bible lesson
HOW TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION AND LIVE VICTORIOUSLY
Unity interprets Suggested Reading: Matt. 4:1-11.
a living
LESSON Prepared by Mary Mae Oesch
attention and faith away from evil and toward God-God dwelling within us, helping us to lift up our desires, making us pure and good. Prayer strengthens our efforts at mental discipline. Every time we say no to some enticement, we are better able to say no the next time temptation taps us on the shoulder. But denial of evil in all its guises is only a portion of our substitution program. Jesus did not stop with re-' jecting the lure of selfish thoughts.... He turned at once to the thought of worshiping arid serving only the God ' of love. So do we, with God's help, meet fear with courage, substitute love for resentment, replace anger" with understanding forgiveness. The same process of substitution applies to any situation. Relying on God's help, we can always replace negative; thoughts with positive ones, and unworthy pursuits with constructive" \ activity. ;
worthy desires. It is not merely "under our nose," but in our head. Jesus had received full under-' The only dependable way to overstanding of man'SVindwelling spiri- come temptation is to follow the tual power, and the time had come pattern that Jesus set for us. Jesus' when He must "decide upon the method was one of substitution. To course of His life. How could He best substitute is to put one thing in place make use of His tremendous spiritual of another. Paul phrased it: "Overdiscoveries? He went alone into an come evil with good." uninhabited region. For forty days But how? First we must have the He fasted and 'brayed*. When He was desire: to think and do what is right.; quite hungry, it occurred to Him If we sincerely want to overcome that Hes,could use God's power to some harmful habit, we shall try to transform the stones at His feet into stay out of temptation's way. To bread. But j.esus was'quick to reject purposely frequent places where we the temptation to use spiritual" know temptation will be strong, or power,for selfish purposes, and He' to seek voluntarily the company of recalled Moses' scriptural advice that those who encourage us in wrongman should not live by bread-alone. ' doing—this is to go along with the Later...the thought carne to Jesus old joke that says, "Get thee behind Questions arid Answers that He could be divinely protected me, Satan, and push harder." It is from harm, even'if He were to jump acting before we think, and showing i How do we define, temptation ? from a heightisuth as the "pinnacle that we do not truly desire to change : 'Anything that causes us to think, of the temple." Such a dramatic ex- for the better. Then, if we succumb, feel, or act as if we were, separate and perience would command the admi- the joke ceases to be funny.. apart from G6d,-the All-Good. ration .of many people. 'BuQe^s™ So does it not make sense, at tlae •How do \ye explain the "devil" 'WnHte,di'bh*rt*''TO'em .' r f l T ^ t . . *' " O *""* -^ *"* * r» F* Fci»-*i r-\ tn ti'trri t o CT1 1 H - referred to in Scripture? ' : f he Devil, Satan—these are sirnpiy ''hdeospTptdd'Fpower : ,.•• - .1: "v., : ">.(• •':-•:-.'•.",.••,.• ,;,;
Unity interprets Suggested Reading: Matt. 4:1-11.
a living
LESSON Prepared by Mary Mae Oesch
attention and faith away from evil and toward God-God dwelling within us, helping us to lift up our desires, making us pure and good. Prayer strengthens our efforts at mental discipline. Every time we say no to some enticement, we are better able to say no the next time temptation taps us on the shoulder. But denial of evil in all its guises is only a portion of our substitution program. Jesus did not stop with re-' jecting the lure of selfish thoughts.... He turned at once to the thought of worshiping arid serving only the God ' of love. So do we, with God's help, meet fear with courage, substitute love for resentment, replace anger" with understanding forgiveness. The same process of substitution applies to any situation. Relying on God's help, we can always replace negative; thoughts with positive ones, and unworthy pursuits with constructive" \ activity. ;
worthy desires. It is not merely "under our nose," but in our head. Jesus had received full under-' The only dependable way to overstanding of man'SVindwelling spiri- come temptation is to follow the tual power, and the time had come pattern that Jesus set for us. Jesus' when He must "decide upon the method was one of substitution. To course of His life. How could He best substitute is to put one thing in place make use of His tremendous spiritual of another. Paul phrased it: "Overdiscoveries? He went alone into an come evil with good." uninhabited region. For forty days But how? First we must have the He fasted and 'brayed*. When He was desire: to think and do what is right.; quite hungry, it occurred to Him If we sincerely want to overcome that Hes,could use God's power to some harmful habit, we shall try to transform the stones at His feet into stay out of temptation's way. To bread. But j.esus was'quick to reject purposely frequent places where we the temptation to use spiritual" know temptation will be strong, or power,for selfish purposes, and He' to seek voluntarily the company of recalled Moses' scriptural advice that those who encourage us in wrongman should not live by bread-alone. ' doing—this is to go along with the Later...the thought carne to Jesus old joke that says, "Get thee behind Questions arid Answers that He could be divinely protected me, Satan, and push harder." It is from harm, even'if He were to jump acting before we think, and showing i How do we define, temptation ? from a heightisuth as the "pinnacle that we do not truly desire to change : 'Anything that causes us to think, of the temple." Such a dramatic ex- for the better. Then, if we succumb, feel, or act as if we were, separate and perience would command the admi- the joke ceases to be funny.. apart from G6d,-the All-Good. ration .of many people. 'BuQe^s™ So does it not make sense, at tlae •How do \ye explain the "devil" 'WnHte,di'bh*rt*''TO'em .' r f l T ^ t . . *' " O *""* -^ *"* * r» F* Fci»-*i r-\ tn ti'trri t o CT1 1 H - referred to in Scripture? ' : f he Devil, Satan—these are sirnpiy ''hdeospTptdd'Fpower : ,.•• - .1: "v., : ">.(• •':-•:-.'•.",.••,.• ,;,;
