Temptation
*omit if not age appropriate
"But Peter and the apostles said in reply, We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
"Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him." James 1:12
"Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41
"No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarily been tested in every way, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:14-15
Temptation is when you are drawn to something or someone and you have a desire to do something (usually something evil or sinful) because you think that there is a pleasure or an advantage in finally getting the thing you want. During your lifetime on earth, it is as if you are on an island surrounded by temptation. When you are faced with temptation, God gives you the freedom to choose how you will react. And the only sure way for us to not give in to sin is for us to "put out" that temptation while it is just a thought. For sinful thoughts later become sinful actions. Your sin will always find you out or come back to you. Even if no one here on earth sees you commit your sin, God sees it. You can't hide any sin from God no matter how clever you think you are. And you will have to give an accounting to God one day when you die. So you have to have the power to overcome temptation before it turns into sin.
Life is a series of choices and you are faced with them daily. Things we choose are the things that are the most important to us. If we don't think about our lives and decide and clarify what's most important to us, we'll end up wasting it. We will face many temptations in life. God allows us the freedom to choose how we respond. We can overcome temptation with God's help. The Devil, also know as Satan, is the enemy. He exists all around us and especially can show up the closer you get to God. He roams around like a fierce lion. God gives you the escape route, but you have to move yourself away from the tempting situation. Are you willing to serve and worship God only? You can either do what others want you to do or do what God wants. We may get laughed at or put down but that shouldn't stop us from doing what we know is the right thing to do. God's ways are much higher than ours, Just shrug and say "Who cares what they think?" as God will give you the strength to stand up and be a witness to God. It makes God happy when we choose Him and His ways over what the world says. God's ways are so different than the world's ways. Something might seem right on the surface, and evil too often appears as good. But it's really lies that may seem like the truth to you.
At first temptation whispers, "Come get me. You will love what I have to offer. I will make you happy and satisfy your needs." But then later that same temptation will call out to you, saying, "Look at you. You're worthless. You're weak. You're pathetic. You are nothing but a loser." Temptation is like poison covered in candy coating. We know it is better to avoid things that will harm us. Sin will harm us but sometimes it is not easy to see sin for what it is. Like the forbidden fruit that Eve was tempted to eat, sin may look "pleasant to the eyes" and may satisfy our desires, but it is not good for us. So how do we overcome temptation? Run away from it.. Turn your eyes when you see it coming. Call on the Lord.
Sometimes the biggest sins start out very small. You might think, "I'll just go along for the ride. I'm not going to do anything." Then you end up being part of some criminal activity with your buddies. Or maybe you think, "I can handle myself. I know when to quit." And then you end up in a situation too deep, unable to quit even though down deep you want to. Temptation is like fire. And if you play with fire, you are going to get burned and lead to a blazing fire, destroying everything in its path. You can get deeper and deeper into sin and farther and farther away from God.
*This world and the people in it encourages us to cover up sin and evil. We try to cover up the sin of alcoholism and drug use by calling it a "disease" or an "addiction." If we fornicate or commit adultery and become pregnant, we try to cover up our sin by having an abortion so that we can kill our baby, and the world has given us the legal right to do so. If you want to disobey God's standards of what a normal relationship is and instead have a homosexual relationship, the world helps you to cover it up by calling it an "alternative lifestyle."
Sin carries with it a price that you do not want to have to pay! For example, a person who commits a crime may ask for and receive forgiveness from God, yet still have to serve the sentence given by the courtroom judge. And you will have to live with the choice you made. Do you sit and ponder whether you can get away with something and about how fun the sin will be? If so, it is no wonder that you struggle and give in to temptation. You need to put God and your relationship with God first! If you do, you will not be so likely to fall when you are tempted. There may be some people that you need to stop spending time with. There might be a hobby or pursuit that you need to quit doing. *Maybe you have a computer that is making you stumble. Remember, sometimes just one look is all it takes. So be cautious about where you set your eyes, and be on guard so that you can overcome temptation and lust.
