Well I hope and please understand that's because you have no weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Just a lot of strengths and few challenges.
Hmmm...I only partially agree with you Madmax... But thanks for your opinion anyway. Here is my view:
I (like all people IMO) have individual weaknesses and vulnerabilities, but the strength; power and choice to overcome and/or cope/deal with the challenges associated with those weaknesses/vulnerabilities. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
As I’ve shared yesterday, the Bible teaches me:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."To make this clearer to you, I want you to read the following extracts from the book “The Purpose Driven Life” on the chapters on how to grow through and defeat temptation:
[color:"blue"] There are certain situations that
make you more vulnerable to temptation than others. Some circumstances will cause you to stumble almost immediately, while others don’t bother you much.
These situations are unique to your weaknesses, and you need to identify them because Satan surely knows them! He knows exactly what trips you up, and he is constantly working to get you into those circumstances. Peter warns,
”Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.”You should identify your typical pattern of temptation and then prepare to avoid those situations as much as possible. The Bible tells us repeatedly to anticipate and be ready to face temptation. Paul said,
”Don’t give the Devil a chance.” Wise planning reduces temptation. Follow the advice of Proverbs:
”Plan carefully what you do… Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way.” “God’s people avoid evil ways, and they protect themselves by watching where they go.”The Bible guarantees that our cry for help will be heard because Jesus is sympathetic to our struggle. He faced the same temptations we do. He
”understands our weakness, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.”If God is waiting to help us defeat temptation, why don’t we turn to him more often? Honestly, sometimes we don’t
want to be helped! We
want to give in to temptation even though we know it’s wrong. At that moment we think we know what’s best for us more than God does.
At other times we’re embarrassed to ask God for help because we keep giving in to the same temptation over and over. But God never get irritated, bored, or impatient when we keep coming back to him. The Bible says,
”Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.”God’s love is everlasting, and his patience endures forever. If you have to cry out for God’s help two hundred times a day to defeat a particular temptation, he will still be eager to give mercy and grace, so come boldly.
Ask him for the power to do the right thing and then expect him to provide it.
If you’re losing the battle against a persistent bad habit, an addiction, or a temptation, and you’re stuck in a repeating cycle of good intention-failure-guilt, you will not get better on your own! You need the help of other people.
Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner who prays for you, encourages you, and holds you accountable.
God’s plan for your growth and freedom includes other Christians.
Authentic, honest fellowship is the antidote to your lonely struggle against those sins that won’t budge. God says it is the only way you’re gong to break free:
”Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”Do you rally want to be healed of that persistent temptation that keeps defeating you over and over? God’s solution is plain: Don’t repress it; confess it! Don’t conceal it; reveal it. Revealing your feelings is the beginning of healing.
Hiding your hurt only intensifies it. Problems grow in the dark and become bigger and bigger, but when exposed to the light of truth, they shrink. You are only as sick as your secrets.
So take off your mask, stop pretending you’re perfect, and walk into freedom.
Satan wants you to think that your sin and temptation are unique so you must keep them a secret. The truth is, we’re all in the same boat. We all fight the same temptation, and
”all of us have sinned.” Millions have felt what you’re feeling and have faced the same struggles you’re facing right now.
The reason we hide our faults is pride. We want others to think we have everything “under control”. The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life: problems with your finances, marriage, kids, thoughts, sexuality, secret habits, or anything else. If you could handle it on your own, you would have already done so. But you can’t. Willpower and personal resolutions aren’t enough.
Some problems are too ingrained, too habitual, and too big to solve on your own. You need a small group or an accountability partner who will encourage you, support you, pray for you, love you unconditionally, and hold you accountable. Then you can do the same for them.
Realize your vulnerability. God warns us never to get cocky and overconfident; that is the recipe for disaster. Jeremiah said,
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” That means
we are good at fooling ourselves. Given the right circumstances, any of us are capable of any sin. We must never let down our guard and think we’re beyond temptation.
Don’t carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid them. Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than to get out of it. The Bible says,
”Don’t be so naive and self-confidant. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”[/color]
