MAN UP – SAMSON & KING DAVID SEXUAL TEMPTATIONS

(Judges 16:1-22; 2 Samuel 11; James 1:2-18)

MEMORY VERSE – JAMES 1:14

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” NLT

BOTTOM LINE:

Samson was born to be God’s vessel used to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. David was a man with God’s heart. However, they both were susceptible to sexual temptations. Samson’s love for women ultimately was his downfall and got him killed. As a King, David had many wives but lusting after another man’s wife caused him many grief even though God forgave him. We are doomed by our own desires. James 1:14 says “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away” NLT if we allow our desires to drag us away, there’s no limit to the magnitude of sin we’ll commit in the process. There’s hope! Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8.

We do have the power and self control in us to stand and resist temptation. We only have to tap into God’s power and He’ll help us get through it.

Men, YOU ARE NOT strong enough on your own to resist the temptation of women but with God, all things are possible. You also are not along. Let’s Man UP and take responsibility and not allow sexual temptations rule over us. We can do when we turn it over to God and let his sanctifying Spirit cleanse us through and through.

CONSEQUENCES OF FAILING TO RESIST TEMPTATION

• Samson lost his power and the presence of the Spirit of the Lord (Judges 16:20)
• Philistines gouged out his eyes (Judges 16:21)
• Died while in the hands of the Philistines (Judges 16:30)
• Failed to accomplish his calling in life
• The child born from the adulterous relationship died (2 Samuel 12:18)
• His son Amnon raped his step sister Tamar (
• His son Absalom attempted to overthrow him and take the Kingdom
• His son slept with one of his wives in public

WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM SAMSON & KING DAVID’S TEMPTATION?

• Temptation of men begins with a thought.
• Men are tempted by what they see (Be careful little eyes what you see) (Judges 14:1-2; 2 Samuel 11:2)
• All it takes is one incident for a great man to fall. (2 Samuel 11:2-3)
• Bad things happen when you’re not where you’re supposed to be. (2 Samuel 11:1)
• The Spirit of the Lord doesn’t stay where there’s sin. (Judges 16:20)
• There are consequences for every sin. (Judges 16:21; 2 Samuel 12)
• Sexual decisions have life-long consequences
• Sex is an awesome thing created by God but will ruin a man if he allows it to control him.
• satan will  use those who are close to you to bring you down. (Judges 16:5)
• No man is above being tempted; Jesus was tempted.
• Lastly, God restores and redeems those who confess (Judges 16:2 Samuel 12)
• Lusting after a woman can get you killed.

HOW SHOULD MEN “MAN UP” TO SEXUAL TEMPTATION?

• Give yourself to God (James 4:7-8)
• Recognize that we are tempted by our own desires (James 1:14-15)
• Recognize sexual sin for what it is – SIN.
• Confess your sin to God for cleansing (1 John 1:9, 2 Samuel 12:13)
• Be accountable to someone you can trust
• Keep your eyes on Christ (John 15:1-7)
• Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23)
• Don’t set yourself up (Rom 13:14; Gal 5:24)
• Consider the consequences of sexual immorality ( 1 Cor 6:9-10, 18; 1 Thes 4:3-7)
• Confess your faults to another friend (James 5:16)
• Ask God and rely on Him for help.
• Walk by the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-18)
• No temptation is too BIG for you to overcome. (I Cor 10:13)

(Judges 16:1-22; 2 Samuel 11; James 1:2-18)

CHEW ON THIS – Take 10 Minutes each day to meditate on these questions?:

• Friday: In what ways are you tempted sexually? (I Corinthians 6:18-20)

• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

• Saturday: Where/Who are the sources of your sexual temptations?

• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

• Sunday: Meditate on ways you can draw closer to God. (James 4:7-8)
• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

• Monday: What Can YOU do to guard your heart and your self against sexual temptation? (Matthew 4)

• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

• Tuesday: What ways can you make provision for your spirit as opposed to the flesh (Rom 13:14; Gal 5:24)

• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

• Wednesday: Is there anyone you can trust to help you deal with temptation?

• _______________________________________________________________________

• _______________________________________________________________________

MAN UP Week 1 - Adam

(Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-25; 3:1-25; Genesis 4:1-2, 5:1-5)

MEMORY VERSE – GENESIS 1:26:

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Profile:

• First man
• Created in the image of God. (Gen 1:26-28)
• Father of humankind (Gen 4:1—2)
• Father of three boys, Cain, Abel  & Seth. (Genesis 4:25)
• A wife made just for him. (Gen 2:23)
• Lived a total of 930 years (Gen 5:5)

GOD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MAN

• Rule over all the earth and its creatures (Gen 1:26)
• Take care of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:15)
• Obey God’s commands (Gen 2:17)
• Name the animals (Gen 2:19)
• Husband to Eve (Gen 2:24)
• …Be fruitful and increase in number…” (Gen 2:28)
• Father to his sons (Gen 4:1-2)

FAILURE TO MAN UP

• Failed test of obedience (Gen 3:17)
• Failed to protect his wife Eve (Gen 3:1-5)
• Failed to acknowledge his wrongdoing (Gen 3:12)
• Failed to be trustworthy (Gen 3:12)
• Failed to take responsibility for his responsibilities (Gen 3:12)

