Have You Ever Had A Valley Experience? Did You Know That It Is An Impossibility Of Geography To Have A Valley Without A Mountain? No One Gets To The Top Of A Mountain Without Going Through A Valley. You Get To See Where God Has Brought You & Where:

 Journey Into the Word with JP Olson

 

 Today's Reading

We thank You for being active and working among us in every situation, every dark moment. Even when things seem at their bleakest, we trust in Your sovereignty and strength.   In John 16:33, You said, "in this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." We embrace the fact that this world and the troubles we face have been overcome and rest in the knowledge that You have the power to move in any and every situation.

When The Valley Is Better Than The Mountain. God Is Lord Of The Mountain And The Valley.

Have You Ever Had A Valley Experience In Life? Did You Know That It Is An Impossibility Of Geography To Have A Valley Without A Mountain? No One Gets To The Top Of A Mountain Without First Going Through A Valley.  You See, In The Valley, You’re Positioned Between Two Mountains. You Get To See Where God Has Brought You & Where He’s Taking You. God Is Lord Of The Mountain And The Valley.

2 Chronicles 20:25-26, “When Jehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder, they found more loot than they could carry off—equipment, clothing, valuables. It took three days to cart it away! On the fourth day, they came together at the VALLEY OF BLESSING (Beracah) and blessed God (that’s how it got the name, VALLEY OF BLESSING).” (MSG)

When we’re in a hill situation, we can give God thanks and praise. Knowing that it’s God who makes mountaintop situations in our lives possible, we can celebrate by worshipping him. When we’re in a valley situation, we can remind ourselves of God’s promise to always be with us and seek his presence and help.

See, the battle is the Lord’s. Those five words say it all about this day and about each tomorrow in your life. It’s another day to trust Him. That’s what the valley does, it tests, exposes, and builds your faith! When looked at from the proper advantage point, the valley is a blessing, not a curse! The enemy wants you to believe that the valley is the place of discouragement, depression, and despair. A place of loneliness, dread, fear, and worry. A place of doubt and guessing. A place void of God. And my friend, that couldn’t be further from the truth!

You See, In The Valley, You’re Positioned Between Two Mountains. You Get To See Where God Has Brought You And Where He’s Taking You At The Same Time. So, when doubt and distress rear their ugly head, all you must do is take a glance over your shoulder.

Remember when God healed you, delivered you, protected you, provided for you, strengthened you. Remember when He restored your peace, joy, sanity, and life. Remember when you thought that last trial would take you out for good. When you thought that was it. That was the last straw. There’s no recovery from this…AND THEN…GOD! The valley tells your fears they have no power over you. The valley reminds you that you’ve conquered that, you got over that, you got past them. The rumors, lies, gossip, and backbiting that was designed to destroy you, fell apart at the seams! The valley is the place where you remind the devil that your God is walking with you while you walk your way through. The valley reminds you that what was supposed to kill you, ended up breathing new life into you!

“Joseph replied, “…Don’t you see, you planned evil against me BUT GOD USED THOSE SAME PLANS FOR MY GOOD, as you see all around you right now…” (Genesis 50:20 MSG). In this case, God didn’t get rid of Joseph’s enemies/haters/brothers, instead He kept them around so they would see that all they tried to do to ruin him, didn’t work. In fact, it all worked to his good and to his advantage. And to rub salt in the wound, God even positioned Joseph’s brothers to where what they needed could only come from the hands of Joseph! The one they hurt would be the only hand that could help them! God didn’t remove Joseph’s brothers from his life, and He won’t always remove your trials, challenges, haters, and valleys from yours either. Because the greater blessing is that God can bless you while you’re still IN the valley! God doesn’t need you to come OUT of anything to bless you! He can bless you while you’re still IN it! “Nay, IN ALL THESE THINGS we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37). Did you catch that? “…IN ALL THESE THINGS…” God doesn’t need to bring you OUT, He can bless you, protect you, provide for you, go to battle on your behalf, and strengthen you, even while you’re still IN it! He proves His might and power by making us more than conquerors even while we’re still, “…IN ALL THESE THINGS…” Take heart, take courage! God will show OUT, while you’re still IN!

