focusing on the wrong thing?

I have begun reading a book by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley called "The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham". It is a great book so far and is full of very helpful points for leaders in all sectors of society not just church.

If you do not know who Billy Graham is it would be well worth you doing a quick google search to find out a bit about him. He is the most remarkable man who has faithfully served Jesus for over 50 yrs and the book explores what made this possible, aside from God's grace of course, when so many of his contemporaries sadly did not make the distance.

In chapter three it tells some of the safe guards that along with his colleagues he put in place to ensure that he would not bring disrepute to the name of Jesus. In the section on dealing with temptation and application to today's leader gives some very good advice.

However this chapter along with the seminars that Rachel and I heard delivered by Sy Rogers at a recent conference we were attending got me thinking about how we Christians (and we are all guilty of it to some degree or another) deal with the issue of temptations and often act as if they are not there, even pretending before God in prayer that we do not struggle as if God can be fooled by our words.

When I read the Psalms I see how David just laid it all before the Lord in prayer he did not hide his emotions or feelings. I read of David's friendship with Jonathan and it is hard not to see how they shared a such a close friendship that they both knew how each other felt and the struggles they faced.

When it comes to temptation the best thing to do is to bring it into the light that way it cannot fester in the dark and develop into something that it should not, the more we dwell on it the great chance of giving in and giving birth to sin...if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). I'm sure many of us have confessed our sin to God yet we still struggle, and we always will! That is why I guess Jame encourages us to confess our sin one to another (James 5:16) so that someone can pray with us and for us and ask us how it is going with whatever may be the struggle at that time.

But here is another thought instead of focusing on beating whatever temptation we face and thereby giving more attention to it, submit to God and as the writer of Hebrews says fix your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2). I guess in the battle against sin and giving in to temptation (temptation is not sin - sin the the result of giving in to that temptation which distracts us from living the way that God designed) it comes down to which do we want more sin which ultimately distroys and steal the abundant life that Jesus gives or a fruitful peace filled life serving Jesus the way that we were designed.

I know which one I want more and the friendships that I have in place to hold me to account on to way that I live, living for Jesus is to important to mess around with.

I will do all that I can to create the kind of Christian community that Jesus has called us to be. The kind of place where people come as they are but are changed because of the grace and redeeming power of the gospel and the demonstartion of changed lives before them. A place where people are honest and real about the struggles they face but a place where no walks alone and no one is lonely. Sounds like a tall order but maybe then we may begin to represent the kingdom of God.

Till next time...