Jesus is our example of how to overcome temptation. Jesus was tempted as we are but he never sinned.
No matter what the ungodly are telling you what to think and do, it is better to stand up for Jesus and the truth of God's word. God will show you the truth and counsel you and let you see the difference between lies and the real truth. You need to be on guard and recognize if something is of God or of Satan. Remember Christ in you is greater than Satan in the world. Many times you'll want to give in to how you feel, even thinking it's not that bad because it seems "everyone" is doing it. You can be easily fooled that something seems alright because Satan has a way of disguising it.
Instead of going by what you feel, you should go with what God says to do in His Word. You need to react against what you feel is the natural thing to do. You might feel that you should lie so you don't get into trouble, take something you want that is not yours, or say mean things because someone said mean things to you. Instead, you need to love your enemies, bless those who persecute or hurt you, turn the other cheek. Satan loves to tempt you to do things you shouldn't, but you can pray to Jesus to help you since he knows what it is like to be tempted. You need to walk in His ways and be firmly grounded in His Word. And let me warn you, this is usually not the easiest or most popular place to be. In fact, most of the time, it is difficult. That is why you must be prepared or sin will conquer. So don't walk down the wrong path and come under bad influence. If you ask God to help you, He will help you escape temptation and do the right thing. May God help you to make the right choice!
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Faith Lessons for our children to teach God's values and standards. Guidelines for parents in their role as primary educators and gatekeepers of the home when faced by negative pressures by their children and other parents. We need to communicate the Catholic faith to the next generation so it takes hold and endures. Our role is basically to assist the Holy Spirit's transforming work. Our kids deserve the fullness of our Catholic faith (our roots) and wings to allow them to fly!
Ask Yourself These Questions
Do you bring up God in your day-to-day living experiences to your kids? Are we raising kids who are transfixed by handheld devices all the time with no communal activities? Would you invite some of the performers of the music that your child may listen to into your family room? Have you taken the time to teach your children the virtues of purity and that their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, or did you instead choose to teach your children about condoms, birth control, and safe sex? Do you, by example and words, stress a Godly attitude towards drinking and drugs, or are you waiting for some school program to give your child a "just say no" lesson? Do you keep your children accountable to you as their parent and guardian, or are you more interested in trying to be their best friend and get them to like you? Does your home live by the words in Joshua "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" or have you left your children to find their own way in this world full of temptations, sins, and evil?
Be different from your parents and don’t skirt the moral questions. It is proven that parents have the greatest impact on whether kids engage in premarital sex, smoke, get tattoos or partake in other risky behaviors. Yet parents often remain mum on these topics. The more that kids are barraged with information from the Internet, from media, and from electronic devices they’re plugged into, the smaller the circle of voices they trust.
The perfect time to talk to your child about drugs is when you think they're too young to talk about using drugs. Talk to your child before someone else does. So too, we must initiate our children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith and teach them the morals and values of our faith. It can be such an awesome duty to help them grow in faith by the witness of a Catholic life in keeping with the Gospel. The great principles of God are to be taught, practiced and cultivated in the home by us, their primary educators.
Let them see how your faith affects every aspect of your life and how Jesus Christ is your compass in making the moral decisions in your life. It means your faith is not just being a Sunday Catholic and not just something that you do but how you live, so much a part of your life so that you can’t help but bring it up at the dinner table. You end up talking about what happened in the news or praying for people who are sick and hurting.
If you want your kids and their friends to be in your company, stock the fridge with food, schedule game or movies nights for them, create an inviting fun atmosphere.
To make Mass more of a time that they get to go to church rather than have to go, try asking your kids what they thought of the Sunday homily. Ask them what they might have said about the Gospel if they’d given the homily that day.
