Inside the Hidden Room

The Emotion of Fear

Your Temptations

1. Identify Your Temptation

James 1:13-15

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

It is important to find out what is your temptation. Satan uses our weaknesses for his benefit. Have you ever sat down and thought about what tempted you? Have you ever prayed and asked God to show you your temptation? Temptations varies from person to person, but the end product is all the same.

- Defining Temptation

     1. desire for something bad: a desire or craving for something, especially something considered wrong

     2. incitement of desire: the incitement of desire or craving in somebody

     3. cause of desire: somebody or something that tempts somebody

2. Using Prayer

Luke 11:9, 10

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “

-Knowledge

If you don’t know what your temptation is, then you have a direct line to God to ask Him to show you what it is. He will show you.

Matthew 26:41

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

-Asking

Prayer is our way to ask for help. Why wait till we are in the center of temptation to pray? We should be praying everyday for help and strength.

3. Avoidance and Preparation

Once we have identified our temptation and have prayed for help and strength, we need to refrain from entering those situations that would lead us to temptation. Why tempt temptation? There are some times that we can not help but fall into temptation, we are human, but God will give us a way out.

1 Corinthians 10:12, 13

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

-The Armor of God

Preparation is needed daily. Would you send our soldiers into battle with no protection or weapons? God doesn’t want His children going out into the world unprepared. He gives us the whole armor in Ephesians and He wants us to use it.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

4. Utilizing The Bible

As our sword, God has given everything we need in the Bible. We have verses for strength and determination, to give Him praise and worship, comfort and joy… verses for anything and everything, the only thing we have to do is open the Bible and read. The Bible can help you understand your temptation. No matter what it is, whether money, your tongue (gossip, lying or swearing), or maybe a sexual nature. God would not let us fight Satan blind. He also gives us the help to fight it. Do you have a verse that helps you? Do you have a life verse? A verse that no matter what is going on in your life, your verse gives you peace?

Isaiah 41:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Remember the verse that helps you through your temptation and if you need to, carry it with you and anytime you need to, you can pull it out and read it.

5. Changing Your Thinking

What does positive thinking have to do with avoiding temptation? It actually has more to do with overcoming temptation.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Jesus was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:1-13), but did He give in to it? No! He rebuked Satan and used verses to do so. Jesus used verses from Deuteronomy (8:3, 6:13 and 6:16) to make His point. Satan uses negative thoughts to bring us down and make us fall, but what negative comes from God? Colossians 3:8-10

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

God gives us the fruits of the Spirit to live by. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The fruits are very important to Christians, it is our way of not only thinking, but also to guide our actions. Where is the negative? There are none. This is because we are no longer of the world. Our old nature, or creature, is gone and God has given us a new nature.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Ephesians 4:21-23

Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

6. A Way Out

1 Corinthians 10:12, 13

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

God gives us a way out and He will always be there for us. We need to make the first step to remove our self from the temptation to show that we do not want to be in that situation. God provides that way out, but we have to take it.

Hebrews 2:17, 18

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 4:15, 16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Just because we are placed in the situation to tempt us, does not mean that we have sinned. The action, or thought, of the temptation is the sin. Do not let it get that far. As soon as you are aware, get out or away.

7. Learning And Moving On

We are human and we do sin, but God will forgive us.

1 John 1:8, 9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This is not an excuse to sin, but holds us more accountable for our actions. God gives us the Bible to learn, use and to apply to our lives. There are no excuses.

Always learn from our mistakes. Satan has many ways to use our weaknesses against us and he will use anything to keep us from growing closer to God.

Using all the tools that are available to us gives us a better chance to resist and come out stronger in the Lord. God remains there for us and He will never leave us or forsake us.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Kings 8:56-58

“Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers.

8. Other Important Verses

Psalms28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

1 Timothy 6:6-10

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

2 Timothy 2:19

James 1:19-27

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 3:13-18

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 5:13

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

Great Dog Story and well worth the reading!!!!!

Great Dog Story and  well worth the reading!!!!!

They told me the big black Lab’s  name  was Reggie
as I looked at him lying in his pen.  the shelter   was
clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly.
I’d only been  in  the area for six months, but everywhere
I went in the small  college  town, people were welcoming and open.  Everyone waves when  you  pass them on the
street.

