The Temptations

Last night at ONEyouth God definitely showed up. Like His actually presence was in the room dealing with our hearts, and bringing us closer to himself.
The message last night was about temptations.
The Temptations were a great band in the 1960's, with chart topping hits coming out right and left. This band was the stuff back then with their good looks and choreographed moves, they had a huge fan based and all the girls loved them. they have stuck around for a long time, the songs are still listened to on radio and in many movie soundtracks. The temptations seem to not want to leave, they are just so good.
One of their most recognized songs starts out with, I know you want to leave me, but I refuse to let you go!
We talk last night about how so many times we have temptations in our life, that seem so good, they stick around for years, we know that God wants us to leave them behind, but we refuse to let them go.

We took a look at James as we have been walking through the entire book. James 1:13-18 was our passage last night.
He talks about how we cannot say that it is God that tempts us but only have ourselves to blame. We fall to temptation because of the desire that is in our heart for it.
So many times in our walk things come into our life like lust, doubt, and greed that we really don't want there. But time after time we say that we can deal with it on our own. But trying to take care of it on our own doesn't replace the desire for it inside of us. Temptation is never satisfied it always wants more, it is always looking for more.

It is not until we cut out the desire for evil, and replace it with the desire for God that our problem leaves us.
God doesn't want us to keep temporally filling up on our desire for those things, but instead he would want us to fill up with desire after him which never ends and never runs out. We need to replace the temporary with the eternal.
Temptation effects everyone.
What do we truly desire in our lives?

Temptation for evil will continue until we learn to replace it for the desire of god things.
I believe we can all overcome our temptations and grow in desire of more of God.

fixer-upper

So the past few days Kristen and I have been looking at houses on the internet, dreaming and hoping that soon we will be able to have our very own home.
Now girls always have seemed to dream about their wedding day right?
Well I have always dreamed of buying a fixer-upper or building my own. I always thought it would be amazing to build my own home with my Dad, like he and my grandpa did years ago with our first home. But I have realized that is probably better to just get a fixer-upper.
So as the two of us have been looking and dreaming and searching and figuring out what is affordable and have been praying for God to show us where and when, a thought dropped into my spirit this morning. I am a lot like that house that I have always wanted.
I am a fixer-upper. I have a good foundation, just like a good fixer-upper. I now how to stand on God's word, I know that he is the most important thing in my life. It's what people look at when searching for homes. If the foundation is messed up then its not worth it. If I don't have God at my foundation then trying to be good and live good isn't really worth anything.
I have an okay exterior. I might forget to shave from time to time but over all I look have decent, I could lose some weight, but I try to wear clothes that fit. A fixer-upper has an okay exterior as well. Maybe it needs a paint job but it is sealed and watertight. We need to have a good exterior a good protection of the Holy Spirit or else things will get inside that shouldn't be there.
But see on the inside there are still some major issues, and also some minor ones. Any fixer-upper that you look at usually has a handful of minor issues that can be fixed and then there are those major issues, a wall needs to be moved, electrical needs to be fixed, plumbing redone. What ever it maybe be a fixer-upper has things that need to be fix and redone.

I am a fixer-upper.

I have some minor issues on the inside that are easy to fix, anger, my thoughts, actions, relationships.
But then there are some bigger issues: sin, hardness of the heart at times, faithlessness, doubt.

See when looking at the inside of the house, its the big fixes and problems that we look at. It's what sways us from wanting the house to saying no thats to much to fix, to much money, can't get enough return on it.

The awesome thing about being a fixer-upper is that God is like me. He loves a good fixer-upper! He relishes for a new one to come onto the market.

But the best thing is that those big issues that we have, that turn most people away. He says. "that's an easy fix."
See most of our big problems have already been fixed before he enters our house, he paid for those big rapirs like sin and doubt and faithlessness a long time ago with Jesus dieing on the Cross. God takes what we see as big problems and works on them until they are no more.

In some cases those problems take a little while to fix. Like sin. Sometimes the house isn't willing to let all of it go so God has to wait until the house is willing to let that problem get fixed.

I am a fixer-upper.
I think we are all fixer-uppers in the market of life.

When was the last time you let God fix your house?
what have you been holding on to because it feels good, that doesn't belong in there?

I pray that you let Jesus buy your house today.
I pray that as God continues to fix my house, may he also fix your house.
I pray that when construction of our house is taking place we are like Tim Allen and ask for more power!! ARRRarrrrrARRRRRR