By Jonathan S Singh
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)
When Jesus cried out these words, they were not the delusions of a man in pain. His faith was not failing Him. As Christ hung there, He was bearing the sins of the world. He was dying as a substitute for others. To Him was imputed the guilt of their sins, and He was suffering the punishment for those sins on their behalf, on our behalf. The physical pains of crucifixion, horrible as they were, were nothing compared to the wrath of the Father being poured out upon Him.
Jesus had a deep feeling of anguish when he took on the sins of the world. This is what Jesus dreaded when He prayed to God in the Garden to take the cup from Him (Matt 26:39).
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Why did Jesus have to do all this for us ?
It was His Love for us. His Agape Love, Unconditional Love for us. There was no-condition of Christ’s Love for us (AGAPE).
We are all called to Love one another. Jesus says in Matt 22:37-45, “Love the Lord you God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.
Jesus even told us to Love our enemies. Jesus says in
Matt 5:39-41” But I say, don’t resist an evil person! If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. 40 If you are ordered to court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,* carry it two miles.”
Duty is going the first mile; love is going the second mile. In the Time of Jesus Every Jewish person had a milestone from his property. One mile from the edge of his property he would put a stone because by roman law if a roman soldier met him on the road and asked him to carry his pack, he had to carry his pack for 1 mile and when he came to that mile stone he could put it down saying I don’t have to go another step, my duty is over. But Jesus said if a man asks you to go one mile, go with him two miles. So Duty goes the first mile (that’s the law), but Love goes the Second mile. There is a difference between duty and Love. Duty does what you have to do; Love does what God wants you to do.
What does God want you and I to do ?
Luke 9:60
Jesus replied, “Your duty is to go and preach the coming of the Kingdom of God.”
· Are we doing our duty ?
· Are we telling our colleagues and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ ?
· Are we taking a stand for Our Lord Jesus Christ ?
In the words of John Heigi, “The church needs to stand for something, and that something is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The church is not a retirement center for spiritual Fat Cats; it is the recruiting center for the army of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul says in
Ephesians 6, put on the whole armor of God and take a stand in the end days.
· All defensive except one the Sword of the Spirit which is offensive or attacking.
The bible tells us to take dominion, to be fruitful and multiply. God intends for Christians to take charge of their lives. If you do not take charge of your life, somebody else will, think bout that. Many of us have taken the Key to our lives and given it to another individual and you are so obsessed with that person’s approval of you, you have forgotten God’s approval of you. Many of us are concerned about being people pleasers not a God Pleaser.
You know the Right hand is very significant,
1. The right hand is from which we get the phrase “he is my Right hand man.”
2. Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father; it’s a position of Power.
3. We have that phrase to this day “May I have your hand on it.” The right hand of Power, most hand shakes are given by the Right hand. Here is a Biblical illustration in Genesis 48
When Joseph was in Egypt and he went and got his father Jacob and then Jacob was then Blessing his two grand children Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob placed his right hand on the second boy and his left hand on the first boy. It was backwards and his Sons said Dad stop it and Jacob refused to stop it because he crossed his hands and gave the best blessing to the second boy.
On the Cross of Calvary, The First Born of the Father was dieing for you and I (Gentiles) what was our position? Paul in the Galatians says we were outside of the Covenant without God and without Hope. And the Son said “Father why have you forsaken me?” God the Father said I haven’t Forsaken you. Today I have taken my right hand and I’m putting it on the Gentile people
· I’m grafting them in ,I’m forgiving their Sins and giving them eternal life,
· I’m taking their Sickness and I’m giving their Sickness to you . By your stripes they will be healed.
· I am adopting them in to the family of God and you are paying the price for that ,
· I’m giving them freedom and I have brought to you the bondage ,I’m giving them health and healing and I’m giving their sicknesses to you .