But something was still missing   as I attempted to
settle in to my new life here, and I thought a   dog
couldn’t hurt.  Give me someone to talk to.
And I had  just  seen Reggie’s advertisement on the local
news.  The shelter  said  they had received numerous
calls right after, but they said the  people  who had come
down to see him just didn’t look like  ”Lab
people,”  whatever that meant.  They must’ve
thought I   did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged   me
in giving me Reggie and his things, which consisted of a dog pad,   bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis
balls, his   dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous
owner.  See,  Reggie  and I didn’t really hit it off
when we got home.  We  struggled for  two weeks (which is
how long the shelter told me to  give him to adjust  to his
new home).  Maybe it was the fact that  I was trying  to
adjust, too.  Maybe we were too much  alike.

For  some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis
balls  - he wouldn’t go  anywhere without two stuffed in
his mouth) got  tossed in with all of my  other unpacked
boxes.  I guess I didn’t  really think he’d  need
all his old stuff, that I’d get him new things  once he
settled  in.  but it became pretty clear pretty  soon
that he wasn’t going  to.

I tried the normal commands the  shelter told me  he
knew, ones like “sit” and “stay” and
“come” and  ”heel,” and he’d  follow
them - when he felt like it.  He never  really seemed  to
listen when I called his name - sure, he’d look in  my
direction  after the fourth of fifth time I said it, but  then
he’d just go back to  doing whatever.  When I’d
ask  again, you could almost see him sigh  and then  grudgingly
obey.

This just wasn’t going to  work.  He  chewed a
couple shoes and some unpacked boxes.  I  was a  little
too stern with him and he resented it, I could  tell.
The  friction got so bad that I couldn’t wait for the two
weeks  to be up,  and when it was, I was in full-on search
mode for my  cellphone amid  all of my unpacked stuff.  I
remembered leaving it  on the stack  of boxes for the guest
room, but I also mumbled, rather  cynically,  that the
“damn dog probably hid it on  me.”

Finally I found it,  but before I could punch up  the
shelter’s number, I also found his  pad and other toys
from the  shelter.  I tossed the pad in  Reggie’s
direction and he snuffed  it and wagged, some of the  most
enthusiasm I’d seen since bringing him  home.  But
then I  called, “Hey, Reggie, you like that?   Come
here and I’ll give  you a treat.”  Instead, he
sort of  glanced in my direction -  maybe “glared”
is more accurate - and then  gave a discontented sigh  and
flopped down.  With his back to  me.

Well, that’s not  going to do it either,  I
thought.  And I punched the shelter  phone  number.

But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope.    I
had completely forgotten about that, too.    ”Okay,
Reggie,”  I said out loud, “let’s see if
your  previous  owner has any  advice”….  …..



____________ _________ _________  _________



To
Whoever  Gets My Dog:
Well, I can’t say  that I’m
happy you’re reading this, a  letter I told the  shelter
could only be opened by Reggie’s new  owner.
I’m not even  happy writing it.  If you’re
reading this,  it means I just got  back from my last car ride
with my Lab after  dropping him off at the  shelter.  He
knew something was  different.  I have packed  up his pad
and toys before and set them  by the back door before a  trip,
but this time… it’s like he knew  something was
wrong.   And something is wrong… which is why I  have
to go to try to  make it right.

So let me tell you  about my Lab in
the hopes  that it will help you bond with him and he  with
you.

First, he  loves tennis balls.
the more the  merrier.  Sometimes I think  he’s part
squirrel, the way he hordes  them.  He usually  always
has two in his mouth, and he tries to get  a third in
there.   Hasn’t done it yet.  Doesn’t
matter  where you throw them,  he’ll bound after it, so be
careful - really  don’t do it by any  roads.  I made
that mistake once, and it almost  cost  him
dearly.

Next, commands.  Maybe  the
shelter staff  already told you, but I’ll go over  them
again:  Reggie knows the  obvious ones -
“sit,” “stay,”  ”come,”
“heel.”  He knows hand  signals:
“back” to turn around  and go back when you put
your hand  straight up; and “over” if you put  your
hand out right or left.   ”Shake” for shaking
water off,  and “paw” for a high-five.   He
does “down” when he feels like  lying down - I bet
you  could work on that with him some more.  He  knows
“ball” and  ”food” and “bone”
and “treat” like  nobody’s
business.

I  trained Reggie with small  food
treats.  Nothing opens his ears  like little pieces of
hot  dog.

Feeding schedule:  twice  a
day, once about  seven in the morning, and again at six in
the  evening.  Regular  store-bought stuff; the shelter
has the  brand.

