Just a reminder to pray and invite someone to Good Friday and Easter Services. This is a period of time when people are sensitive and open to the Gospel. We are together going to walk through the First Book of Corinthians. Paul discipled a small group of Christians in the city of Corinth. Paul lived and preached among heathen, prostitutes, rich, poor, athletes and every cultural mix you could imagine. Paul said you may be tempted but you can win over it! Do you believe you can overcome? How are we tempted? When the following things happen a red flag should go up in your mind! The two things are secrets and short cuts! Examples of short cuts are; let us live together why get married?, let us get rich fast and play the lottery, let us get high on drugs and drown our problems, ect. The good things of God require a process! Temptation also involves secrets. Stop and pause when secrets are part of your life. God works in the light. Satan works in the dark. One hundred percent of the time this is true. The people of Corinth were full of pride and impressed with themselves. They went from a wild west town to a gold rush metropolis! The Roman Empire put them on the map. The city was on a major east-west trade route. Retired Roman military offers lived there so it was secure. Famous athletes lived there due to the Olympic style games there. They had the latest in medical and technology advances. However as always human behavior is not advanced! Do not be impressed about yourself. History is a warning to us. History repeats itself and man has never learned from history. My little daughter complained to me about having to study history in school! She asked me why I should study things that have already happened? Paul reminds us of Moses and the rebellious Jews who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted 40 days or one day for every year of their rebellion. 1 Corinthians 10:6-10. All temptation is common to man. Temptation has been around for thousands of years! The enemy uses the same plays over and over again on us. From the Garden of Eden until now Satan uses the same play book! Just like a good NFL football team they just practice the same plays over and over again and win using the same plays. The major league tactics Satan uses are money, power and sex! This is Satan’s Trinity! Pride is at the foundation of these. The same plays work for every generation to bring men to ruin! 1 Timothy 6:9. A rush to get rich leads to a trap. Money is not evil but the love of money is evil. Love God! It is a matter of right priorities and worship. Do not worship mammon. Do not make money your God! Work for Christ only! You can have money but do not worship it. Money should not have you. Reject the idols of money. Keep your heart sincere and pure! The most important question you can ask God is; “Lord, why am I doing this?” This may be a dangerous question to some but needs to be asked. Why do I do what I do? Our motives can be clouded so wait for God to answer you. Verse 13. God is Faithful! We will not be tempted beyond what we can bear. God is aware of our humanity and that we are dust. Follow God as hard as you used to follow the world. The problem is we are too hard on ourselves. I would have made a good Pharisee were it not for the Grace of God! Psalm 103: 13-14. Just call me Dusty. God is kind and compassionate on us and remembers we are dust. Sometimes we place too high a standard on us and our family. We Lord over our children and do not allow them to fail. Please let your children how the freedom and room to fail at home. My parents told me you need to make all your mistakes at home and I did! Pride drives parents to hold their children to unachievable goals. Children under these conditions will rebel outside the home with serious consequences! All kids fail one way or another. Go easy on yourself. Remember you started as a pile of red dirt and you end as a pile of dirt with cotton candy in between! Let your kids learn to walk. Relax. Cool out. Enjoy the journey! Keep high standards but love yourself so we can love you! When we are tempted there is a way out. Look at the journey of Jesus. He gets baptized and the voice of God from Heaven says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then Jesus went to the desert for temptation. Jesus applied God’s Word to Satan to defeat temptation. It is written! Luke 4:13-14. After temptation Satan departed Jesus for a season. Temptation is not constant. The enemy knows our flesh. There are four critical times when we are prone to temptation. They are when we are tired, hungry, lonely and traumatized. When we are tired we are rushed and emotional and more likely to make mistakes. This is the prime motivator for many fatal accidents. Internet marketing studies have determined that your most vulnerable time for you to buy something you do not need is between 9-10 PM. Jesus withdrew himself to a remote place to pray. They say never go to a grocery store to shop with hunger. You will buy junk food and quick snacks. After 40 days of fasting Satan asked Jesus to turn stones into bread. Lonely people try to kill their pain and make mistakes. We are safer with people around us. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto! Satan does not play fair! You could get traumatized by one of your kids calling you late at night from jail, a bad medical report or your stock broker calling you and telling you that you lost 10 million dollars today! Remember you are most vulnerable when traumatized under these or other conditions. James 4:7. Submit yourselves to God! Resist the Devil and he will flee from you! Exploring God is good. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are not perfect but God is! Me and my house will serve the Lord! Key point—Put up any kind of resistance! Do not resist God but Satan. If you resist God you surrender to Satan and he does not take any prisoners! Christus Victos! As we enter into the Easter celebration remember Jesus victory on the Cross over death, the grave, the tomb and a victory for you! The weak made strong! Do you have emotional, physical or financial trauma in your life? Stop! Declare Christus Victos! Settle right now today who you will follow. Put Christ over you and He will put Satan under your feet! Whether on the mountain or in the valley who will you follow? The world, yourself, others or Christ? You have victory in Christ but defeat in anything or anyone else! Hebrews 4:15-16. Let us close in prayer as we prepare to take communion. Source; Sermon notes taken from message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given Sunday March 23, 2014.