Shadows and Sounds

511. " Shadows and Sounds"                      May 3, 2012
James 1-Part 7
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.  James 1:17-18

LET IT GLOW

When I was growing up, I had a best friend. We would often spend the night at each other's house. One night, when she was staying with me, we decided to sleep outside, sort of camp out in the back yard. We took all of our covers, made a tent from a blanket, and settled in with pillow talk. If you're familiar with the night sounds in the country, you know there are plenty of them. With the moon shining, there were plenty of shadows, too. Now combine those sounds and shadows along with our  young girls imaginations and we had bears and pamthers coming out of the woods, coming to eat us. Need I say, the shadows and sounds got the better of us. We gathered up everything and spent the rest of the night sleeping in my bed inside a safe room. I said all of that to say, shadows are the result of the light from sun and moon. They result from rotation, turning of the earth and the sun and moon, but with God, the Bible says there is no shadow of turning. Let's check it out.

What do our key verses say about God's gifts to us?

• Every good gift and perfect gift is from God (above). Good means "useful, practical, beneficial," while perfect means "nothing lacking in them, complete." Not only are His gifts good and perfect, but His liberality is wholly consistent. (Falwell)
• Two different Greek words for gift emphasize the perfection and inclusiveness of God's graciousness. the first denotes the act of giving, and the second is the object given. Everything related to divine giving is adequate, complete, and beneficial. (MacArthur)
• These gifts come down from the Father of lights-the Creator. The celestial bodies have different rotations, movement, always changing their position daily and nightly. God does not change, for He is immutable, changeless. (Mal. 3:6, 1John 1:5)
• God gives us the gift of salvation, regeneration, not as a wish, but an expression of His will. The sovereign will of God is the source of this new life. It was through the Word of truth, Scriptures, that He regenerates sinners through the power of that Word. (Col. 1:5)  All Christians have been brought to God through the word of truth, His Word. I am to rely on His Word for deliverance in my daily struggle against temptation. Ps. 119:9 -11 tells us where to hide His word-in my heart.

Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap your character. Sow your character, reap your destiny.
Good deeds and hurtful words and bad actions begin in my thoughts. Do I want to overcome temptations? What my thoughts dwell on has an effect. In Philippians 4:8, Paul tells me to think about true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good repute excellent things. I am learning to slam the door to my thought rooms when a bad thought tries to enter. I am tired of that lier of a devil tripping me up to sin. It's time I take charge of my thoughts.

LET IT GROW

We are to be the first fruits of God's creatures. NLT says, He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true Word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.

Am I showing others how to live as God's child, His prized possession?
Christians cannot achieve victory over temptation with knowledge alone. We must sow God's Word into our daily living through obedience. Then temptation will begin to lose its foothold in our lives. (Swindoll)

Do I give god my best, my first fruits, as an offering? Giving God that initial crop was an act of faith that He would fulfill His promise of a full harvest to come (Prov. 3:9-10). Christians are the first evidence of God's new creation that is to come and enjoy presently in their new life a foretaste of future glory. (MacArthur)

Joseph resisted Potiphar's wife's seduction. Swindoll shows us what we can learn from Joseph's running from the temptation.
If you want to say no when lust says yes, you must not be:

1. weakened by your situation; Joseph's job made himl second in command in Egypt;
2. deceived by persuasion; Mrs. Potiphar's daily persistence continued; 
3. gentle with your emotions; this young man with hormones did not want to sin agains God;
4. confused by the immediate results; the devil continues to tempt us, even when we say no one time.

How's my battle plan? Do I plan to not sin very much today, or not to sin at all? Am I prepared with scriptures?

LET IT GO

Think on good things, not bad, happy, not sad.

Slam the door to sinful thoughts; don't let them enter my mind nor let them sit down for a discussion.

Remember, the devil is the father of lies.

Sing praises to my Lord Jesus throughout the day.

Stay in the Word of God and meditate on it, memorize it.

Confess my sins and seek His forgiveness. Have a battle plan.

In everything give thanks.