HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 328
page A326
Suffering continued
• 2 T I MOT H Y 2 :1 0 | I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal
glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.
When something is for our good, Christ’s glory, and the building of his church, our
perspective on suffering changes so we can willingly—even joyfully—accept it.
PROMISES FROM GOD
• PSA L M 1 4 7 :3 | He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
• 2 C O R I NT H I A NS 1 :5 | For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with
his comfort through Christ.
Sympathy See Compassion; Encouragement; Forgiveness; Judging Others
Talents See Abilities; Purpose; Strengths & Weaknesses
Temper See Anger
Temptation See also Accountability; Addiction; Boundaries; Commitment;
S
Desires; Evil; Lust; Motives; Prayer; Self-Control; Sin
HelpFinder
We most often associate temptation with giving in to sin and evil. The Bible teaches that
tempting us to sin is Satan’s main activity in our lives—although our own selfishness and
appetites certainly make the Tempter’s work easier. Just as blood in the water attracts the
shark, so our weaknesses attract Satan’s attacks. The key is to identify where you are most
vulnerable—where you have the greatest tendency to sin. Then, as you work to strengthen
yourself in those areas and with God’s help, you will be stronger to defend yourself against
future attacks from Satan. Don’t do today what you will want to undo tomorrow.
Is being tempted to sin the same as sinning?
• H E B R E W S 4 :1 5 | For [Jesus] faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. (See
note on page 1111.)
• MAT T H E W 4 :1 | Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by
the devil.
Jesus was severely tempted, yet he never gave in to it. Since Jesus was tempted and
remained sinless, being tempted is not the same as sinning. You don’t have to feel guilty
about the temptations you wrestle with. Rather, you can devote yourself to resisting them.
In his own battle with Satan, Jesus demonstrates how to prevent temptation from becoming sin.
Does temptation ever come from God?
• J A ME S 1 :1 3 | God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
• MA R K 7 :1 5 | “You are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
Temptation originates not within the mind of God but within the mind of Satan, who plants
it within your heart.
• J A ME S 1 :2 | When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for
great joy.
Although God does not send temptation, he brings good from it by helping you grow
stronger through it.
What makes temptation so alluring?
• G E NE S I S 3 :6 | The tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious. . . . So she took some of
the fruit and ate it. (See note on page 6.)