LESSONS LEARNED FROM HIS LIFE

• God wants us to freely choose to follow and obey him out of love.
• Nothing we do is hidden from God
• No excuses for not taking care of our responsibilities (
• MAN UP and be accountable for our failures (Gen 3:12)
• “It is not good for a man to be alone…” (Gen 2:18)
• Satan’s truths are full of lies (eyes open… Gen 3:5)
• You lose part of yourself in marriage to gain a whole (Gen 2:21)
• Every man has a wife being formed by God just for him (Gen 2:22)
• satan uses people who are close to us to tempt us. (Gen 3:6)
• We’re slaves to the one whom we obey (Rom 6:16)
• We’re convicted by our own guilt (Gen 3:8-11)
• Sin separates us from God and we become slave to sin (Gen 3:17-19, 23-24)
• Punishments for disobedience are real (Gen 3:14-19)
• God gives us the ability to choose freely.
• We choose with the consequences in mind.

CHEW ON THIS – Take 10 Minutes each day to meditate on these questions?

• Friday: Disbelief – Disregarding God’s word and believing satan instead (Gen 2:16-17, 3:1-7).
• Meditate on any areas where you deliberately did something against what you know to be God’s will?
• Did you feel any guilt about it?

• Saturday: Disobedience – Acting on personal desire and rejecting God (Gen 3:6)
• What areas of your life do you need to be more obedient to God, your parents and other authority figure?

• Sunday: Father’s Day – Appreciate the special men in your life (Eph 6:1)

• Monday: Responsibility – Taking responsibility for your actions, good, bad or ugly.
• What areas of responsibilities have you neglected to Man Up in?

• Tuesday: Trust – Being trustworthy in every area of life
• Can God, your parents, teachers, friends trust you?

• Wednesday: Lusting – Not being content with what is given and what we have (Genesis 3:6; 1 John 2:17-18; Matthew 4:1-11)
• What areas of your life do you wish you could have more of?

Healthcare is a Scam

First, this is not about Obama's healthcare so sorry to disappoint those who thought that's where this was headed.

Without further adieu... Healthcare is a pain in my foot!!! Let me explain...
I "attempted" to play basketball last night for the first time in at least 9 months. Before I could get through the first game to 15, I hurt what I think is my heel but feels like an Achilles injury. I don't really know what happened. All I think I did was jump. It's weird because that's not generally the foot I jump off with. At the very least, i pulled an "old man" muscle, you know the muscles that only get hurt on an old man. :) Adrenaline takes me through 2 games and I go home a hurt man. The pain is not bad, I just can't walk on it so I figure I'll just go get an X-ray of it in the morning. Here we are this morning and I'm sitting in the waiting room of the walk-in clinic to have an "MD" look at my foot to send me to get an X-ray. And that boys and girls is the gist of my problem with The Healthcare system.
I'm in between primary doctors and decided to go to my wife's primary care physician (no, i'm not talking about her Gyno). After a slow limp from the parking lot, on the elevator and up to her office on the third floor, I find her doors locked. I trot back downstairs to the information desk where the volunteer information specialist has to call a few different places to find out that her office is closed this week. She sends me to outpatient at Physician's Regional (PRMC) on 951. Now, me and PRMC have some bad history but all I need is an X-ray so I again limp inside where the gentleman tells me I need to walk to the other side to be seen. I already know the other side is the ER AND I AM CERTAIN THAT MY FOOT IS NOT AN emergency. So I leave there before PRMC tells me I have a heart condition caused by my hurt foot. That's sarcasm If you missed it but stranger things have happened at PRMC but that's another note all together.

So here I am at my third stop on a bad foot to HAVE A DOCTOR LOOK AT MY FOOT TO REQUEST AN X-RAY AT A LAB SOMEWHERE.

Do I need a person with an MD to tell me I need an X-ray? Thats the problem with the healthcare system. I can't just go to the lab place to get an X-ray. I have to first go to a doctor who will be wise enough to know that it's not BENGAY that I need, it's an X-ray. We could save some $$$ in healthcare cost

*we interrupt this note for an important message*
I'm now sitting inside to be seen by the doctor. But first, the nurse had weigh me, take my blood pressure. Did I mention that all I need is an X-RAY??? Can anyone hear me? I'm surprised my blood pressure didn't spike from the frustration of e situation. Exhale...

Ok, the doctor who happens to be our neighbor just came in and the poor guy had to look and touch my foot. Don't worry people no corns here. :)
Interestingly enough, Doc is recovering from his own old time issues, some kind of hernia operation and has a hard time bending to sit... I guess I can't complain.

There is some good news; this clinic has an X-ray tech so I don't have to go somewhere else to get that done. Praise the Lord for that small blessing!
Now I wait for the XRAY tech...

The verdict is in; I'm getting old! It's a bone spur. There's nothing they do with it right now unless the pain persists.

I'm too much of a tech person but This is 2012, I expect that we have the technology that's capable of allowing me to talk to a doctor over my iPhone, scan my foot and order an X-ray before I even leave the house. I over simplify things I know but certainly there's a happy medium between what I've explained and my tech savvy vision of healthcare.
Do I have a witness somewhere?

P.s. I'm blessed that I'm only physically limping versus mentally limping. That's a blessing that makes me forget about the pain in my foot.

Blessings,
John K Paul, A.P. (aggravated patient)
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