time, carnal, a true Christian will not remain carnal for a lifetime. Some have abused the idea of a “carnal Christian” by saying that it is possible for people to come to faith in Christ and then proceed to live the rest of their lives in a completely carnal manner, with no evidence of being born again or a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Such a concept is completely unbiblical. James 2 makes it abundantly clear that genuine faith will always result in good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 declares that while we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, that salvation will result in works. Can a Christian, in a time of failure and/or rebellion, appear to be carnal? Yes. Will a true Christian remain carnal? No.

Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, even the carnal Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift of God that He will not take away (see John 10:28; Romans 8:37-39; 1 John 5:13). Even in 1 Corinthians 3:15, the carnal Christian is assured of salvation: “If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” The question is not whether a person who claims to be a Christian but lives carnally has lost his salvation, but whether that person was truly saved in the first place (1 John 2:19).

Christians who become carnal in their behavior can expect God to lovingly discipline them (Hebrews 12:5-11) so they can be restored to close fellowship with Him and be trained to obey Him. God’s desire in saving us is that we would progressively grow closer to the image of Christ (Romans 12:1-2), becoming increasingly spiritual and decreasingly carnal, a process known as sanctification. Until we are delivered from our sinful flesh, there will be outbreaks of carnality. For a genuine believer in Christ, though, these outbreaks of carnality will be the exception, not the rule.

God bless you
Evang. Johnny Mendoza

Struggle for threshing.

At times we become to attached with our problems and what's going on around us. We tend to blame God, and call everything we do an accident or a mistake. Like of instance the accident that accrued at nacon's threshing floor when the troops tried recovering the ark of the covenant (the presence of God) uzza reached out his hand to sustain the ark when he was killed. God will permit us to go through a process at a certain place to completely die so that he can begin the separation process in our lives. The place where the accident accrued was a place where they processed wheat and separated it from the chaff.
God will permit you to go through this process to remove from you the chaff, the unusable part from the wheat the usable part.

Proof God needs you, and he will use you. To God be the glory.