Temptation

First worship back at Shades Mountain... And it was overwhelming. I
loved seeing all my friends and people that were so influential in
molding me. I felt like a rockstar all day long... People would see me
for the first time, gasp with excitement and we'd hug and laugh and
enjoy catching up! I was honored, humbled, reminded of God's great
love he lavishes on us through the body of Christ!

Pastor Danny gave a powerful message on TEMPTATION. He used passages
from James 1, 1 Corinthians 10:12-14.
He also used awesome memorable phrases about temptation that made you think:

The one below (Satan), appeals to the one within us (our own desires)
and draws us away from the one above us (our Holy God).
Temptation is the inward solicitation to do evil.

When you think of temptation and fleeing from Satan in our current
life's context, you often think of marriages and unfaithfulness; I
often think of teenagers and temptations to abuse alcohol, drugs, get
into impure relationships... All those things are still relevant to
the context of this scripture but God grabbed me and gave me some
introspection of importance. God revealed to me my temptation -
currently to get wrapped up in my old life, my old comforts in
America, my old standards. I'm tempted by the comfort but I'm also
tempted to judge - my distaste for the money spent on things that
don't really matter, the sin of excess, the contrast in what my life
looked like in Birmingham to the life I live in South Africa. I could
get really upset and be tempted to bitterness and anger toward
America. However, after praying against that temptation, God has been
faithful to guard my heart, to help me see his protection and workings
in my life, giving me grace and lenses of love for all those
situattions.

I feel like a totally different person since the conclusion of 2010 -
physically (Africa is aging me), mentally (I'm daily challenged to
think hard and find creative solutions), emotionally (it's hard to see
the life and struggles going on in the communities), and mostly
spiritually (God is giving me an extra measure of faith, grace,
guidance, trust, wisdom, and confidence in Him).

May God continue to convict and open our eyes to new ways of applying
His Word. The Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12).

--
Melanie Dill