That’s the beauty of the valley. You get to look over your shoulder and remember what the Lord has done…and what should be your response? “Then Jehoshaphat knelt, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!” (vss. 18-19 MSG). Praise and Worship was the response to what we’ve already made it over!

Have You Ever Gone Through A Spiritual Valley In Your Life? Perhaps it was a time when unexpected circumstances suddenly came crashing down on you. Perhaps it was a time when it seemed as though even God himself had abandoned you.

In Psalm 23, David speaks of how God is with us, even when we go through valleys in our lives: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (verse 4 NKJV).

David was no stranger to calamity and hardship. This was a man who knew what it was like to suffer. He knew what it was like to face difficulties. He had been hunted like a wild animal by the paranoid King Saul, even after being anointed as the next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel.

When David brings us this and other psalms, which he penned under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he candidly speaks of his own shortcomings, weaknesses, and questions he faced in life. Psalm 23 came from the school of hard knocks, from a man who knew what it was like to need God’s help.

But we might say, “A valley? I don’t like valleys, Lord. I prefer mountaintops, okay? I like the sun to be shining and the birds singing. I like good times. I don’t want friction. I don’t want hardship.”

Yet the Lord is saying, “You see that mountaintop in the distance? The way to that mountaintop is through this valley. You come with Me now through the valley.”

We all go through those valleys in life, those hard times. Whatever valley it is, remember this: You are not alone. That is God’s great promise to the believer.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1.

Did You Know That It Is An Impossibility Of Geography To Have A Valley Without A Mountain? They are beautiful complements in God’s grand creation. 

The valley is the place of vision. It is the place of repose and reflection. 

The mountain is the place of discovery and a place to become strong.

If you find yourself in a valley, it is because you have come down from a mountain. If you’re on a mountain, you came to that place by way of the valley.

The Christian life is never a steady, even walk. There are hills and ruts, mountaintop experiences and dark valleys. I think it’s safe to say we all prefer the mountaintops to the valleys—that’s just human nature—but it is often in the valleys that we grow the most.

God does not often use arrogant and unbroken people as His instruments; He uses people who depend on Him. So, to use Moses, God first broke him down to build him up into a great champion for righteousness. God specializes in using our brokenness. So, take heart if you are in a dark valley, for when you learn the lesson of your brokenness, you will experience greater heights than you ever thought possible.

So often we talk about the great “mountain-top experiences” of life. And they are indeed wonderful! After all, with all the work, sweat, time and energy it takes to get to the top of the mountain, who wouldn’t want to celebrate the accomplishment and relish in their time at the top? It’s a beautiful view from the top, so much to see, to embrace, to celebrate and enjoy. However, I’ve found myself to have that same experience in some of my valleys as well. Unfortunately, we often view the valley as the dark, depressing, miserable, defeated place, but I’ve come today to tell you, that couldn’t be further from the truth!

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, deserted island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none came. Exhausted, he eventually built a small hut out of driftwood as a shelter and a place to store his few remaining possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke billowing up to the sky. Everything was lost. Stunned with grief and anger, he cried, “God, how could You do this to me?” Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” the weary man asked. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

God is always at work in our lives, even during our most stress-filled moments. When we entrust everything, we are and everything we have to Him, when we depend upon His truth instead of our own understanding and choose to walk in obedience, He promises to “make our paths straight.” No matter how deep the valley, we can count on God for direction.

Valleys are best faced with a total abandonment to the Shepherd of the valley. How many times have we danced with joy on the mountaintop and then moaned and complained in the valley?

I suspect that the most powerful life is lived in the valley - not on the mountaintop. Every valley is surrounded by mountains. Every valley has a Shepherd, a Shepherd who will walk with us through the valley, and a Shepherd who will go before us, leading us out of the valley. 

