temptation Archives - Page 9 of 10 - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor January 21, 2010

Evil Ahab

“Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.” “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30, 33).

These statements are rather incredible. When we look back at the number of evil kings over Israel up to this time, Ahab was the worst. Why was he so evil and what can we learn from his bad example? The passage where these verses are found gives us a few reasons for the statements.

“Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

“It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:29-33).

There were four factors that contributed to Ahab being classified as the most wicked king. Each one is something we must guard against in our own life.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: example, idolatry, sin, temptation

Andy Sochor December 23, 2009

Submit to God, Resist the Devil

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

The two words James used to admonish Christians in their walk – submit and resist – both involve action. This should not be surprising. Earlier in the letter he commended an active faith while condemning a passive faith.

Regarding the active faith, James wrote, “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Further on he said, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24).
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: faith, God, obedience, Satan, sin, temptation

Andy Sochor October 22, 2009

Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked: A Brief Examination of Psalm 1

In the first psalm, we read of a sharp contrast between the righteous and the wicked. As we strive to be righteous and avoid wickedness, let us briefly consider the words of the psalmist.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: blessings, judgment, righteousness, sin, temptation, wickedness, word of God

Andy Sochor September 12, 2009

Article from Jody Lusk

***UPDATED 09.21.09***

I have decided to take down the article that Jody had written. When I first received it I thought it would be a good idea to post it here because I believed it had some value for those who might read it. But after a week or so, I decided it would be wise to remove it for a couple of reasons.

First, I do not have the time to moderate comments on this post. This is naturally an emotionally charged issue that many people have strong opinions about. On top of that, the spiritual principles that relate to this situation are obviously important as well. I just don’t have time to thoughtfully and responsibly respond to each of the comments as they deserve.

Second, I was afraid that this might become a distraction to the gospel message, if it had not become such already. Paul told the brethren in Corinth that he refrained from doing something that was proper (receiving support from them) in order to “cause no hindrance to the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:12). Even if it was appropriate to post Jody’s article, with everything going on, especially his recent “not guilty” plea, it was a distraction to the valid points he was making, and perhaps indirectly, the rest of the material contained on this site.

For those reasons, I decided to remove his article. I hope you can understand the reasons behind my decision.

I would encourage you to remember the important lessons from this though – don’t flirt with sin. It can destroy your life. It can cause immense damage to the lives of those around you. Even if the sin you are tempted with or are currently caught up in is not like what Jody has done, remember that all sins separate us from God. If you have sin in your life, get rid of it. The momentary pleasure it can provide is not worth the consequences and punishment that come with it.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: repentance, sexual immorality, sin, temptation

Andy Sochor January 1, 2009

Tools to Help Us Overcome Temptation

There are certain things that every one of us will face in life. One of these things is the temptation to sin. The Bible teaches us that “each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14). James went on to show the end result of one giving in to temptation: “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15).

Sadly, all men and women of accountable age must acknowledge that there have been times when they have given in to temptation and have sinned. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The Scripture plainly says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

In spite of this, we can find encouragement in God’s promise about temptation: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: free will, sin, temptation, word of God

Andy Sochor July 5, 2007

Truths About Temptation

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

It is inevitable that we will be tempted. However, we must remain faithful and not succumb to temptation. If we allow ourselves to fall, the ultimate result is spiritual death (James 1:14-15). So we must strive to overcome temptations whenever they come. The verse above provides three reminders that will help us do what is right when we are tempted to sin.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: sin, temptation

Andy Sochor May 1, 2006

The Tempting of Christ

Matthew 4:1-11 contains the account of Satan tempting Christ. When we talk about “tempting” or “temptation,” we need to realize that there are two different uses for these words in the Bible. The first refers to a testing – that which comes from without. An example of this is when the Israelites tested God in the wilderness: “Where your fathers tried Me [tempted me, KJV] by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years” (Hebrews 3:9; cf. Psalm 95:9). The second use denotes a desire for sin – that which comes from within. James talked about this type of temptation: “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (James 1:14). So not everything you are tempted with is a temptation to you. That is, not everything you are tested with produces or reflects a desire to sin on your part. The action of the one acting as the tempter is the same, but the difference is our desire or lack thereof. Failure to make a distinction between the two can lead to confusion.
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