He’s up  on his shots.
Call the clinic on 9th Street and  update his info  with
yours; they’ll make sure to send you reminders  for when
he’s  due.  Be forewarned:  Reggie hates  the
vet.  Good luck  getting him in the car - I don’t
know how  he knows when it’s time to  go to the vet, but
he  knows.

Finally, give him some  time.
I’ve never been married,  so it’s only been Reggie
and me for  his whole life.  He’s gone  everywhere
with me, so please include  him on your daily car rides  if
you can.  He sits well in the  backseat, and he
doesn’t  bark or complain.  He just loves to  be
around people, and me  most especially.

Which means  that this transition is
going to  be hard, with him going to live with  someone
new.

And that’s  why I need to share
one more  bit of info with you….

His  name’s  not
Reggie.

I don’t know what made me do
it, but  when  I dropped him off at the shelter, I told them
his name was   Reggie.  He’s a smart dog, he’ll
get used to it and will respond   to it, of that I have no
doubt.  but I just couldn’t bear to  give  them his
real name.  For me to do that, it seemed so final,   that
handing him over to the shelter was as good as me   admitting
that I’d never see him again.  And if I end  up
coming  back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it
means  everything’s  fine.  But if someone else is
reading it, well…  well it means  that his new owner should
know his real name.   It’ll help you bond  with
him.  Who knows, maybe you’ll  even notice a change
in his  demeanor if he’s been giving  you
problems.

His real name  is Tank.

Because that is  what  I
drive.

Again, if you’re reading this
and you’re   from the area, maybe my name has been on the
news.  I told the   shelter that they couldn’t make
“Reggie” available for adoption until   they
received word from my company commander.  See,  my
parents  are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could’ve
left  Tank with… and  it was my only real request of the
Army upon my  deployment to Iraq,  that they make one phone
call the   shelter… in the “event”… to  tell
them that Tank could be put up  for adoption.  Luckily,
my  colonel is a dog guy, too, and he  knew where my platoon
was  headed.  He said he’d do  it
personally.  And if you’re  reading this, then
he made good  on his word.

Well, this  letter is getting to
downright  depressing, even though, frankly, I’m  just
writing it for my dog.   I couldn’t imagine if I  was
writing it for a wife and kids and  family.  but still,
Tank  has been my family for the last six  years, almost as
long as the Army  has been my family.

And now  I hope and pray that  you
make him part of your family and that he  will adjust and
come to  love you the same way he loved  me.

That unconditional love  from a dog
is what I took with me  to Iraq as an inspiration to  do
something selfless, to protect  innocent people from those
who  would do terrible things… and to  keep those terrible
people from  coming over here.  If I had to  give up Tank
in order to do it, I  am glad to have done so.  He  was
my example of service and of  love.  I hope I honored
him  by my service to my country and  comrades.

All right, that’s  enough.
I deploy this  evening and have to drop this letter off  at
the shelter.  I don’t  think I’ll say another
good-bye to  Tank, though.  I cried too much  the first
time.  Maybe I’ll  peek in on him and see if  he
finally got that third tennis ball in   his
mouth.

Good luck with Tank.  Give him
a good   home, and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every
night - from   me

Thank you,  Paul
Mallory

____________  _________ _________ _______


I  folded
the letter and  slipped it back in the envelope.  Sure  I
had heard of Paul  Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even
new  people like me.   Local kid, killed in Iraq a few
months ago and  posthumously  earning the Silver Star when he
gave his life to save  three buddies.   Flags had been at
half-mast all  summer.

I leaned forward  in my chair and rested my elbows  on
my knees, staring at the  dog.

“Hey, Tank,” I said  quietly.

The dog’s head whipped  up, his ears cocked and  his
eyes bright.

“C’mere  boy.”

He was  instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on
the  hardwood floor.   He sat in front of me, his head
tilted,  searching for the name he  hadn’t heard in
months.

“Tank,” I   whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept  whispering his  name, over and over, and each
time, his ears lowered,  his eyes  softened, and his posture
relaxed as a wave of contentment  just  seemed to flood
him.  I stroked his ears, rubbed his  shoulders,  buried
my face into his scruff and hugged  him.

“It’s me now,  Tank, just you and me.
Your old pal  gave you to me.”  Tank  reached up and
licked my cheek.  ”So  whatdaya say we play  some
ball?  His ears perked  again.
“Yeah?  Ball?   You like that?
Ball?”  Tank  tore from my hands  and
disappeared in the next room.

