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April 14, 2002 - Matthew 5:27-30

Open It

1. How do you relate to this quotation"Destructive lust is any consuming desire that is either out of bounds or out of balance." ⁽¹⁾
2. What are some danger signs that your life is in trouble?
3. What are some of the danger signs that appear when your wants become more powerful than your needs?

Explore It

4. What did Jesus mean when he said the "word" was choked? By what? By whom? Mark 4.19
5. Who serves as an example of desire that is "out of bounds" or "out of balance"? 1 Corinthians 10.6-7
6. What capacity does desire have, positively or negatively, on the human mind and psyche? Ephesians 4.22
7. What are described as senseless and harmful desires? 1 Timothy 6.9
8. What are we called upon to use as a replacement for youthful desires or passions? 2 Timothy 2.22
9. What dangers does a person face because of strong desires? 2 Timothy 4.3-4
10. For what purpose has the "grace of God" appeared? Titus 2.11-12
11. What is the source of the temptations that the individual must face? James 1.14-15
12. Conflicts and disputes are common. What is one source? What may be the result of conflict? James 4.1-3
13. Describe the force that wages war on the soul? 1 Peter 2.11
14. What two conflicting desires are describes in 1 John 2.16-17?
15. What enticements of false prophets and scoffers are to be avoided at all cost? 2 Peter 2.18; 2 Peter 3.3; Jude 1.8
16. By what rule is the Christian to live? 1 Peter 4.1-2
17. What is it that the Gentiles do that is contrary to the will and purposes of God? 1 Peter 4.3-5
18. What is to occupy the mind and imagination of the child of God? Philippians 4.8-9
19. What is the child of God to put to death? What kind of change is to take place? Colossians 3.5-11
20. For what purpose did the loving goodness of God, our Savior appear? Titus 34.1-8

Get It

"There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice." Mark Twain

21. Cowardice is not the answer.
    1. Cowards run attempt to run away.
    2. Cowards attempt to ignore.
    3. Cowards hope it will go away, and it will not.
    4. Gary Zukav be grateful for the gift of temptation:
    5. How many times have you been tempted today by food? Alcohol? Shopping? Sex?
    6. Gary Zukav says behind every temptation is the same dynamic. ⁽²⁾
       
• It's easy to think of a temptation as a trap, but Gary says it's just the opposite. He says temptation is a gift.
• Zukav says temptation is a compassionate gift: an opportunity to learn without creating negative consequences. Temptation is like a magnet. It brings negative things to the surface - and it allows you to do something about it. Temptation is an invitation to get to know yourself.

• You can think of temptation as providing you with a dress rehearsal. When you're tempted, you can play out in your mind what would happen if you indulge. Once you visualize what would happen if you snack on some chips, smoke a cigarette, buy those shoes, you can make a choice to resist or act out. The benefit of playing this out in your mind is that you don't create any negative consequences if you choose to resist. Only if you act on your temptation, have you created negative consequences for yourself and others.

Apply It

22. Tools to Help You

Gary says to challenge a temptation, you can ask yourself a series of questions:

Does this bring me genuine power?

Will this make me more loving?

Will this make me more whole?

Gary adds that each time you challenge a temptation successfully, you empower yourself.

1. DAN ALLENDER, Ph. D., Encouragement: The Key to Caring, (Zondervan, 1986). Copyright 1999, 2000 HARVEST USA

2. Gary Zukav on, Temptation.Oprah.com. Retrieved September 17, 2001.

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