No matter where you are today, your Father is there. No matter how deep or long the valley, He is with you, waiting for you to surrender all. Give Him your valley, knowing that He will surely lead you out. God has ordained that valley as an altar of sacrifice, an opportunity for Him to work through your broken heart and life.

Sometimes to get our attention God must take us to a place of real brokenness. Sometimes He must take us in the valley where He can shake us and wake us up. Our deepest pain can lead to our greatest calling. God often uses our deepest pain as the launching pad of our greatest calling.  It's tough. But it's not: Beyond God's
Reach: Over God's Head: Beneath God's Interest: Enough to stop God's
Plans.

You were promised the Peace of God, but not smooth sailing, immunity, or exemption from life’s problems! Which is why Jesus Himself admonishes you with these words: “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have TRIBULATION and TRIALS and DISTRESS and FRUSTRATION; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” (John 16:33 AMP). In other words, you will experience Tribulation, Trials, Distress and Frustration, but it will NOT Overcome you no matter how Overwhelmed you may feel!

Let’s see some examples:

1…JOB—lived an exemplary life yet he lost everything! Troubled and perplexed, he cried, “God has blocked my way so I cannot move. He has plunged my path into darkness.” (19:8 NLT).

2…JEREMIAH – after preaching to a rebellious people who beat and imprisoned him, said, “I wish that my eyes were fountains of tears, so I could cry day and night for my people…” (9:1 CEV).

3…JOHN THE BAPTIST—was puzzled about why Jesus, who could raise the dead, had left him to languish in prison. So, he sent Him a message asking, “…are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19 NIV).

4…PAUL—suffered so much he “…despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Or better stated by The Message Bible, “We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us…It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us…” (vss. 8-11).

5…NAOMI – was so bitter in soul, that she renamed herself bitter. “But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn’t. The Strong One ruined me.” (Ruth 1:20-21 MSG)

6…DAVID – did not bite his tongue at all when addressing God about how he felt. “Long enough, God – you’ve ignored me long enough. I’ve looked at the back of your head long enough. Long enough I’ve carried this ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me.” (Psalm 13:1-2 MSG)

7…ELIJAH – simply wanted to die! “When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah. He left his young servant there and then went on into the desert another day’s journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: “Enough of this, God! Take my life—I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave!” Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush…” (1 Kings 19:3-5 MSG)

8…MOSES – was under such distress, He even asked God to erase him out of His book! “Moses went back to God and said, “This is terrible. This people have sinned – it’s an enormous sin! They made gods of gold for themselves. And now, if you will only forgive their sin…But if not, erase me out of the book you’ve written.” (Exodus 32:32 MSG)

9…JESUS – even asked a question many of us ask of our Father. “From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:45-46 MSG)

Keep your glance on the valley and your gaze on the Shepherd. Begin praising Him for your deliverance. It will surely come. I believe God intends for us all to live in a valley just like that!

BUT THAT’S NOT EVEN THE BEST PART!

Now you get to turn your head around, look forward and smile! Why? Because God gives you a view/vision of what He’s about to do NEXT!

“They were up early in the morning, ready to march into the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were leaving, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Listen Judah and Jerusalem! Listen to what I have to say! Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in your prophets and you’ll come out on top!” (vs. 20 MSG) We’ve made it over the last mountain-top, and now we’re about to conquer the next one! We’re about to “…COME OUT ON TOP!”

The valley now provides you with security that what God did before He’s able to do again! He defeated our enemies before; He’ll defeat them again. He healed, delivered, answered prayer, made provision, and provided protection before, and He will do it again! And all we must do is trust Him in the Valley for the next Mountain!