And  when he came back, he  had three tennis balls in
his   mouth.

My “Soap Box” - Fruits

My “Soap Box” - Fruits

I am a person that has many “soap boxes” and though I am happy that these do not come to me all at once… I would be rolling on the floor if that happened…lol They come and I research, read, and discuss the problem. Sometimes my verse on my profile will reflect it, or my statue may. I do not ask for these “soap boxes”, the Spirit gives them to me and I will accept them without complaint. I think that they are important to not only me, but to any Christian. So, I will have my “S.P.” Blogs and they will be titled as such. Now on with the Fruits Blog…..

Fruits:

In the Bible, (Galatians 5:22, 23) we know the fruits of the Spirit. They are preached about and we know that as Christians, these are what we should be bearing. Everyone can name several if not all of them. Okay everyone, let us say this together… Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. These fruits tell everyone that we are Children of God, we are  Christians. In Matthew 7:20 “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them,” Now Jesus was talking about false prophets, 
how good trees bear good fruits and bad trees bear bad fruit. Now as Christians we are good trees, bearing good fruit. Therefore you can see that outwardly we can tell a who’s who in the ‘tree world’.

Now take that thought about trees and place it into reality. Yes that means you must take your thinking outside of your comfort zone. The KJV says very simply “Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.” Whether you use RECOGNIZE or KNOW, the point is that we can look at our self and others and see the fruits displayed in the everyday lives. If you claim to be a Christian and have non of the 9 distinct fruits of the Spirit, then you have to wonder about the state that person, or yourself, is in. Jesus said that we would KNOW by the fruit….

Okay, so this got me thinking… 90% of the time, God doesn’t tell us “not to do“‘s with out giving us “to do”. So I was at the “to do” and needed to go find the “not to do”. I found part of this list by simply going a few verse up in the same chapter of Galatians 5. WOW imagine that! In verses 19 - 22a it gives us ’the acts of the SINFUL NATURE are OBVIOUS:’ (Paul’s words not mine). Now what are the acts or fruits? (Fruits are actions and characteristics in our lives) 1.sexual immorality  2.impurity  3. debauchery  4.idolatry (which is ANYTHING you place before God)  5.witchcraft 6.hatred  7.discord  8.jealousy  9.fits of rage  10.self ambition  11.dissensions  12.factions  13.envy  14.drunkeness  15.orgies  16.and the like….  Now are we done yet? NOPE! Paul actually talks about the actions about the worldly man in Romans 1. We are going to focus (and keep on counting) with Verses 29 - 31 of chapter 1: 17.every kind of wickedness  18.evil  19.greed  20.depravity  21.envy (again)  22.murder  23.strife  24.deceit  25.malice  26.gossips  27.slanderers  28.God-haters  29.insolent  30.arrogant  31.boastful  32.invent ways of doing evil  33.disobey their parents  34.senseless  35.faithless  36.heartless  37.ruthless   
  
So we have 37 (36 if we stick envy together since it was brought up twice)…We are done for now, but the Bible has many other verses talking about the worldly nature and actions. These are as I call them, the “worldly fruits” or the “fruits of the world”. Now that we have the background of the two different types of fruits and Matthew 7:20, let us go forward.

What fruits are you showing? Just because you call yourself a Christian, does not mean that you are one. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus talks about ppl that claim to know Him and do works in His name, He does not claim them and sends them away calling them evil-doers.

By knowing what fruit belong in what group and knowing what those fruits are, we can know or recognize the “good trees” from the “bad trees”.  (I don’t think I have to explain the tree analogy again) We are not judging mind you. (and yes that scripture is in the beginning of chapter 7, so don’t hop on your wagon and claim that I am judging…it just shows that you are the ones judging me for your inability to allow the Spirit to open your eyes to what I am saying) What I am saying is that we should question the methods and motives of either our self or others BY THEIR FRUITS… There is no judgment attached to that, but it allows us to focus our prayers for those ppl in question. See? No judgment, only concernment and love for our fellow Christians.

What in your life are you showing? Are you displaying more Fruits of the Spirit? Or are you displaying more Fruits of the World? 
Galatians 5:24-26 says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  


If you are ever unsure of you fruits, then take you concerns to Jesus and ask for the imperfections and sins in your life to be reveled to you so that both you and Jesus can hash them out and place your life on the correct path again.


May God be with you and bless you! If you are not right with Him, I pray that you may call upon Him and let Him be your Savior! This is my prayer for you!