· Son I Am giving to you shame cause Jesus hung on the cross naked in Shame, between thieves. Rome did everything they could to shame the Son of God but the Son of God broke your shame barrier at the Cross when God the Father gave to you confidence. Confidence means “living with Faith”. We have the source of supernatural confidence because of what God gave us by crossing His hands .He put His left hand on His first born Jesus and His right hand on us. Thank God for the power of the Blessing.
Let me tell you a true story. A young boy made a small boat with the greatest care and skill. With great pride he carried it to a nearby river to sail it. While he was watching it, a strong wind blew and pushed the boat out into the current. In no time it went out of sight. I need not say how sad the boy was when he realized he had lost his boat. Although only a cheap toy, it was very precious to him.
Some days later the boy was going through the market and as he was walking he chanced to look in a shop window, and there was his lost boat! He wanted it back, of course, as soon as possible. He approached the Shopkeeper and explained to him on how he had made the boat with his own hands and on how he had lost it while playing with it a few weeks back, but the shopkeeper refused and said he had to pay for it. But the price of Rs.1000 was too high for him. He decided however, to buy it despite the cost. He worked hard night and day, and in a short while he had earned enough to buy it back. Straight to the shop he went, placed the money before the shop keeper and bought back his own creation. He held it tightly in his arms, and went home joyfully.
Challenge:
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a Spirit of Fear but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Jesus said “What you do for men, you have done for me. “
· We are all called to be full time missionary
· Are we sensitive to the people around us?
Matthew 20:26b-27 " Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be your slave,just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve,and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Speaking in Tongues
By Sidharth Mohandas
Introduction
When I was baptized in the Spirit, I spoke in an unknown tongue that I had never learned before. My purpose of writing this article is to share with you the various functions of speaking in tongues.
As I have experienced this, I am writing this article so as to share with you the genuineness of speaking in tongues and to expose the counterfeit speaking in tongues that is seen in many churches today. And this I do by using Bible as my only manual.
As I related before when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit it was as though a river gushed out of my belly with no other way to come out but my mouth and I spoke in a language I had never learned before. The Lord told me that every manifestation I came across in my life, I was to test it with His Word and see if it agrees hundred percent with His Word, if it didn't I was to discard it. He told me His Word would be my safety. Was what I experienced biblical? Does the bible speak about such an experience? The answer to this is a definite "yes".
Speaking In Tongues As An Evidence
We see this being experienced by believers ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven. Jesus commanded them not to leave
After about 8 years, we see Cornellius and his household receive the same experience when they received the Holy Spirit. Peter was preaching to this Gentile family, and while Peter was still preaching, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message. How did Peter and the others know that they were filled with the Holy Spirit? The bible says, the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, FOR they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.(Act 10: 45-46).
About 15 years later, we see a group of 12 men receive the Holy Spirit and as they were filled with the Holy Spirit they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. When Paul placed his hand on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.(Act 19:6) You may ask, But did they not also prophesy? Yes, but speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the Spirit baptism, though not the only evidence. To make this statement clear I wish to show you some biblical principles.
Some Biblical Principles
The first principle, I take from the verse "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew
The second principle, I take from the verse which is found in Romans 12:1, "Therefore brethren, I beseech you by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and it will be acceptable in the sight of God.� God's requirement here is for us to present our physical members to Him. What for? Romans
Now, you must realize that whenever a sacrifice is presented to God, God puts out His fire upon it approving of the sacrifice. So, as we bring our bodies as living sacrifice to Him, He will put out His fire, His Spirit upon us. This is exactly what happens in the Holy Spirit baptism. As the person yields to God and presents himself to be used by God, God will pour out His Spirit and as the Holy Spirit makes His abode in that person, He speaks through the person, symbolizing the tongue has been tamed, and that now God's on the driver�s seat. The tongue is the only member in our body that the bible says directs our life as a rudder directs the course of a ship. When receiving the Spirit baptism, this is what happens, we yield the rudder over to God so that He can direct our lives, and the takeover is made evident through supernatural utterances.