Jehoshophat and the people of God trusted their God so much in the VALLEY that they began to sing, praise and worship! And God’s response? “As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. The Ammonites and Moabites mistakenly attacked those from Mount Seir and massacred them. Then, further confused, they went at each other, AND ALL ENDED UP KILLED. AS JUDAH CAME UP OVER THE RISE, looking into the wilderness for the horde of barbarians, they looked on a killing field of dead bodies—NOT A LIVING SOUL AMONG THEM. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to carry off the plunder, THEY FOUND MORE LOOT THAN THEY COULD CARRY OFF—EQUIPMENT, CLOTHING, VALUABLES. IT TOOK THREE DAYS TO CART IT AWAY! On the fourth day they came together at the VALLEY OF BLESSING (Beracah) and blessed God (that’s how it got the name, VALLEY OF BLESSING).” (vss. 22-26 MSG)

AND YOU DIDN’T THINK THE VALLEY WAS A BLESSED PLACE TO BE!

People of God, all this was done, in the VALLEY, not on the Mountain! They sought God there, they received instructions there, they obeyed there, they prayed, praised, and worshiped there, God placed ambushes against their enemies there, and it is there where they had their enemies cut off, and there that they carried off (equipment, clothing, valuables) so much so, that it took three days to carry it all away! But it’s there fourth day response that blessed me most, “…On the fourth day they came together at the VALLEY OF BLESSING (Beracah) AND BLESSED GOD (that’s how it got the name, VALLEY OF BLESSING).”

THEY BLESSED GOD IN THE VALLEY! WON’T YOU LET THAT BE YOUR RESPONSE TODAY IN THE MIDST OF YOUR VALLEY!

Remember: The valley is not a bad place to be positioned! It reminds you (and your faith) of what the Lord did before, and what He will do again! It’s a place of encouragement, empowerment, renewal, trust, hope and confidence. Truth is, Sometimes the VALLEY is Better Than the Mountain!

BLESSINGS, PROVISION, FRUITFULNESS, VICTORY, RECOVERY AND RESTORATION ARE ALL FOUND IN THE VALLEY! TODAY, THANK GOD FOR YOUR VALLEY OF BLESSINGS!

In a nutshell: Faith is like film; it’s developed in the DARK! Yet you can take heart because you share the ‘DARK ROOM’ the Valley Experience with some great men and women who experienced the same struggles and yet still overcame them and succeeded! Job, Jeremiah, John, Paul, Naomi, David, Elijah, Moses and even Jesus all spent time in the Dark Room developing into images of strength and endurance for us to admire and become!

You see, dark days are purposed to make you lean on God in ways you normally wouldn’t! The truth is, if your faith was never tested you wouldn’t be motivated to pursue God and draw closer to Him! If you feel you are in a Valley today, don’t despair. Just put one foot in front of the other and continue. Count your blessings with each step. You will soon see that you are on top of the mountain!

Let’s Pray: God, I know my dark valleys have a purpose. Help me to see how You are growing me and transforming me through these experiences as I cling to You. May I be a useful servant of Your Kingdom. Father, I want to thank You for being my Shepherd. Please teach me how to rest in Your care and trust You no matter how high the mountains or how deep the valleys in my life may be. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

“What Makes Resisting Temptation Difficult For Many People Is They Don’t Want To Discourage It Completely.” Truthfully, The People, Places And Things That Can Grab Hold Of Us Are Because We Keep Ourselves Within Their Reach.

“What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don’t want to discourage it completely.” The danger of even entertaining Temptation is that you are still close enough for it to take something from you!  For Joseph, it was his cloak; however, for many, it grabbed their character, integrity, dignity, testimony, witness, and influence. For some, it captured their family, marriage, ministry, and mind!

Truthfully, The People, Places, And Things That Can Grab Hold Of Us Are Because We Keep Ourselves Within Their Reach. Know This, What The Enemy Offers Is Less Than What God Has Already Given. Temptation will take from you and never return! 