It means not giving into letting a child have a TV or computer in their room but in a common area that is supervised. We also should be attending to what, and how much, electronic entertainment kids consume: TV, movies, music, video games, web activity...there's pluggedin.com and Godtube as alternative tools!
Tell your kids why you refuse to buy their clothing from Abercrombie & Fitch (with their advertising of models barely clothed). at the very least they’ll respect you for your point of view.
We must respect our children's faith journeys. However, while we can do many things for our children, we have to let them find their own way to God, even if means watching them try things we ourselves have tried and know lead to dead ends, even after they leave home. In their very real struggles to find God, the nourishment they need is from you. So live your faith out loud. Live it openly at home so your children catch it, learn it,will ask about, and grow in it. That’s how faith gets in them!
"My son, if your heart be wise, my own heart also will rejoice; And my inmost being will exult, when your lips speak what is right." Proverbs 23:15-16
Be different from your parents and don’t skirt the moral questions. It is proven that parents have the greatest impact on whether kids engage in premarital sex, smoke, get tattoos or partake in other risky behaviors. Yet parents often remain mum on these topics. The more that kids are barraged with information from the Internet, from media, and from electronic devices they’re plugged into, the smaller the circle of voices they trust.
The perfect time to talk to your child about drugs is when you think they're too young to talk about using drugs. Talk to your child before someone else does. So too, we must initiate our children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith and teach them the morals and values of our faith. It can be such an awesome duty to help them grow in faith by the witness of a Catholic life in keeping with the Gospel. The great principles of God are to be taught, practiced and cultivated in the home by us, their primary educators.
Let them see how your faith affects every aspect of your life and how Jesus Christ is your compass in making the moral decisions in your life. It means your faith is not just being a Sunday Catholic and not just something that you do but how you live, so much a part of your life so that you can’t help but bring it up at the dinner table. You end up talking about what happened in the news or praying for people who are sick and hurting.
If you want your kids and their friends to be in your company, stock the fridge with food, schedule game or movies nights for them, create an inviting fun atmosphere.
To make Mass more of a time that they get to go to church rather than have to go, try asking your kids what they thought of the Sunday homily. Ask them what they might have said about the Gospel if they’d given the homily that day.
It means not giving into letting a child have a TV or computer in their room but in a common area that is supervised. We also should be attending to what, and how much, electronic entertainment kids consume: TV, movies, music, video games, web activity...there's pluggedin.com and Godtube as alternative tools!
Tell your kids why you refuse to buy their clothing from Abercrombie & Fitch (with their advertising of models barely clothed). at the very least they’ll respect you for your point of view.
We must respect our children's faith journeys. However, while we can do many things for our children, we have to let them find their own way to God, even if means watching them try things we ourselves have tried and know lead to dead ends, even after they leave home. In their very real struggles to find God, the nourishment they need is from you. So live your faith out loud. Live it openly at home so your children catch it, learn it,will ask about, and grow in it. That’s how faith gets in them!
"My son, if your heart be wise, my own heart also will rejoice; And my inmost being will exult, when your lips speak what is right." Proverbs 23:15-16
Followers
Purpose of my blog
- What are parents to do?
- When I was putting together my webpage, catholicresourcepages, I found that there are no real Catholic devotions online. After finishing Jeff Cavins Great Adventure Bible Study, reading up on the catechism, and other resources, I decided to write posts on catechism topics like sexuality, the deadly sins and heavenly virtues, the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit and other everyday themes of life. When we school our kids in the faith, point our kids toward heaven, pray for them and release them into God's hands, our children will be able to grow into the people they were called to be and less likely fall away from going to Mass and slip spiritually. Fight back with my Faith Lessons so you can teach them the why's instead of just the don'ts...to help parents be armed with talking the faith during family prayer time...your kids will be listening even if you think they aren't since you'll be planting the seeds for them for the future! Thanks for visiting and guiding your child in truth. My hope is your kids will ask for them (when really it is the family togetherness that they are longing for).
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