Speaking In Tongues As A Gift
We read about the Gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. The Corinthian church was misusing the Gift of tongues, as they were speaking in tongues loudly in public services without the operation of the sister-gift, the Gift of interpretation. Like many churches today, these people were "tongue-possessed". Paul was in no way speaking against the usage of tongues, but he said it was all to be used to edify the Church, and that the order in the Church was not to be disturbed.
Speaking in other tongues is useful for both private devotion and public ministry. In private devotion, tongues can be used for prayer, praise and worship. While for public ministry, tongues must be accompanied by the Gift of interpretation so that all may benefit from what is said.
Tongues In Prayer, Praise And Worship
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:2, "He who speaks in an unknown tongue, does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no man understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit."
In personal devotion, tongues can be used for prayer. Paul says here that one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks to God. Then Paul goes onto to say, "He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself..."(verse 4). The Greek word used for "edify" here means "to build up". How does praying in an unknown tongue build the person up, if the person does not understand what he's saying? We find the answer to this in Romans 8:26 where it says, "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to the will of God". When we confront with situations and circumstances in our life where we don't know what to pray for, the bible tells us, the Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Many a times when I reach a place when I don't know what to pray for, I cease to pray in words I know and pray in an unknown tongue. The Spirit in this way makes intercession for us in accordance to the will of God. This is a place where our spirit blends with the Spirit of God, and out flows from our mouth divine utterances. These utterances are prayers raised to God by the Spirit so that we stand in the complete will of God in the situation we are facing. That's why it builds us up!
Paul says the following in 1 Corinthians 14:14-15,"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also". What does it mean to pray in the spirit? Let the bible speak for itself! Paul says, if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays. Paul makes the difference between praying in a known language and praying in an unknown tongue. Yes of course, both kinds of prayers must be inspired by the Spirit, but in case of praying in tongues the mind has no play, as only the spirit is involved in prayer. The spirit intertwines with the Spirit of God, and prays to God without going through the realm of the mind. But in case of praying with the understanding, the mind is involved.
Paul instructs believers to pray in the spirit in various places:
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit....for all saints"(Ephesians 6:18a). It is impossible for a believer to pray with understanding for all saints. We don't know all the saints in the world first of all, and needless to say we don�t know their various needs. But God made praying for all saints possible through this gift. We can pray in the spirit for people we have never known, we have never seen and we have never heard of. The Holy Spirit knows every saint on the face of this earth and He knows their various needs. As He prays through us, He not only intercedes for us, but also intercedes for other saints.
The next place where Paul instructs believers to pray in the spirit is found in Jude 20, building your self up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Praying in the spirit and praying in the Holy Spirit are the same as the Spirit prays through our spirit. As the Spirit prays through us, He builds us up in the most holy faith. Do you see that this is exactly what Paul said when he spoke about the praying in an unknown tongue in 1 Corinthians 14:4?
Tongues can also be used in praise and worship. Paul says, "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing the understanding also."(1 Corinthians 14: 15b). Paul then says, "If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say, Amen to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?". Paul here is not discouraging believers from praising in tongues, but he was instructing them to use this gift wisely. If some of us agree together in prayer and if one person raises his voice and starts praying in tongues, how can the others agree with him and say "Amen"? Paul here was not speaking against use of tongues in praise and worship. In fact Paul said, "I thank God that speak in tongues more than ye all"(1 Corinthians
From scripture I have come to the conclusion that at the time of the Spirit baptism, the Holy Spirit inaugurates the baptism with what He was sent to do: to glorify Jesus. As Jesus spoke of the coming or entry of the Holy Spirit, He spoke two very important tasks the Holy Spirit would do: He would testify or speak (John 14: 26), and He would glorify Jesus (John 16: 14). We find this is exactly what took place each time people got filled with Him. The Spirit testified through them the wonderful works of Jesus and in turn glorified Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, the bible tells us, the disciples spoke in tongues declaring the wonderful works of God (Act 2:11b). At Cornellius' house, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues and glorified God (Act
Many a times when I am praising God in a known tongue, a place reaches where words can no more contain the praises that burst within my soul. At this point, I often start praising Him in an unknown tongue.