So how do we know if Satan is tempting us? We understand that the temptations he throws at us will always be one of the following:

“For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16)

Joseph had two coats taken from him, his coat of many colors by his brothers who hated him, and his cloak by Potiphar’s wife, a woman who could not have him! A Temper took his first coat, and Temptation took his second! And he never got either of them back! Genesis 39:2-10, “As it turned out, God was with Joseph, and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him and saw that God worked for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptians—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day.

Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master’s wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, “Sleep with me.” He would not do it. He said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master does not give a second thought to anything that goes on here—he has put me in charge of everything he owns. He treats me as an equal. The only thing he has not turned over to me is you. You are his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?” She pestered him day after day, BUT HE STOOD HIS GROUND. HE REFUSED TO GO TO BED WITH HER.” (MSG).

Now, Potiphar’s wife gets an eye on this good-looking young man. And if you do not believe Joseph looked good, check out his Biblical Description found in verse 6:

“…Joseph was an ATTRACTIVE PERSON AND FINE-LOOKING” (AMP).

EVEN IN THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE, JOSEPH WAS FINE! “…Yosef was YAFEH TO’AR (WELL BUILT) AND YAFEH MAREH (GOOD LOOKING)” (OJB)

So, now that we have established PHYSICALLY why the girlfriend lost her NATURAL mind, the Bible says, “After a while, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me.’ But he refused.” Verse 10 of Genesis 39 says– “And though she spoke to Joseph, day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.” However, if that was not bad enough, notice this, the Bible says, “or even be with her.”  OUCH! But Joseph??? He did not even want to be with her or around her!

Now, this must be, for Joseph, a tempting temptation. Think about it: He is lonely; he is away from home. I would guess that a powerful man’s wife is attractive, and Joseph is trusted in the man’s house with all the man’s stuff! And the truth is He may get away with this, and no one even knows he has done it! But he says, “How could I sin against God.” Joseph knows. Ultimately if no one else will know, GOD WILL! He knows that he and his conscience will know too! And had he said ‘yes’ to this Temptation; it would have been a Spiritually Fatal Mistake – Disqualifying him from being God’s hero as we know him today! AND WHAT FOOL WOULD SACRIFICE ALL OF THAT?!

Temptation is always out to bite, discredit, and scar you. Therefore, do you know what your “Potiphar's Wife" is right now? It could be a sexual opportunity, the apparent advantages of compromising your integrity just a little bit and being a little dishonest. It is the urge to retaliate or a compromise that seems better than losing this person, or that old habit, or going back to old friends, places, or things. Instead of walking past Shady Lane, you turn on Shady Lane, where you used to buy drugs, and you know that is a temptation for you, or walking past skid row, you know that's tempting for you because alcohol was one of your triggers or stopping at the casino instead of driving by because it is attractive, you had trouble in the past with gambling, we could go on and on about temptations, it is more than just a sexual temptation, Temptation covers many areas of life, and the enemy knows this. Whatever your "Potiphar's Wife" is…remember this: Satan Never shows you the price tag. THE ADVANTAGES OF SINNING ARE ALWAYS SHORT-LIVED. HOWEVER, YOUR PAY ALWAYS LASTS A LONG TIME!

Listen, Joseph got away from his Temptation; however, not before his Temptation was able to take something from him! She did not get what she wanted, but she did get something! The Bible Says: "And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me! But he left his garment in her hand, fled, and got out [of the house]. And when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled away, she called to the men of her household and said to them, Behold, he [your master] has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock and insult us; he came in where I was to lie with me, and I screamed at the top of my voice. And when he heard me screaming and crying, he left his garment with me, fled, and got out of the house. And she laid up his garment by her until his master came home." (Genesis 39:12-16 AMP) The Message Bible Says It Like This: "On one of these days, he came to the house to do his work, and none of the household servants happened to be there. SHE GRABBED HIM BY HIS CLOAK…" (MSG) 

The danger of even entertaining Temptation is that you are still close enough for it to take something from you! For Joseph, it was his cloak; however, for many, it grabbed their character, integrity, dignity, testimony, witness, and influence. For some, it captured their family, marriage, ministry, and mind! But being Too Close Is Still Too Much of a Compromise! So do not let your Temptation take the very thing that your Father Gave You to Distinguish You in the First Place! Think about it: Is not it amazing that Joseph's brothers were angry and jealous and abused and banished him because of a coat, and yet he was still so close to Temptation that another coat was snatched off of him!

