August 15 Overcoming Temptation & Giving Burdens to God

Our lesson today was made up of two parts. The first part dealt with overcoming temptations and focused on I Corinthians 10:13. The second part of the lesson dealt with a visual and emotional tool that Anabel discovered to help Christians learn how to cast their burdens upon God.

Part I: I Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure."

With every temptation, God provides doors of escape so we can say "No" to the enemy and thus endure his attack. However, if the initial door of escape is ignored, not only do subsequent escape routes become narrower, they also become more difficult to access. Failing to take the way of escape provided does not mean the temptation was too strong and that I Cor. 10:13 does not work. It simply means that we ignored our opportunity to escape.

Just as the Bible says, God is faithful and He won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist. However, we must use the escape plan that He intends for us to use. Calling out to the Lord at the edge of sin and asking Him to deliver us is a dangerous and costly habit. In so doing, we load ourselves with a heavier burden of temptation. Spiritual battles are won at the threshold of the mind, not in the mind.

Anabel shared the story of a high school girl on a date in order to illustrate the dynamics of temptation. Within every temptation, there are doors of escape. Thoughts come from the Holy Spirit, your sound mind, and the power of sin. All these thoughts are manifested in first-person pronouns. Subsequent doors of escape are narrower than the first door was. Anabel shared a story of a vacuum cleaner salesman who gained access to her home and how much more difficult it was to get rid of the salesman than it would have been if she had met him at the door of her house. The strongest defense against temptation is at the first way of escape, the threshold. Say "No" to the devil's temptation--and mean it. Prepare for Satan at the threshold of your mind, remembering that in Christ, victory is already yours.

PART II--How to Give a Burden to the Lord

Psalms 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden..."I Peter 5: 7 says, "Cast all your anxiety upon Him." Psalm 55:22 says, "Get rid of the burden. Throw it onto the Lord." God commands us to give our burdens to Him. It is not a suggestion. There is no need to package them nicely; just give them to Him.

Anabel suggests the following: Get a piece of paper, an envelope, a pen, a marker, a watch, a brick, and a helium balloon with string on it. Go somewhere where you can be by yourself. With your marker, write your burden on the balloon. Hold the brick and the string to the balloon in your hand--with your arm outstretched. Tell the Lord everything about your burden while holding the string and the brick in your outstretched hand. Hold this "burden" until you can't stand it any longer, then simultaneously drop the brick and let go of the balloon. Immediately, write on the paper the time and date that you gave God your burden, and write at the bottom of the page, "And He took it." Put the paper in the envelope and seal it. Put a few notes around the house, with the date and time on them, to remind yourself that you gave your burden to the Lord--and He took it. Continually thank God for taking your burden. This practical exercise will give you a solid reminder that you really did give your burden to the Lord. But, you must let go. Here is a poem Anabel shared to end the lesson today:

Just as my child brings his broken toys with tears for me to mend
I took my broken dreams to God because He was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried,
"How could you be so slow?"
"What could I do my child?" He said,
"You never did let go."

The enemy will ferociously tempt you to take your burden back. But it is no longer yours; you gave it to the Lord.


Cindy and I will be vacationing with our girls in the Seattle area next week. We hope to attend church next Sunday at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Thanks to Beth Miles for agreeing to bring the lesson next week. We shall look forward to seeing you again on August 29.