Tongues In Ministry
The gift of tongues in the church edifies those assembled together only when there is an interpretation of the tongues. Paul instructs believers who had the gift of tongues to pray for the gift of interpretation for this very reason. The main purpose of all the gifts is to profit withal (1 Corinthians 12:7). Often in assemblies one person speaks in an unknown tongue and then another person gives the interpretation of the message given in the unknown tongue. Or in other cases, one person speaks in an unknown tongue and the same person gives the interpretation of tongues. Both these gifts are meant to operate together in order to edify other believers.
The ministry of tongues and interpretation has the some what the same effect as the gift of prophecy.
Paul gives some instructions of how to use the Gift of tongues and interpretation in 1 Corinthians 14. He says, �If anyone speaks in a tongue, two- or at the most three - should speak, one at a time and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker (one who speaks in tongues) should keep quiet and speak to himself and God.�(1 Corinthians 14: 27-28) Paul instructs believers who had the Gift of tongues that two or three could speak in tongues, but one by one, not all together. He also says that someone should interpret. Now notice, Paul is speaking about the ministry of tongues, not devotional tongues. When no one in the assembly has the Gift of interpretation of tongues, the one who has the Gift of tongues must speak in tongues to himself and God. Paul is permitting devotional tongues here in the Church. But he does not permit the public use of tongues without interpretation. I have been to countless Pentecostal assemblies, where everyone starts operating in only the Gift of tongues, and there would be no interpretation. This is exactly what Paul was speaking against. If an unbeliever or an unlearned came in, he would think these people were mad, and they would go out feeling out of place and disgusted. We must use the gifts wisely in the Spirit and not foolishly in our flesh.
Counterfeit Tongues
Just as satan counterfeits all the other gifts of God, he also counterfeits the gift of tongues. I come from a Hindu background and I know people who really have supernatural abilities. There are people who can tell you things about you without any previous knowledge of you, which is somewhat a counterfeit of the Gift of knowledge. There are astrologers and seers who can predict your future to a certain extent, which is the counterfeit of the Gift of prophecy. There are people who can perform miracles, which is a counterfeit of the Gifts of miracles. But this may amaze you: many years back I read about a witch doctor who spoke in tongues! Take this statement deep within you: Everything supernatural is not God. We are living in a time of great deception, where satan is counterfeiting the works of God. There is one category who gets deceived and falls aside and there's another category that goes to the other extent of denying even the genuine gifts. Remember, dear friends, there has to be real money for there to be counterfeit. Will you stop using real money, just because there is counterfeit money? We can't bother about the counterfeiters; we must go ahead and bless others with the real things of God.
I read couple of years back in a book by a famous evangelist, that we were to tap into praying in tongues by using our own will. Remember, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a baptism of yielding to the Spirit of God. You yield your will to the Holy Ghost and out comes from your spirit words you had never learned before. This happens as He wills, not as the person wills. Bible-speaking in tongues must be only as the Spirit gives utterance. There are preachers today who say, "Speak in tongues as I do, and you will receive the Holy Ghost. Repeat what I am saying!� Did the disciples imitate someone else speaking in tongues? Do you read of such things in the bible?
