Tag Archives: Temptation

Pergamum

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Deborah

Dear Church… It’s been a long hard journey, in a hostile environment. Talk about snakes and scorpions! But we’ve made it… almost. Some of you have already triumphantly “crossed the Jordan” into Paradise. But others are wobbling, succumbing to temptation, … Continue reading →

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Census and plague

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Deborah

II Samuel 24 / I Chronicles 21 The UK national census comes round every ten years, and most of us don’t give it much thought; we just fill in the form (online, last year) and then forget about it until … Continue reading →

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The Rekabites

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Deborah

Jeremiah 35 The Kenites were the descendants of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab (Numbers 10:29-32; Judges 1:16). They moved into Canaan alongside the Israelites, but kept themselves separate and maintained their own distinct culture. And every so often, they pop up in … Continue reading →

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Christian Wisdom: Resisting temptation – God is good

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Deborah

James 1:13-17 Adam and Eve could do absolutely anything they liked – except eat the fruit of one special tree. But that one restriction was what the devil persuaded Eve to focus on. And if God is withholding something good … Continue reading →

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Christian Wisdom: The origin of temptation

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Deborah

James 1:13-15 If God tests us, and if temptations are part and parcel of that testing, is God responsible for temptation? Well, James states quite categorically that He isn’t. “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” … Continue reading →

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Christian Wisdom: Temptation and testing

Posted on December 11, 2019 by Deborah

James 1:12-15 A few months ago there was an article in the Church Times (the Church of England’s newspaper) about the difficulties faced by Christian asylum seekers fleeing from persecution in their home countries. When they arrive in the UK … Continue reading →

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In the Beginning: Temptation and Sin

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Deborah

Genesis 3:6-13 Satan could not force the man and woman to sin, only tempt them. They had a free choice, either to believe him (and regard God as a rival and enemy) or to believe and trust God. The temptation … Continue reading →

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In the Beginning: Enter the Devil

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Deborah

Genesis 3:1-5 We find it somewhat shocking that there could exist, within God’s ‘very good’ world, the possibility of doing evil. Evil is not part of God’s nature, so it must have arisen from within His creation. But we are … Continue reading →

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The temptations of Jesus

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Deborah

Luke 4:1-13 Immediately after His baptism, Jesus felt compelled to go out into the wilderness alone to meditate, to pray – and to do battle with the devil. Why was this necessary? Why did He not embark on His public … Continue reading →

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The schemes of Satan

Posted on September 29, 2012 by Deborah

Satan the deceiver (Genesis 3:1-7) The first human beings had an uninhibited relationship with God. What could possibly have gone wrong? Something – or someone – caused them to doubt God’s goodness and love. That ‘someone’ was the devil, “the … Continue reading →

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