Yes they still go at it. They’re still pointing fingers on who’s to blame. Yes, those responsible for the failure of the hostage-taking crisis should answer to the law. But it seems that all they do is play the blame game. Someone has said, “If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.” The first people on earth, Adam and Eve, first played it so it’s not surprising that the children would follow. The Lord God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?” Yes,” Adam admitted, “but it was the woman you gave me who brought me the fruit, and I ate it.”

“Often we seek to blame others for our behavior and our failures…”

Adam both blamed the woman and God who gave him the woman! Then the Lord God asked the woman, “How could you do such a thing?” “The serpent tricked me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” It was the classic “The Devil made me do it,” defense! Yes the Devil will tempt us to do wrong, yes he wants you to fail as a Christian. But you don’t have to. One of the greatest promises in the bible is found in 1 Corinthians 10:131 Corinthians 10:13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. common...: or, moderate  

WP-Bible plugin, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”The bible never says that we won’t be tempted, but it does say we don’t have to give in to temptation.

Now, how often in our lives do we seek to blame others for our behavior and our failures on others? ‘It was because of my parents, or my teachers, or my friends. They led me astray.’ Beloved, when you blame others, you give up your power to change. And so you don’t need to change if it was someone else’s fault that you sinned. Very seldom do you hear someone say “I sinned, it was my choice, nobody forced me, tempted me or enticed me, I did it because I wanted to.” And there’s no forgiveness for that.

Many suffer for years with a guilty conscience because they are not willing to come to the place where they acknowledge their sin. They will not call it what God calls it. We all tend to cover up sin and make it sound nicer than it is. “No this is not sin, it’s a weakness!” “No, this is not gossip, it’s just telling you this so you can pray.” We use pleasant names to describe it. Thus, we try to cover over our sins. But we can never be forgiven while we do this, for the first step in the process of forgiveness is an acknowledgement of sin. Not trying to cover it up, blame others for it, justify, rationalize or make excuses for it! But when we stop protecting our sins, and confess them, then we receive forgiveness and the process of restoration begins. And we not only regain a better relationship with God – a peace with God, but we also feel His peace within and at peace about ourselves!

“So, confess, admit, open up… and you shall be free!”

It’s been in the news, talk programs and social networks all over the world with mix reactions and comments, good and bad. No. I’m not referring to the Miss Universe Pageant that landed our own Miss Venus Raj to the Fourth runner-up position. I’m referring to a more serious and tragic event – the Hostage massacre that killed eight tourists last Monday. It was a sad day indeed.

“The wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart”

Now, Scripture tells us that there is a terrorist out there lying in wait to take you hostage. He is a spiritual terrorist, but he is very real. One of his tactics is to keep you away from the truth. Jesus said, “The wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19Matthew 13:19
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  

WP-Bible plugin). Don’t fall prey to this adversary by failing to listen to and obey God’s Word. Maintain a steady schedule of Bible study so that you can stay safe from the devil’s wiles.

Scripture calls Satan “the tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:51 Thessalonians 3:5
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5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.  

WP-Bible plugin). Another of his tactics is to lead you into temptation so that you’ll walk away from God and into the enemy camp. When temptation comes your way, know that it’s a scheme to lure you from the God you love. Trust that “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:131 Corinthians 10:13
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. common...: or, moderate  

WP-Bible plugin). God is stronger than the tempter, so rely on Him for strength to fight the temptation. Remember, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:41 John 4:4
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4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  

WP-Bible plugin).

...true freedom—spiritual freedom—is found only in knowing Jesus Christ.

We’re thankful for those who have been freed by the hostage-taker. And true freedom—spiritual freedom—is found only in knowing Jesus Christ. This freedom can never be taken away; this freedom is not limited by race, nationality, or social status; this freedom is available to all who choose to follow Christ. Are you bound today by something? Are you being held as a hostage today – unforgiveness, alcoholism, pornography, bitterness, any other addiction? Admit it before God and ask Jesus to break the chains that bind you. For whom the Son has set free is free indeed (John 8:36John 8:36
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36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.  