Joseph was well known for his coat of many colors that was given to him by his father because of his great love for him. When you get too close to Temptation, it will likewise attempt to take from you all that the Father gave you to distinguish you as His Favored Child!  Temptation Will Take from You and Never Return! The loss of his cloak stayed with Potiphar's wife, and she used it against him in a lie and false imprisonment! How do you get in this much trouble for doing Nothing?! Make Sure You Are Not Being Too Close for Comfort!

Therefore, TODAY, Determine to USE YOUR BIBLE AND YOUR WORKING HOLY GHOST LIKE YOU WOULD A MAP APP FOR YOUR PHONE! "FIND ME THE QUICKEST AND SAFEST WAY OUT OF HERE…NOW!" Seriously, think about it, our phone maps not only give us directions, but some of them also let you know in advance that there is an accident ahead of you on the same road you are on. And what does it do? It gives you another route to take! The truth is, sometimes, that new way is longer and sometimes even unfamiliar. You may not like it, but at least you can bypass the accident that could delay and detour you from your God-Intended destination! Likewise, you must strengthen your relationship with the Holy Spirit! He is not just your comforter, but He is your counselor! He lives on the inside of you! When it comes to communicating with someone in an emergency, how much closer can a person get than talking to the person living inside them?! The Holy Spirit is there to lead, guide, direct, and redirect you when necessary! But just like your GPS does not work without being activated, neither does the Holy Spirit!

You build a relationship with Him and permit Him to change your route when you are heading for danger! And you know what strengthens this relationship? Prayer! And what's prayer? Communication! Please keep it simple, or you will complicate something that can help you! Prayer is communication! And the more you do it, the more consistent you are at it, and the more you will stay out of dangerous places and away from difficult people!

Listen, your prayer life and relationship with the Holy Spirit will save you from the attacks of 'Potiphar’s Wife’! You will begin discerning what people, places, and things you must avoid for your mental, emotional; physical; spiritual, and financial well-being! However, this will require you to run from the Temptation and retreat in prayer with the Holy Spirit! And how long should you retreat in worship with the Holy Spirit? The Bible admonishes: “Pray Without Ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) 

Imagine how protected you would be, especially from the Temptation of sin, if you were in communication with the Holy Spirit: “UNCEASINGLY. PERSISTENTLY, NEVER STOP; and AT ALL TIMES”?! The truth is, Temptation will NEVER CEASE, which is why your prayer life can NEVER CEASE! And remember, there is no temptation powerful enough to FORCE you to surrender!

If You Give In, You Wanted to. If You Give In, You Decided to. Suppose you allow the Temptation to sin, to enter your life. In that case, you nourish it, so it grows up to adulthood and becomes a natural killer of your marriage, integrity, family, character, calling, anointing, and dignity. It Was Your Choice! You Do not Get to Complain About What You Have Condoned! Remember, Your Choice is Your Consequence! Temptation does not knock once and then walk away from the door!

Potiphar’s Wife “PESTERED HIM DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY! She spoke to Joseph DAY AFTER DAY!” Every day you will be faced with the opportunity to accept Temptation, which is why every day you must remain praying without ceasing so you can receive clear directions on how to get away from Potiphar’s Wife.

Notice that Joseph can recognize that ‘vicious dog of temptation’ under all that mascara and perfume! In other words, he is smart enough to take evasive action not to ride anywhere near “Potiphar’s” house! That was twice as hard for him since he lived in ‘Potiphar’s’ house! That may be why the pull of Temptation is so strong on you! You have not burned your bridges to it! You may distance yourself a little bit, but you remain connected.

