Last night, though I did not sleep many hours, the few hours I did sleep were filled with temptations. My brothers and I have a saying about temptation. Once you make the decision for Christ, be mindful of the Silver Platters. What are silver platters? They are the phone call from your pot dealer when you've been trying to call them for weeks. They are the friend who drops by for a visit and happens to have exactly what you wanted. Essentially, they are the temptation to betray your decision and chose less than God has for you. And last night I nearly failed. BUT GOD... Thank God Almighty for the "BUT GOD" 's of the Bible. They save us. And now a word about temptation.There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
It occurs to me that my observation has been that people use the word temptation like they are talking about coffee. It's simple, and yet profound...but nobody really tells you how STRONG it is. Temptation is called tempt-ation because it tempts you. Ooooh, whooopie. Right? Oh nay-nay. What could cause you to betray yourself? It's temptation because YOU WANT IT. It's temptation because it has the POWER to draw you away from something. Make no mistake, it has the power to draw you into hell, willingly. I tell you this because if I was left to myself last night, I would have traded. I wanted to...God forgive me, I did. I confess in my weakness that the proposition didn't dissuade me from the temptation. Thank God it was only a dream. Or was it? Physically, yeah...it was. HOWEVER, Spiritually it was a wake up call. "Oh, you're just being super spiritual and spiritualizing everything..." you're thinking, right? Oh, nay-nay. I KNOW when anyone, or anything, in any form, says "RENOUNCE YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AND I WILL GIVE YOU ALL THIS..." that it is indeed coming from the flesh... that is the 'self' part of me that wants nothing to do with God and wants everything to do with this world. I KNOW that the scriptures tell me that anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, has the spirit of anti-christ.
1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that ANTICHRIST shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 2:22
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 John 1:7
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
So, there I am, in the midst of this dream, full of every kind of temptation that could entice me. I am neck deep in it, and I cried out to God to save me from myself, my desires and my weakness. Crying out to God while your mind is in the gutter, drawing God into a shameful and wickedly unholy situation... I'll tell you what... it changes you. It gives you an understanding of God and His love for you that surpasses any understanding you could get from simply reading or hearing about it. Make no mistake about it...I was embarrassed, humiliated and ashamed to even speak His Holy Name in the depths of my depravity, but I knew that I had not the strength to face my adversary. BUT I KNOW HIM WHO DOES. And as much as it pained me to imagine my Holy God in this situation, I did it... I called out to him and I confessed my weakness, my desires. I took His hand, I chose God. Despite my flesh, and it's obvious choice to give into temptation, God saved me. It isn't until we reach out to God and acknowledge our sin to ourselves, and thereby to God, that He can give us the break through. I could have just as easily mentally assented to the sin and claimed weakness, but I didn't want to go around that mountain anymore. I chose God and He chose me. Despite waking up with a broken heart for the condition that God saw me in, I woke up in victory because He woke me up before I dreamed that I sinned. PRAISE GOD ALMIGHTY FOR HIS GRACE AND ALMIGHTY POWER.