WP-Bible plugin)! If you already have found freedom in Christ, take a moment this morning to thank Him for liberating you from the bondage of sin and your past.

Stay in God’s Word so that you can be strengthened within...

Beloved, the world is an ugly place and “your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:81 Peter 5:8
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  

WP-Bible plugin). But you can “resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:91 Peter 5:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.  

WP-Bible plugin). Stay in God’s Word so that you can be strengthened within. Stay in fellowship with other believers because there truly is strength in numbers. And stay in prayer so that you are walking strong in obedience to God’s will for your life. You can overcome the ultimate terrorist by faithfully following your great God. And hey, let me remind you, he’s already a defeated foe!

Now that our H4U Ozamiz is already done and is now a part of our church history, never think for a moment that the warfare we are engaged in is over. For life as a whole, much more the Christian life is a life of warfare! We are called to a battle, not to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle” (see Ephesians 6:10-12Ephesians 6:10-12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh spiritual...: or, wicked spirits high: or, heavenly  

WP-Bible plugin). The word which Paul uses here actually refers to wrestling. It’s the kind that you see in a high school or college gymnasium, the kind where two guys are entwined with one another and are trying every kind of move that they can think of to pin the other guy to the ground. It’s the kind of battle where you have extremely close contact with one another. And yes, sometimes, if not most of the time, the struggle hits close to home…it’s very personal.

We cannot afford to put our guard down. We need to be in constant look out in prayer of the fiery darts that the enemy throws at us. Our enemy is relentless looking for opportunities at our weakest point to attack us. And one of the most dangerous places and times for temptation, for the Devil to attack is when we feel comfortable, successful, easy and light – just like King David’s fall when he was feeling secure, successful and comfortable! Of course, our ultimate rest from it is when we finally see Jesus face to face, but until then, we are engaged in a spiritual battle – whether we like it or not; whether we accept it or not! That’s the hard reality of life!

So how do we face this? Paul wrote, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph.6:10). The human will does not generate this strength. It is not mere resolve, determination, or self discipline. While all of these are inherent in spiritual life, they are derived from true strength. There is a human attempt to be strong. We have all tried this. However, there is no ability in us to be strong in the face of a spiritual warfare. The strength is from the Lord. We have no sufficient strength of our own. All our sufficiency is of God. It is not our strength that equips us to stand; it is God’s strength invested in us when we submit to God.

To be strong in the Lord is to surrender and fully submit our heart, mind and will to Him. That is why James 4:7-8James 4:7-8
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7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  

WP-Bible plugin tells us that the power of resisting is found through submitting to God (“Submit to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you”). The devil does not flee from your power, but from God’s power within us that overcomes him. We have the promise that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Resistance is no longer measured by our strength, but the strength of God who draws us out of temptation.

So, beloved, as Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Always be in prayer mode and know that His strength is our strength!

Have you ever had a vacation interrupted by unexpected events? Maybe a phone call caused you to cancel your plans. Perhaps a deadline made you delay your departure. These past weeks, we’ve seen how many people’s vacations in Lebanon were interrupted by events they could not control. Many visiting Lebanon for business or pleasure found themselves trapped in a war zone, forced to evacuate on cruise ships and aircraft carriers.

The Bible warns us of one who is intent on interrupting our spiritual journey with Jesus. His itinerary doesn’t include rest and relaxation; he wants us to experience as many detours and delays as possible. His ultimate goal is to cause people to depart from the faith. The warning is clear: Watch out for Satan’s efforts to intervene and interrupt God’s plan for your life.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul predicted that some would follow this sad, satanic itinerary. The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:11 Timothy 4:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
4 ¹ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;  

WP-Bible plugin). Beloved, stay in the Word, be in fellowship, stay in tune with God through prayer. Beware of distractions that tear you apart and pull you away from what matters most – our relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for those who have been caught up with the cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches that they stop following the Lord. Be careful yourself that your presence may be here this morning but your heart is so far away from Him.

My prayer is that rather than taking a spiritual detour, you will continue to follow the Lord, to persevere, run the race until we reach the finish line. The time is indeed near. He is coming very soon. And as you follow Christ, may you lead others to the comfort and rest that is found only in Him.