The Bible says, “FLEE FROM IT,” Which is your admonishment to take a route that is nowhere near the opportunity to sin!  “With every temptation, there will be a way of escape.” (F.B. Meyer). “If you don’t want the temptation to follow you, stop acting as if you’re interested.” (Author Unknown). “Temptation can be defined as an inducement to do evil. Three powerful forces work together to ruin a believer’s character and witness, Satan, the world system, and our own lustful ‘flesh’ tendencies.” (Charles Stanley)

“Temptation usually comes in through a door that has been deliberately left open.” (Author Unknown)

“The Bible never says to manage temptation; it says to flee it.” (Author Unknown)

“What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don’t want to discourage it completely.” (Franklin P. Jones)

Matthew 26:40-41, “When He came back to his disciples, He found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with Me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer, so you do not wander into Temptation without even knowing you are in danger. (AMP)

Luke 22:39-40, “Leaving there, He went, as He so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed Him. When they arrived at the place, He said, “Pray that you don’t give in to temptation.” (MSG)

Matthew 6:13, “‘And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.]’” (AMP)

In the weakness of Temptation, we must avoid entering a dialogue with the devil and instead have the courage to pray and to ask forgiveness to pick ourselves up and go forward, not to hide from the Lord, but to seek his grace. Here is the problem. There is a difference between how Jesus handled the Temptation and how we handled it. Jesus did not bow down, but every day we bow down to the temptations of this world. Satan says you see all this, money, drugs, sex, the glitz, and glamour of life; all you must do is bow down and worship me, and you can have it all. The saying goes, “everything that glitter is not gold.” Once you bow, it is over; you have lost your spouse to infidelity and adultery, your life over drugs, alcohol, money, and people murdering each other over things that are trivia; Satan says go rob this person; you will not get caught. Each time Satan tried to tempt Jesus, Jesus went directly to the Word, “It is written: He did not get into a dialogue. Satan does not know what to do with someone who will not give up and keep quoting the scriptures and applying them to their life.

He is the ‘father of lies, as Jesus calls him”. The devil “is a liar; he knows how to deceive; he knows how to cheat people.” And thus “the serpent fools Eve with his shrewdness: Thus Eve “feels good, she trusts, a dialogue begins and, step after step, he leads her where he wants.” The devil tries to do “the same with Jesus in the desert. He makes him three offers, but this dialogue with Jesus ends badly for the devil. ‘Begone, Satan!’”. However, “the dialogue with Eve does not end well for Eve: Satan wins.” “When the devil fools a person,” “he does so with dialogue, he seeks to dialogue.” That is what he also tries to do “with Jesus: ‘You are hungry; there is a stone, you are God, turn it into bread! You have come here to save us all, a life of toil, of labor, but come with me, let us go to the temple, and throw yourself down without a parachute: you will make a fine spectacle, and all the people will believe in you, and it will be over in half an hour!”. But “Jesus does not do it.” Thus, in the end, the devil “shows his true face: Come, come!’”. And “he shows Him the entire world and proposes idolatry: ‘Worship me, and I will give you all this!’”.

Jesus’ attitude in the face of Temptation: he does not dialogue with the devil, but rather “hears the devil and gives a response, which is not his: he takes the response from the Word of God.” Indeed, “Jesus’ three responses to the devil are taken from the Bible, the Old Testament, and the Word of God because one cannot dialogue with the devil.”

People fail to realize that you do not always recover from a mistake or a willful decision to sin! People have given the devil a ‘Favorable opportune moment’ that has caused them to lose their marriages, children, jobs, health, finances, friends, reputation, careers, and ministries and never get them back! Forgiveness does not mean you get to press restart with no consequences, so you should always pay attention to what you will lose forever by what you gained for a moment. Selah

Therefore, we ought also to heed when the Bible tells us: “Do not become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That is not partnership; that’s war. Are light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy temple? But that is what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God Himself put it this way: “I will live in them, move into them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. So, leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Do not link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for Myself. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be My sons and daughters.” The Word of the Master, God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 MSG).