Another group goes onto say that we can receive the Spirit and speak in tongues by way of yoga. They say "Jesus breathed over the disciples and asked them to receive the Holy Spirit. And so we can receive the Spirit by breathing in.� Jesus did breathe over the disciples to make them new creatures in Him, but He never commanded them to breathe in the Holy Spirit. Instead He commanded them to tarry in
There is another group that lays hands on people and asks them, �Do you hear something in your mind? Just speak it out!� And the devil works with them to bring some unintelligible words. However, the bible says speaking in tongues does not operate through the mind, but through the spirit. The apostles did lay hands on the newly converted believers to receive the Holy Spirit, but they never asked them to speak out something that came to their minds. When I received the Holy Spirit, the utterance came from Him; I didn't do any of the speaking. He used my vocal cords and my tongue and He spoke through me.
I often hear people say this, "I couldn't control myself as I spoke in tongues.� This is however not true. The Holy Spirit speaks through an individual only as the individual yields to Him, and even then his spirit is subject to himself. It is a glorious blend of man's spirit and God's Spirit. It's beautiful to be at this place of perfect blend.
Lately a man of God related that as he prayed for a woman she started "speaking in tongues". The Lord revealed to this man that an evil spirit was behind it and he immediately cast out the evil spirit in the name of Jesus.
One time Smith Wigglesworth, the Apostle of faith, was in a meeting and a lady stood up and started speaking in tongues loudly. Mr. Wigglesworth said, Save your strength and sit down, lady. That is not of God! We must come to this place where we will know who is speaking: whether its God's Spirit, the evil spirit or the human spirit. How important to have the Gift of discernment of spirits!
Tongues Have Ceased! *
The doctrine "Tongues have ceased� is a doctrine that is robbing many of the greatness of God that is offered through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They take this doctrine from 1 Corinthians 13:8 "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they shall cease; where there is knowledge, it shall vanish." Those people who believe this doctrine interpret this Scripture somewhat like this: "The gifts are no longer valid as God used it through the early disciples to confirm His Word. Now that we have the whole Word, we don't need the gifts anymore. The perfect has come and the imperfect has been done away".
Wow! I'll have to eliminate a lot of Scriptures in the New Testament if this were true! For those who believe this junk, I've got news for them: Paul said the spiritual gifts were meant to operate till Jesus comes the second time. "Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed"(1 Corinthians 1: 7)
Then why does Paul say tongues would cease here? First of all we must realize that the whole chapter is dealing with divine love. With this in mind let�s read verse 10, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. Can you think of a place which is perfect in love? There�s only one place I know of and that�s heaven. The earth we live in is imperfect in love. But when Jesus, the perfect One comes for His Bride, He will rapture her to that place perfect in love.
Paul speaking about the Gift of knowledge and Gift of prophecy says, for we know in part and prophesy in part (verse 9). The Gift of knowledge does not give all knowledge, but it offers only knowledge of a certain situation. However in heaven, we shall know fully, even as we are fully known. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (verse 11). In heaven we will have full knowledge of all things; we won�t need the Gift of knowledge. The same goes for the Gift of prophecy, we won�t need it heaven. It is meant to operate on earth.
All the nine gifts are for today, they have not ceased and will not cease until Jesus comes to take His true Bride.
* Did Tongues Die With The Early Apostles?
Many people believe that tongues ceased when the early apostles died, but this is not true. Many writings of the early church fathers are available to us today, sharing about the gifts of the Spirit in their ministries and in the churches. Tertullian, Hilary, Cyril, Basil, Gregory, Nazianzus, John of Apamea, Joseph Hazzaya and others down through the centuries. St. Augustine , the great Catholic bishop from 396-430 A.D., near the end of his life, wrote in his famous work The City of God, "We shall do what the apostles did when they laid hands on the Samaritians and called down the Holy Spirit on them by the laying on of hands. It is expected that new converts speak with new tongues."
Tertullin(155-230 A.D) believed that believers did not receive the Person of Holy Spirit at the time of being born again, but he believed that the born-again experience prepared one to receive the Holy Spirit.
The eleventh edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 27, pages 9,10 states that speaking in tongues recurs in Christian revivals of every age. It names many groups from the different ages.
