Six Inches for Jesus

"Just remember, six inches for Jesus!"

That saying has lasted in my mind since first hearing it during Michael's 16th birthday party from his sister, Danielle, a young women that is wish beyond her 17 years! She was explaining that some of her dating friends seemed to be glued to the hips and to help avoid unnecessary temptation, she reminds them to remain six inches away from one another, six inches for Jesus in order to stay spiritually and physically pure until marriage.

Wise advice indeed and one I have quoted more than once to my daughter who has just begun to date her first boyfriend and both of them wishing to stay pure until marriage. But temptation is hard at times. Is six inches really enough?

But where does temptation even come from?

Satan wants to undermine our faith by using various deceptive schemes to entice us to sin, sowing within us the seeds of doubt, unbelief and rebellion. Two of his very powerful temptations were those of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which he achieved his purpose, and of Jesus in the wilderness, in which he failed. These two instances show that Satan's favorite device is to tamper with the word of God.

The Bible encourages Christians to stand firm in the faith and to watch out for temptation. God promises to help us resist temptation, and He assures us that He will not allow temptation beyond what we can endure. As our compassionate and sympathetic high priest, Jesus, who has experienced human temptation, is ready to bring our prayers for strength in times of temptation before the Father.

Temptation must not be confused with God's testing of our faith as a way of strengthening it, for God never entices us to sin against Him. When faced with confusion of what to do, consider what God's Word says about anything. His Word is 100% reliable about any decision that goes against what He has commanded.

Remember our thought life will be the first the enemy will attempt to attack. He will try and convince us that there is no harm in simply talking to that "friend" at work of the opposite sex about the problems you are facing in your marriage, that there is nothing the Bible teaches that you can't go into a bar and have a few drinks as long as you stay in control, or visit that website just to check things out. But remember, it's to gain a foothold in your life, because our thoughts lead us to compromising actions that will eventually get us into hot water and cause us to get into more trouble than ever before.

Joseph went faced with Potipher's wife tempting him in the palace, ran so fast, he left his cloak behind. That is precisely what we need to do in order to walk along the path God has laid out before us so perfectly. It is a war we must wage daily and one we must never take for granted thinking we are above being tempted. That is just where the enemy would love for you to keep thinking those thoughts.

So back to the original question to keep you from your temptation, is six inches for Jesus enough? It might be, but if it isn't do WHATEVER it takes to distance yourself from that temptation. Don't visit a bar if alcohol is too tempting. Don't browse the internet if websites are too tempting, if someone you work with is your temptation, transfer to another position or department and if necessary, quit and find a different job. The point is wherever you have to go to stay on God's path, GO, RUN!!!

For some six inches isn't enough, but moving into a different city or state might be, but the simple truth the lies behind the saying, "Six inches for Jesus!" certainly can inspire us to remain diligent when facing whatever temptations the enemy tries to send our way.

Thanks to Danielle Vega for my inspiration for this post!!!

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me," For God cannot be tempted by evil, not 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, give birth to sin. Don't be deceived dear brothers." ~ James 1: 13-16

It's the Things We Can't See We Have To Worry About

Spring is finally here! Everyone is saying it from all forms of social media the message is clear. Spring is in the air. Although for some, winter still presides like a sentry that won't give up its post. We know it's coming but it certainly is taking its time getting here. For me as I sit here at my desk typing this blog post, I am looking at the window watching tiny snow-like pollen drift into the winds that are blowing westward to some unknown location. For us here in the desert in California, we have had only two days of rain that made up our "winter." It spells disaster because we are already suffering from a horrible drought. Every time I drive past the water reservoir in Gilroy, it deeply saddens me. Every lake is well below the drought lines more so than ever before and its frightening. For us, the season hasn't changed like we had hoped. Winter simply never showed up and that means it will be a brutal summer.

For me, it means that allergies are going to be worse than ever before. I now have to monitor things like the pollen forecast because of the things in the air I can see, but much worse is the things I can't see that will make me miserable. It means having boxes of tissue handy, allergy medicines and keeping the windows shut tight and avoid outdoor activities like sitting in the backyard and enjoying all the beautiful flowers that are just beginning to bloom in abundance. All those flowers like freesia, carnations and lavender that I have been patiently waiting for, I can't really enjoy because it might mean days of allergies, difficulty breathing, sneezing and watery eyes.

But you know, I can't pass up the opportunity when the winds aren't blowing or in the cooler evening hours to get outside for a short time and enjoy it as brief as I can. Sin is a lot like that. It begins in the smallest of ways. It creeps up on you when you least expect it and before you know it, you are in hot water. It begins in the most innocent of ways. Talking to people about your marriage problems with the opposite sex, even if they are simply your very best friend. Sampling a slice of bread while struggling on your diet, or taking just a bite of something you know simply isn't going to help you get to your weight loss goal. There is never such a thing as one innocent bite. That is how cravings form.

We need to be on guard for the things we can't see. The ones that destroy in the subtle ways, slowly at first. It begins in our thoughts, then moves into words and before we know it action. Sometimes we don't even realize it's happening before we are really in a place we wish we had never been before. The Bible is very clear that our enemy is always looking for a way to bring us down. To find a place where we are weak. The battle is never ending for him and he is looking for a way to devour us and lead us away from doing what we know we should be doing.

