The Voice of Truth

Temptations Temptation is NOT sin.   It has sometimes been difficult for me to buy into the truth of that statement.   I know this to be truth because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while He was here on earth was tempted just as we are, yet without sin.   The specific instance of His forty-day fasting and prayer session in the wilderness and then being tempted by Satan is well documented in the Scriptures (Matthew 4, Luke 4, etc.).   It only makes sense too that this was not the only instance in which Jesus was tempted.   I am sure he faced the same day-to-day temptations as we do.   He subjected Himself to temptations so He could experience fully what it is to be human, so He could be sympathetic in every way to what we experience in the flesh. I know that in my struggle against sexual sin, the temptations can sometimes be so intense that it is easy to believe that I have committed a sin, but in reality it is simply a strong temptation, an urging to...

Everything I decide to do or to believe begins somewhere in the not so distant past with a single thought.   Multiple thoughts in succession together form a particular perception or understanding of a situation, or they come together to establish belief patterns that shape every aspect of my life.   If the thoughts I have are not based on Truth, then those perceptions, understanding, and belief patterns I have are not true.   The nature of my thoughts can range anywhere from a subtle suggestion in my mind, all the way to a conclusion I have drawn on the basis of deliberate reasoning.   Often it is the subtle suggestions that pass through my mind that are the most powerful (whether good or evil).   Sometimes even what I think is a well-reasoned conclusion, can be fraught with error if the reasoning is not based in Truth.   How very powerful are all our thoughts!   It’s no wonder that it is in our thoughts, in our mind, where the devil seeks to first, ga...