Every Child of God must learn that we are in a spiritual process of spiritual growth and this is a lifetime process. Only God can teach us to let go of this world and to quit yielding our members over to sin as the devil comes to temp us, as Christians. The Bible teaches us that we are tempted of our own lust, James1:14. When a Christian is tempted, it is up to us to learn to say no to the devil and take a spiritual stand in our times of temptation, and tell the devil no, no, no, I am not going to yield myself to sin. Many Christians do not realize it but taking a stand against sinning, is the beginning of our spiritual growth and is to become a natural way of life for every Child of God. Your spiritual growth depends on you learning not to yield to temptations when the devil brings them unto you. In your learning to say no, gives you a victory, every time and you are launched forward in your walk with God because of your obedience, of passing the test while you were being tempted. Satan comes to ruin you, as he brings strong temptations at many times, this being His way to get you to sin. However though in your not knowing it when you say no to the devil when he temps and try's you. You gain and begin to grow up spiritually and are spiritually launched forward by the Spirit of God, in your walk with God. There are times in every Christian's life where someone at some point or time sins and falls short, as a Son or Daughter and is tempted of the devil. You might not want to admit it or want to share it with anyone, but God, yet it is all-true. We learn from our mistakes, don't we, at least many of us do. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE I have been saved for many years and down through the years I have been tempted many times, by the devil. The truth is that I never always passed the test as Satan tempted me. My shame brought me to an altar of prayer, every time I ever failed God and sinned. Truthfully this Flesh is weak, many of us miss it at times but not every time, we learn to take a spiritual stand for God and the teachings of His Word and, we learn from our mistakes. We grow up spiritually when we say no to sin. It is embracing to know that I have sinned before God and myself. When I've missed the mark, when in a time of being tried and tempted, I was ashamed and learned to make my mind up that I am not going to fail God any more, I'm going to pass the tests of life and all the temptations of Satan, I'm going to win. I realize that God is my strength. I also know that I must pick up myself and continue my walk with God and in faith Believing that when I repent that God has forgiven me of all of my sins and begin serving Him as scriptures teach me. To serve God with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength. This is how we continue to grow up spiritually and learn to walk before God as a Vessel of Holiness. We learn from our failures and spiritual disappointments. I cannot continue in life yielding myself to temptations, which turn into sins. If I want to please God and you too my Dear Reading Friend, we must learn to have the mind of Christ Jesus and quote the devil the Word of God and learn to speak the Word No, up out of our mouth and say no Satan to his temptations when he comes to tempt us. We do not have to go backwards, we can grow to go forward. We can walk in victory by learning to become, sincere, faithful, honest, and truth-fully determined to serve God as a Vessel of Holiness, no matter what, with a made up mind. When I first gave my life to God, I never knew that I would have to learn to grow past these spiritual truths. I never knew that I was going to be tempted of the devil and fail God and sin. I never knew that all through the years of my life that I was always going to be tempted by the temptations of the devil and many of these temptations were going to be strong, in their trying me. Even though I have been saved for many years that I would fail God and sin, in a time of being t
About the Author: My name is Pastor Luke L. Chapman. I haven't always been a preacher, quite the contrary. When I was a young teenager everyone always said: "Boy what a good kid Luke is. He is a wonderful young man." Because of a stepfather that had no love for me, my clothes were packed for me and placed on the front porch on Christmas morning. Arrangements were already made for a near friend to pick me up to take me to my real dad's home. This became a cycle unto me. I learned soon to take flight in life, realizing I'm on my own. I was kicked out of school for truancy, failure to want to go to school and to learn. This started a foundation for my life, for my ongoing future. My new friends taught me how to smoke, drink, and cuss and to tell lies. I graduated to smoking weed and using cocaine. I never drank or used cocaine on a regular basis. I just started on weekends or invited parties. I got married and had a Child when I was 21 years old. But, with a lifestyle of drinking, spending money in bars and not on bills or in my home, I soon went through a divorce. Does this sound familiar, like today's youths? At this time, now I'm remarried my wife and I are both cocaine addicts. My wife smoked weed? I sold weed and cocaine to supply our habits. My wife left me one day. I was arrested the same day and put in jail. In jail, I bowed my knees on the floor in my cell. I was the only one there that day. I called upon Jesus and was saved and sent to North Central Correctional Institution. I never thought anyone cared. But I was so wrong. What was meant for evil for me, God changed for the good. Prison became My Bible College. Prison was where God counseled me about my morals. God taught me about being a good husband, a good father unto my Children and how a preacher must live and act. I served six and a half years in prison to learn not do use drugs, not to walk through life aimlessly. I learned my lesson. God raised me up to be a preacher in prison. Prison was my lifesaver. Wow, what a statement one might say! The reason prison was my lifeline was I could have graduated to the other side of life... Six Feet Down. I almost did! I had a heart attack, just before I was sent to prison, from smoking crack cocaine. I almost died. Your Friend... The Harley Davidson Preacher Man Luke L. Chapman Gods Vision... A Ministry of Fire For information contact THE VILLAGE CARPENTER PUBLISHING HOUSE, PO Box 133, Lakeview, Ohio 43331 USA or see TheVillageCarpenter.info