That is why we need to guard our thoughts. Nothing is innocent simply because we think about it. I mean we aren't doing it right? Wrong! Those thoughts are your own. Ask God to remove those thoughts from you and to think on things that are of God instead. Picture this if you're unsure about your thoughts...if you had a giant television screen above your head where everyone could see what you are thinking, are you okay with what they are seeing? If not, you might want to turn that program off and pray.

There is nothing like a white lie or a little sin. Sin is sin! We need to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't take root and make our lives miserable. It's the things we can't see, that we have to worry about things like pollen and things like sin. We have to take preventive measures to ensure we aren't miserable. For me and my allergies, it's my allergy medicine and doing the right things to prevent myself from being attacked either way. For protecting myself against sin, it's spending time with my Bible and learning more about God's truth so I can see the lies when they come. It helps me have a more happy life and set better examples for my family. It's realizing as long as I am living, those attacks will come but I don't always have to fail. With God's help, I can enjoy my life and bring glory to His name everyday walking in the life He has planned for me. It's so much better that way than trying to do it myself.

James 1: 13-15 NIV ~ "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

Philippians 4:8 NIV ~ "Finally, brothers and sisters, 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."

How to Get Through A Bad Day!

Just as you were headed to work today, you step outside to another cold, dreary and gray day. Rain is coming down in sheets and as you walk out to your car, you notice a flat tire. You shake your head wishing you would have taken the time to get your spare fixed so this wouldn't be an issue today and you could simply change the tire. As you step back inside the house to call for an emergency call to have someone help you, your phone rings. It's your boss telling you that you've been laid off due to the recent economic down turn in the company and hopefully in a few months they might be able to hire you back. How will you deal with things? Why does it always seem just when bad things happen, they come at your like a tidal wave? Where do you go from here?

Sometimes we wonder just why bad things happen to good people. Why, as believers in Jesus Christ, are we living a blessed life without all the tribulation and trials that should fall on the people who are walking around, shaking their fist at God, and moving ahead in the company with yet another undeserved promotion.

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." ~ 2 Timothy 3:12

The Bible makes it quite clear that we aren't out of the woods just because we are believers in Christ. Just the other day, I was talking to my brother and telling him I know God will be working on me til the very end of my life to control my words and thoughts. It's a struggle to not unleash on those that deserve my words especially when I feel wronged. It's hard to turn the other cheek at times, especially when other people seem oblivious to what they say that impacts us, hurts us, wounds us deeply.

So how can we move on? How can we simply put all that stuff that is happening on the back burner and not let it hinder our walk of faith?

First of all I believe we need to understand as humans living in a sin-filled world we are in a daily battle. It will never let up until we reach our heavenly home. Emotions are funny things and too often we let them rule us instead of taking back the control we let them have on our situation. You might need to take a few moments or longer to process what is going on. It's easier to do when the situation isn't happening to you personally but to someone else who is simply sharing their struggle. We can see things differently because we aren't in the heat of the moment like they are, filled with all the emotions and feelings running around like caffeinated children in a china store unrestrained.

But we can take those thoughts captive. We can control them. Think you can't? Just imagine this situation happening and then someone showing up at your door unexpectedly whom you wanted to impress. The one you hope will NEVER see you sweat. Your pastor, your parents, someone you are hoping to impress with your calm, cool manner. Let me tell you, you'd be able to put that on the back burner in a second, paste on a happy face and get through your moment. That's how I can tell we can control our emotions and feelings.

Now we just need to put that into action. The enemy loves to torment us and replay the situation over and over again in our mind, on a never-ending loop. I believe the first thing we need to do is drop to our knees and pray. Ask God to help you deal with what's happening. To help you control your emotions, feelings, thoughts, words and actions and help them fall in line with His word. Ask God to show you what to do and to help you see things through His eyes and not your own.

Then I recommend, putting on some praise and worship music and thank God for what is happening. The Bible says we are to thank God in ALL things, not just the ones we'd love to thank Him for. We might not know what good is coming from where we are at in this moment, but God does. Will He share that with you, perhaps, but we shouldn't expect it. God knows when the timing will be right. We need to praise Him in our storm. Oh, it really upsets the enemy when we won't fall apart, wail and throw a fit. Nope, not going to give him the pleasure, going to go to God who can deal with it better than we can.

When you have calmed down, and feel God's peace come upon you, then I recommend, you go to His Word and see if you can gain insight or perspective in what is happening. Let's look at the situation above from a different perspective.

The rainy day in itself isn't so bad, it prevents you from having to turn on the water and water your plants. It's vital for life to grow in your yard and the sound alone if we simply stop at listen is soothing. It is washing away the dirt and pollutants in the air. That flat tire you got this morning, was meant to prevent you from heading into work because you were facing a lay off anyway. You wouldn't have dealt with it well if you had been in the office. Not only that, the flat tire prevented you from being in a huge accident that would have totaled your car and set you back even more financially. The job you just got laid off, was taking time away from your family and your commitment to your marriage. You were working so many hours just to make ends meet and you hated going in every single day. Now you can find something that works along the lines of what God has in store for you. That job is waiting for you to simply apply for it and it will bring you much more joy and happiness.

Changes how we view things right?

Why is it when tend to dwell on what isn't going right instead of what God has in mind instead?

You might try it next time trials, storms and life happens. God has something better just around the corner. I know you can't see it, but He can. Trust me, it's worth it! Are you willing to change your perspective, trust Him, surrender your situation to Him, and thank Him while you are waiting?

Would love to know how you handle difficult days and storms when they happen?