Temptation and the Armour of God

Temptation – Armour of God
August 26, 2012 - Sandy Cove

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

Last week I spoke about representing God to the best of our abilities.
This week I will speak about one way that God helps us.

 

Temptation … we live as broken people in a broken world full of temptations.

Some of mine are procrastination, logic puzzles, sci-fi / fantasy books / movies / TV.
Some of yours …?

Most temptations, like most things in life are OK in moderation.

What do we do when they begin to rule our lives?  (Adiction)

Reformation – Michael Sattler – Schleitheim Confession … Led to the Baptist and Mennonite denominations.  Those who follow it most strictly resist temptation by shutting themselves away from the outside world … think of the Amish and Anabaptists.

I think they missed the point of the Armour of God.

Paul is telling the Ephesians not to avoid temptation, but rather to accept it as part of our lives and to depend on God to help us live in the midst of it.

Long before 12 step programs, Jesus told us that we can’t do it alone.  With God’s help … give in to temptation in moderation because we are human … resist and recover from our addictions (we all have them) and be beacons of hope to the rest of the world … representing the power of God in our lives.