10/07/09

Acts 2:1-13 (New International Version)

Acts 2
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.

Pentecost happened 10 days after Jesus ascended. There was a festival that many Jews gathered at in Jerusalem. Peter spoke to people from many nations. These were the first converts of Christianity. The tongues of fire symbolize speech and the communication of the Gospel. Fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence. This burns away our undesirable elements. God made a spectacular display with this group of people. Sometimes He uses spectacular situations and sometimes He simply whispers. Don’t expect earthquakes, fire, and hurricanes every time you want to hear from Him. Simply focus on Him. Wait patiently and always listen. Peter had been a non-stellar Christian at some point. He was now filled with the Holy Spirit and was very effective. Have you ever felt that you made so many mistakes that God cannot forgive or use you? God promises to forgive you and make you useful to His kingdom. Allow Him to forgive you, so that you can effectively serve Him. God was able to take many languages gathered together and cause them to all understand the same message. This was a miracle also. These people saw the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that day and were able to carry it with them. Christ offers salvation to all people without regard to nationality. Many of these people probably returned to their homeland and began to spread the Gospel worldwide. This is how God reached the world with His Gospel. God often prepared the way for Paul and other messengers through this first group of people. The Church at Rome was probably begun by such Jewish believers.

Yesterday I talked of temptation and how the devil uses it as God told it to me. Today will be about how to defeat temptation. Remember that there is always a way out. He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome. He gives us four biblical ways to defeat temptation.:

1. Refocus your attention on something else. You cannot resist a thought because it will only make it stronger. Don’t fight the thought, just change the channel and get interested in something else. We will automatically move on to whatever we focus our attention to. Focus on God. Ignoring a temptation is much more effective than battling it with your mind. You may physically have to walk away from a situation if the temptation is too strong. Your mind is the most vulnerable organ you have when it comes to Satan, but he can’t get your attention if your mind is preoccupied with something else. Put your thoughts on Christ and always think of Him. Fill your brain with good things that deserve our praise. True, right, noble, pure, honorable and lovely things are where you should focus. Our life is shaped by our thoughts so pay special attention to what you think about. Take captive of every thought that you have and cause it to surrender until it obeys God’s word.

2. Reveal your struggle to a Godly friend or support group. You are better off with a friend than to be alone. Your friend can help you if you fail. Without a friend you will have a very hard time. We must confess our sins to each other and pray for each other. This is the only way to heal our afflictions. Stop pretending that you are perfect and step out of the shadows. Satan will make you believe that your sin is unique and shame you into keeping it a secret, but the truth is that all of us have sinned. If you can’t talk about it, then it is already uncontrollable. Personal willpower will not defeat it. Some problems are bigger than you. What are you pretending isn’t a problem in your life? What are you afraid to talk about? Admitting this to others is quite humbling but if you can’t be humble then God can’t use you the way he wants to.

3. Resist the devil. He will leave you alone if you resist him. We are to fight against him. Use your salvation that you have accepted from God. Satan can only make suggestions, not rules, if you are a believer. You must also use the Bible against him. When Jesus was in the wilderness, every time Satan tried to tempt him, Jesus quoted scripture. Satan fears the power of God’s words. Don’t use logic. The Devil has been debating for thousands of years and he is better at it than you. Memorizing scripture is essential to defeating temptation. Memorize one verse a week for the rest of your life and you will be much more equipped to deal with temptation.

4. Realize your vulnerability. Being arrogant and overconfident is a recipe for disaster. The heart is more deceitful than anything else and this will always be the case. We are good at fooling ourselves. Don’t place yourself in tempting situations. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Don’t be naïve. You can screw up as easily as anybody else. Self-confidence is no good. You must build “God Confidence”.

Always remember that God is always faithful. He will never allow you to face something that you can’t handle. Whenever you are tempted, He will show you a way out.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. I ask that you help me to make the most out of it as you would have me to. I pray for all of those friends and family members and ask you to meet the needs that you know they have. I thank you for blessing me with them. Lord I ask that you assist us in our battle with temptation by using the procedure that you provided so long ago that stands so tried and true. Lord help me to focus on you and not be too egotistical to depend on other Christians for help with so many of the problems that I may face. Help me to know your word so that I can resist Satan when he challenges me. I know you are my shelter and my rock. I cannot do it myself. Lord I ask for joy and spiritual strength today. Thank you for your Son. I ask you to show me your will and purpose for my life that is your plan. As always, your will be done. Thank you for spreading the Gospel in miraculaous ways so that I can have hope everyday from knowing who you are. May everything I do glorify you and please forgive me where I fail you. In Jesus name......amen