Thursday... Two different responses to two different challenges.

Matthew 4 shows us two different challenges. The first one is to Jesus.

Verse 1 (NLT) says, "Then Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil." Now this was the beginning of His ministry and He started it with a time of prayer and fasting but it was also a time of testing and tempting.

Here He was having not eaten for 40 days and He was hungry and I'm sure His desires were there to eat. And that is where temptation comes in. Verse 2 says, "For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry."

Temptation comes at the point of our desires. Verse 3 says, "During that time the devil came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell theses stones to become loaves of bread." He was tempted through Jesus' humanness. And that is where we are tempted so much.

So what did Jesus do? Verse 4 say, "But Jesus told him, 'No!'" We've got to say at the first wave of temptation, we've got to say emphatically, "No!" No chance, I'm not going to eat that cake, I'm not going to look at porn, I'm not going to flirt with that person who isn't my mate, I'm not going to take that drink, I'm not going to give in to that temptation. We must emphatically say, "No!"

And then Jesus quoted Scripture. Verse 4 says, "But Jesus told him, 'No! The Scriptures say, 'People shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " If you're reading the Bible on a regular basis and if you are going to church and hearing your pastor preach, if you're in a small group of fellow Christians, God will bring a word from the Bible that will reinforce your "No!" It will counteract the temptation.

Now the devil come back two more times with two different temptations and Jesus responded the same way, No! and quoted a Scripture. and then verse 11 says, "Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus."

When you have a temptation that comes back on a regular basis strive to find a Scripture that will help you after your, "No!" And then say it over and over as the temptation comes to your mind. And also rehearse the emphatic, "No!"

Here is another challenge and another response. Verses 18-19 (NIRV) says, "One day Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. There he saw two brothers, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake, because they were fisherman. 'Come and follow me,' Jesus said, 'I will send you out to fish people.' " Jesus asked them to follow Him and He will do the same for you. He could be right now asking you to follow Him and there needs to be a response from you. It is either, "Yes! I will follow You," or "No! I'm going to live out the life that I have planned for."

Here is what these two brothers did and millions upon millions have done sense, verse 20, "At once they left their nets and followed Him."

So what will be our response to these two different challenges? And they will come. It's a very good question and our responses will make a major difference in our lives. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginnings

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is!

Tuesday... It is so worth it. It really is! Look at this, Proverbs 5:21-23 (CEV) says, "The Lord sees everything, and he watches us closely. Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control." That is true of so many. Now look at this, Luke 15:1-7 says, "Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, 'This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.' Then Jesus told them this story: If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you will put it on your shoulder and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, 'Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.' Jesus said, 'In the same way there is mo

Tuesday... Let's be smart.

Tuesday... Let's be smart. Proverbs 12:16a (CEV) says, "Losing your temper is foolish." It really is. And it is so hard to take it back. That is not smart. There are always consequence when we lose our temper and they are usually not good. Think of the last time you lost your temper at home, at your kids, at your spouse, at your pets. at your life, at where you live, at where you work. There are always repercussions and they are not good. The New Living Translation says, "A fool is quick-tempered." The Message says, "Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly." The Amplified Bible says, "The [arrogant] fool's anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense]." It just is not a good thing. is it? But then the rest of this verse, this proverb (CEV) says, "ignoring an insult is smart." It really is. I have striven in dealing with people to give them a benefit of doubt. They didn't mean that, they

Friday... But, can be such a beautiful word.

Friday... But, can be such a beautiful word. It really can be life changing. Look at what Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians. In 2:1-3 (NLT) he says, "Once you were dead because of your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil - the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else." There it is, there it is. That is the way we are living or have lived. Dead is a definite word of finality. At least the devil thought so and maybe you do too. And then verses 4-5 starts by saying, "But", that beautiful life changing word of opportunity even though we are dead. Yes, we are subject to God's anger, "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even t

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