If you do not play around with Temptation, the one who wants to devour you cannot even touch you because you have done what the Bible says! You have resisted the one who would ruin you!

“Today the Church teaches us” “not to be naïve, not to be foolish, to have our eyes open and to ask the Lord for help because alone we cannot” manage. So then, in the passage from Genesis, “there is also a word that is said: Adam and Eve ‘hide’ themselves from the Lord.” Because “Temptations lead you to hide from the Lord, and you go off with your fault, with your sin, with your corruption, far from the Lord.” At this point, “it takes the grace of Jesus to turn and ask forgiveness, as the prodigal son did.” This is because “in temptation, you do not want dialogue, you pray: ‘Help, Lord, I am weak; I do not want to hide from You.”

“This is courage, and this is overcoming,” because “when you begin to dialogue, you will end up beaten, defeated.”  We know how dialogues begin, someone invites us to a place, person, or thing that we know will tempt us to do something we will regret later, those triggers start entering our minds, and we start in a dialogue and say well let me think about it, just this one time, and there we go. The devil has gotten us in a dialogue, what is there to think about in this request, we simply say NO! Thus, we must hope “that the Lord gives us grace and accompany us with this courage and, if we have deceived through our weakness, that in temptation He gives us the courage to get up and go forward: therefore, Jesus came, for this!”.

Listen, God and the Kingdom need you Alive! You have gifts, ministry, calling, and anointing to fulfill. You cannot spend time together with the destroyer and meet divine destiny simultaneously! So today is your day to choose Whom you will serve. Tomorrow is not promised, and someone who thought they had another day realized that last night was their LAST night. So do not straddle the fence any longer. No more compromise! Ask the Holy Ghost to place a conviction that keeps you on the right side of God’s Commandments.

USE YOUR GOD-GIVEN SENSE OF DISCERNMENT! You can discern more with your Spirit than You Can See with Your Eyes! “Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20). God will let you know things you can neither prove nor explain! Jesus said He would show us “things to come” (John 16:13). But He will not do it so that we can take an ego trip or run around acting arrogant, super religious, and excessively deep. No, the Scripture continues: “He shall glorify ME: he shall receive of Mine and shall [show] it unto you” (John 16:14). God gives “Inside Information” to those who seek to GLORIFY HIM! So, stop living beneath your spiritual privilege!

The way to walk in Discernment is to Stay in the Word of God, use God's wisdom, and Stay Close to God Himself and His Voice! The more you become engrafted in His Word, knowledge, presence, and voice, the more familiar it will become to you so that whenever something or someone is off, you can pick it up before you make a fleshly error in judgment!

Listen: You Can Afford for Your Eyes to Fail You, But Not Your Discernment! 2 Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith, NOT BY SIGHT…” (AMP); 2 Kings 4:9, “And she said to her husband, behold now, I PERCEIVE that this is a holy man of God who passes by continually.” (AMPC) Can you imagine how many ‘unequally yoked’ relationships would have never happened had we functioned in this discernment?! I perceive, I know, I discern, this is (or is not in some cases) a woman or man of God? Psalm 119:125, “I am Your servant; give me understanding (DISCERNMENT and comprehension), that I may know (DISCERN and be familiar with the character of) Your testimonies.” (AMPC) Do not just ask God for Vision; ask Him for Discernment!

BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME, EVERY MORNING, GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY, “LORD, ANOINT ME WITH FRESH OIL”! I need it to minister effectively; I need it, so my flesh does not interfere with my spiritual assignment: I need it, so I don’t attempt to use my gifts, talents, and skills to substitute for it! I need it, so I do not get stuck in what stagnated others!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com