In 1906 we had the
David Barrett's World Christian Encyclopedia gives an estimate of 523,700,000 as the Pentecostal / Charismatic Christian World population (Second Edition,
Final Exhortation
The Gift of tongues is a priceless gift, if used rightly. Do not back away if you have had some bad experiences with people who misused tongues. I have spoken to many Christians who have stood against Speaking in tongues, because they had been exposed to Churches that misused this gift. I know cases where people who once believed Speaking in tongues was not for today, spoke in tongues as they received the Holy Spirit, and even started operating in the Gift of tongues.
I know there are many books written against speaking in tongues, but I want to know only what �the book,The BIBLE� has to say about it. And I have shared with you what �the Bible� says about Speaking in other tongues. Now it�s up to you to analyze it and see if all that I said is Bible or not.
As I conclude this Faith Article, I wish to say with Paul: Forbid not speaking in tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:39b)
Monday, June 26, 2006
DEALING WITH TEMPTATION
By Andrew Wommack
Everyone faces temptation. But the truth is, very few people deal with it effectively. That shouldn’t be the case, and it doesn’t have to be the case for believers. There are some very simple and effective ways of dealing with temptation that you should know, and if you’ll put them into practice, I guarantee, you’ll come out the winner.
It has been said, “Fail to plan and you’re planning to fail.” That statement could not be truer when it’s applied to temptation. I don’t know anyone who gets up in the morning and prays to fail when faced with temptation, but I know many people who get up each morning and fail to plan for what the Bible says we will all certainly face. So, first and most important, you must be prepared. That’s so simple, you have to have someone’s help to misunderstand. But, we must have had a lot of help because very few people have taken the time or made the effort to prepare.
Second Chronicles 12:14 says it this way,
“And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.”
This was speaking of Rehoboam, the king of Judah and the son of Solomon. He started off as a good king who was seeking the Lord. But just like many people today, he wasn’t prepared for what would inevitably come his way. When Satan throws temptation your way, if you’re not already prepared, it’s too late. You’ll probably lose the fight.
Jesus prepared Himself. He spent thirty years getting ready for His encounter with the devil, and He started preparing early. At the age of twelve, He was asking questions of the doctors of the Law and astounding them with His answers. He had obviously spent many hours reading and studying the Scriptures. I’m sure that study continued all His life, but even Jesus needed more.
Before He was tempted by Satan face to face, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism by John in the Jordan River. Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, full of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity for overcoming temptation. There are many Christians who received the Holy Spirit years ago and haven’t been full of the Holy Spirit a day since. It’s not about what happened to us long ago; we have to stay full of the Holy Spirit. One way of doing that is to speak in tongues on a regular basis. Jude 1:20-21 says,
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Praying in tongues builds us up on our most holy faith. How many times have you needed your most holy faith to take you through a certain trial, and yet you haven’t used this gift of the Holy Spirit? Verse 21 also says we keep ourselves in the love of God when we speak in tongues. Have you ever asked the Lord to pour out His love on you? I imagine you have, but this doesn’t say to pray that way; it says we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. We do that by speaking in tongues. We don’t ask God for that which He’s already given, we simply stir up the love that has already been commended toward us, by speaking in tongues. This is a powerful gift. Isaiah 28:11-12 says,
“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
Do you ever need rest or refreshing? I guarantee that you do, and this verse says speaking in tongues is the way to get it. We have a tremendously powerful gift available to us through the Holy Spirit, but few people take advantage of it. Instead, we ask God to do what He told us to do. We need to use this gift of speaking in tongues to stir ourselves up, or we risk sinking to the bottom.
You must also know who you are. Matthew 4 and Luke 4 record the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. One of the most amazing aspects of those temptations was that Satan began two of the three temptations with the words, “If thou be the Son of God.” Many people have missed this point. The real temptation was Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to doubt who He was. That’s the same way he attacked Adam and Eve. The serpent told Eve that if she would eat the forbidden fruit, she would be like God (Gen. 3:5). The truth was that she was already like God, but she didn’t know it. The first Adam sinned, because he didn’t know who he really was. The second Adam, Jesus, didn’t sin, because He did know who he was. Knowing your true identity in Christ is one of the greatest defenses you can possibly have against temptation.
