I realized over the past weeks how much trash I fill my mind with in the morning by listening to the radio. Whereas it is funny and enjoyable to listen to in the morning, I noticed that subsequently I started to think of things I really shouldn't throughout my day. It came to my attention that what I listened to in the morning carried over throught my day. My mom always used to say "What you put in your mind/ears you put in your heart." I never thought she was right until recently. So I decided that it was time for a change. I felt that I needed to start my day off with Jesus, but I have an extremely hard time in the morning getting up and staying focused. I have tried to read my Bible in the mornings but essentially I was mindlessly reading and not really absorbing what the Bible was saying. It basically ended up becoming another thing to do on my checklist, which isn't how it should be.
When I went to visit a friend, she mentioned that our old church had a podcast and that I could listen to their sermons every week. I decided that this was how I was going to spend my mornings. So every morning on the way to work, I listen to a sermon on the podcast. It has become increasingly evident that my days just seem to go better when they start off with Jesus. I also noticed that I actually was excited to hear the next sermon each morning and it really hasn't felt like a task that I have to do. I want to read the Bible and I want to listen to sermons. My pastor now says that the Jesus and the Gospel gives you new desires when you give your life to Him. I can finally see it and feel it.
Anyways, this one sermon in particular struck a chord with me. Did you get my musical pun? :P It's about Jesus (obviously, as the whole Bible points to Him). But it deals with temptation towards the end.
I've always been told that being a Christian wasn't going to be easy. I can definitely see that now. The sermon I listened to was over Mark 1:9-13 concerning Jesus' baptism and being tempted by Satan. I urge you to listen to this sermon. It is just fantastic, and just what I needed to hear earlier last week. I'll put a link below. Anyways, the Bible says that,
"Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him."
-Mark 1:12-13
I noticed some similarities between Jesus' temptation and my own (weird, right). I found once I became a true Christian I was tempted more than I was previously. I seemed to be getting swamped with more attention from guys than I had ever had before. And at that point it was very uncomfortable. 'Being a Christian will not be easy' keeps popping into my head as I type this. These were severe temptations that were crashing against the weak rock that was my previous life. I found it so hard not to give in (though I must admit that I did at times). It came to my attention through this sermon however, that Jesus was tempted. Think about that. Jesus. Creator of the Universe (and me...) was tempted. So it should make sense that I would be and will be.
I find that oddly comforting. I mean, obviously Jesus resisted His temptation. I mean, He's perfect. And obviously, I will not get it right every time. But to know that Jesus was once tempted? Wow. That's amazing. He felt the same things I feel when I'm being tempted. It blows my mind.
I'm getting off topic a bit. Once I had noticed that I was being tempted more often and more strongly, I wondered why. Apparently God was waiting to let me in on the secret. That's when I listened to this sermon. So why are temptations so strong for Christians? "Before we were Christians, we were dead in our sin. We didn't have really any conviction except for worldly consequences of your sin" (from the sermon).
Once believing in Jesus, we are able to "feel" the true consequences of our temptations and sins... and it hurts. It's like when we drink orange juice right after brushing our teeth. If you haven't tried it, you don't know how bad it is until you do it. It's nasty. Sorry for that really strange analogy...
During the sermon, a quote from Russell Moore's book, Tempted and Tried, is quoted about why temptation is so strong for Christians. Here it is:
"Temptation is so strong in our lives precisely because it's not about us. Temptation is an assault by the demonic powers on the rival empire of the Messiah. That's why conversion to Christ doesn't diminish the power of temptation- as we often assume- but actually, counterintuitively, ratchets it up. If you bear the Spirit of the One the powers rage against, they will seek to tear down the icon of the Crucified they see embedded in you (1 Pet. 4:14, Rev. 12:17). Ultimately, the agony of temptation is not about you or me. We're targeted because we resemble Jesus, our firstborn brother. We all, whether believers or not, bear some resemblance to Jesus because we share with him a human nature in the image of God. As we come to find peace with God through Jesus, though, we begin a journey of being conformed more and more into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). The demons shriek in the increasing glory of that light, and they'll seek even more frenetically to put it out of their sight." (p. 21)
Powerful stuff right there! I can't seem to explain it any better than that. Because once we choose Jesus, we are then becoming more increasingly like Him. And Satan will stop at nothing to tempt you to try and bring you back down to his level, not Jesus'. That's why I felt more tempted than I previously had before.
If you do fall down into temptation, Jesus is there to pick you up. When we are tempted we are not fighting alone. We have Jesus on our side. Because he took our sins on the cross, Jesus is our full representative. That's what the Gospel is all about. Jesus traded His righteousness for our sin. Martin Luther called it "The Great Exchange." We no longer have to be defined by our sins and temptations because Jesus has taken them for us. I no longer have to be defined by my sexuality because as far as God sees me, I'm being represented by Jesus' righteousness. That is so beautiful to think about! How great is it that God looks onto my feeble self and sees Jesus. Again, my mind is blown. There doesn't seem to be enough thanks that I can give to God. He is so great and I am so undeserving of His mercy and grace!
Here's the link I told you about!:
Mark 1:9-13 Sermon
I love these memes about Jesus (because usually they're funny and true at the same time). I thought this was appropriate!:
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