Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
02/08/2015, by John Kincaid
Lesson 506: What Do You Desire?
The 2nd step in temptation: we get mixed up about what we really desire. This is why it is so important for us to be clear in our minds and hearts: we desire God above all.
We set our will to follow Him. We are devoted and faithful to our relationship with Him. We love Him above all.
James reminds us that when we face temptation, we are tempted to blame God.
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
God is not the problem. The problem is what we want instead of Him: our own desire.
In Eden, the serpent knew not to suggest that God was evil or weak. The serpent led Eve to think about what she wanted, then to think about why she didn’t have it.
The serpent painted God as Eve’s enemy, the one who stood between her and her desires.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
