EVERLASTING GOD, YOU NEVER LET GO - BAMM BAMM!

MEDITATION MONDAY

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I'm teaching a class this quarter, on Sunday mornings at church, called Marking for Meaning. We're going through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation with the speed of light:) One of the themes that we're looking for throughout is BLESSING. My mother-in-love, Robbie Sikes, taught me how to mark my Bible years ago. Now, I try to pass the favor on as often as I can.

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It has been wonderful to mark the scriptures about BLESSING in the Old Testament. I'm still marveling that when we were in the prophets a week ago, we marked all the scriptures on "justice" and when we were through we got a beautiful picture of a MERCIFUL GOD.

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Yesterday, on this blog, the verses read at the end of the first video, from Isaiah 40, are so full of God's grace and mercy.

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Then yesterday, Steve preached on TEMPTATION and used the Flintstones' "Bamm Bamm" for our memory hook. Once again, the Holy Spirit showed me more connections on BLESSINGS and MERCY.

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The deciever, the tempter, Satan, is hard at work to keep the hearts and souls of people away from God. Here are some thoughts for meditation today:

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We are inundated with temptation on every side. Recently, our church showed the movie FIREPROOF to look at things that destroy marriages / relationships. One of the themes of the movie is that pornography destroys.

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Look with me at some numbers:

• 2006 pornography's worldwide revenue: $96 billion



• Average # of visitors per month to adult web sites (worldwide): 72 million



• Percentage of men ages 18-34 who visit a porn site per month: more than 70%



• Divorces in which excessive online pornography is a factor: more that 50%



• Percentage of families that say pornography is a factor: 47%



• Average age of first internet exposure to pornography: 11 years



• Percentage of children ages 8 to 16 who have viewed online porn (even by accident when doing homework): 90%
  

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As I listened to Steve's sermon, I couldn't help thinking about Isaiah 40. We'll talk more about that here on Wednesday. Steve took us to James 1:12-17; 18-20. He shared with us that the word "trials" can also be rendered "temptation". Then, he gave us this outline. Notice the embolded words:

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• B lessing of (persevering) TEMPTATION: 1:12 "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial (temptation); for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life."



• A dmonition of TEMPTATION: 1:13 "Let no one say when he is tempted, " I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." Don't blame God!


• M ath of TEMPTATION: 1:14-15 "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."
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1. Temptation = Desire + Opportunity



2. Sin = Desire + Opportunity + Action



3. Punishment = Desire + Opportunity + Action + Unforgiven

• M ercy of TEMPTATION: 1:16-17 "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." Ahhhhhh! The gift of a way out! The gifts of forgiveness and salvation...

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1. God "limits" the power and strength of temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13) A verse every christian should memorize.



2. God "gives" us a way out of temptation. Victory = Desire + Opportunity + Limited Temptation + Escape



3. God "limits" the opportunities of temptation. Do we? (Matthew 6:9-13)



4. God "gives" us a spirit of self-discipline during temptation (2 Timothy 1:7).



5. God forgives when we fall into temptation (Hebrews 4:14-16).

BAMM - BAMM!