Jesus had just heard His Father speak to Him in an audible voice saying,
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).
There was also a visible sign from God when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the shape of a dove. Jesus had to anchor His faith in who His Father said He was. But immediately, Satan came to Him saying,
“If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:3).
The real temptation was never about turning stones into bread. It was Satan’s attempt to manipulate Jesus into doubting His Father’s Word and doing something to prove who He was. Satan was trying to find and exploit any insecurity in Jesus.
When you were a kid, I’m sure someone at some time dared you to do something stupid. The real issue wasn’t whether or not you could do it but whether you were “afraid” to do it. And sad to say, many of us took the dare and did something that hurt us or shamed us just to prove that we weren’t. All we really succeeded in proving was that we feared their disapproval so much that we weren’t willing to do what was right. The truly fearless response would have been to walk away, secure in who we were, earning their respect through character rather than performance.
Satan was daring Jesus—”If You’re really the Son of God, if what You heard from the Father in an audible voice is really true, then prove it, and turn this stone into bread.” Turning a stone into bread would not have been sin. It would have been sin if Jesus had doubted the words of His heavenly Father declaring who He was by placing more faith in what a miracle could say about Him. You must know who you are if you want to overcome temptation. No matter what form Satan’s temptations may take, they are all directed at causing us to doubt who we are.
It’s also important to understand that all temptation is rooted in selfishness. In fact, our selfishness is really Satan’s beachhead. Jesus stripped him of his power two thousand years ago, so the only thing he can really do is deceive us through our own selfish desires. The Bible tells us exactly what they are in 1 John 2:16,
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
And in James 1:14 we read,
“But every many is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
Satan is not limitless; deception is his only weapon. All he can do is try to deceive us into thinking that God really can’t or won’t fulfill our lives. Every single temptation of the enemy is packaged in the form of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. But they’re all designed to entice us and cause us to doubt that God will meet our needs. Selfishness is always the favorite playground of the devil, and when selfishness rules in our lives, we open the door to his deceptive schemes.
You can’t be tempted unless you have first thought about it. All temptation is linked to what you think on. Therefore, control your thoughts, and you will control temptation. This is a simple but profound truth. It’s the reason most people fall into temptation. It’s like a woman who doesn’t want to get pregnant but continues to have sexual relations without any contraception. Sooner or later, she will get pregnant. Think on the wrong things long enough, and sooner or later you will fall into sin when tempted.
Philippians 4:8 says this,
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Temptation will come, but it’s hard for the devil to deceive you when your mind is stayed on those things. Satan can only work with what you give him, so don’t give him any space in your mind. You’ll be able to avoid many of the temptations you face if you will put this into practice.
The Word is powerful—use it. Jesus countered every temptation of the devil with the Word. Think about it, Jesus was the Word, and everything He said would have been Scripture and more than sufficient to rebuke the devil. Yet He would say, “It is written” then He quoted God’s Word. If it was important for Jesus to quote the Word, it’s even more important for us to do the same. We must know God’s Word to effectively overcome temptation. That goes back to being prepared; you can’t quote scripture you haven’t learned, and there isn’t any power in what you don’t know or understand.
Don’t wait till you’re in the middle of a huge temptation to start thinking about how to deal with it; it will be too late. Take the time now to prepare yourself for those temptations that will inevitably come your way. To help, I produced a five-part album entitled How To Deal With Temptation. In this album, I teach on: being prepared, knowing who you are, how selfishness is the beachhead of Satan, why speaking the Word is so important, and how temptation is tied to your thought life. These are all vital to understanding and overcoming temptation.
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