Several years ago, I was part of a group of women who met each week.  The purpose of the group was accountability to eat healthy and exercise regularly.  As we met each week, we would share how the week had gone. 

Each week our leader “Paula” would ask how we did, and we would go around the room and share our week. After all of us had finished, Paula would speak about her week.  It was as if Paula had a script because each week, she would say the same thing.  “I ate a whole bag of potato chips at one sitting and did not exercise at all.  I ate a whole box of cookies. I did not walk even one block.”

We all tried to encourage Paula to not give in to temptation and to walk just one block during the week. Just start with one block.  Yet, each week Paula’s statement would be the same. 

Several weeks into our group, Paula added to her usual script.  Paula said, “I do not want to be deprived by not having treats in my house.  I want the Holy Spirit to keep me from eating more than four or five chips at a time.” 

During that discussion, I gently asked, “Is it possible that the Holy Spirit is telling you to keep temptations out of your house?” 

What we allow in our house can cause us to never be victorious.

As God’s people, we will always be faced with temptation.  Be very sure that you do not deliberately place yourself in a position to be tempted.  My strongest temptations are probably different from yours. To one, too much alcohol may be the temptation; to another, it may be impure thoughts and acts; to another, greed; to another, criticism and an unloving attitude.  The sooner we get it out of our house, the better we will become at walking in victory.

Ask yourself, “In what area am I tempted most to transgress against God?”  Prepare now to overcome the temptation that will arise again and again. Here are a few suggestions to help us not continually be upended by temptation.

1. Keep a vibrant spiritual life.  Spend a few minutes in the Word of God before starting the day.  Talk to God and ask for his strength to live victorious that dtay.  Sing songs to Him throughout the day.  Stay alive spiritually!
2. Cry out to God immediately! “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” – Psalm 50:15
3. Flee! “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” – 1 Timothy 6:11.  I have kiddingly said that to overcome temptation one needs a twelve-step program.  When you encounter something that God doesn’t want for your life, turn, and walk twelve steps the other way, and twelve more, and twelve more.  The Bible tells us to flee temptation.
4. Have at least two trusted accountability partners.  I have two people that I can tell when I am facing temptation.  Partners should be trustworthy.  “He who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” – Proverbs 11:13. Accountability partners need to be able to tell one another intimate details about their struggles with sin. Don’t be so foolish as to think, “It won’t happen to me.”  Prepare for it not to happen by talking to God and another strong believer. 
5. Develop a plan to make no provision for the flesh. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” – Romans 13:14. Plan now how to overcome tempting situations that you might face. What is my plan to control my temper?  What is my plan to stay faithful to my marriage?  How will I overcome envy?

God called us to live higher than the earthly realm. There is a high cost for low living. You will never regret resisting sin. Know yourself and know your temptations. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. Remember the words of Christ to His disciples in the garden on the night of His betrayal: “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:41

It’s simple to thank God when He does miracles and answers prayers just the way we want them answered. It’s easy to thank Him when we look around and see many blessings in our lives. When our situation seems awful, or we’re struggling through tragedy or hard times, it can seem unbelievable that God is working for our good.

The following is one of my favorite stories about learning to give thanks, probably my favorite!

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of a time she discovered that God was working even in the most horrific circumstances.   Corrie and her sister Betsie had been imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews behind the wall of their Holland home, and Nazi prison conditions pretty well unbearable.

Corrie writes:  “Barracks 8 was in the quarantine compound. Next to us–perhaps as a deliberate warning to newcomers–were located the punishment barracks. From there, all day long and often into the night, came the sounds of hell itself. They were not the sounds of anger, or of any human emotion, but of a cruelty altogether detached: blows landing in regular rhythm, screams keeping pace. We would stand in our ten-deep ranks with our hands trembling at our sides, longing to jam them against our ears, to make the sounds stop.

“It grew harder and harder. Even within these four walls there was too much misery, too much seemingly pointless suffering. Every day something else failed to make sense, something else grew too heavy.”

Yet, in the midst of the suffering, the women prisoners around Corrie and Betsie found comfort in the little Bible studies they held in the barracks. Corrie writes they gathered around the Bible “like waifs clustered around a blazing fire…The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God.”

When they were moved to Barracks 28, Corrie was horrified by the fact that their reeking, straw-bed platforms swarmed with fleas. How could they live in such a place?   It was Betsie who discovered God’s answer:  “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.”   That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. “Give thanks in all circumstances!”  That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’

“I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room…”

They thanked God for the fact they were together. They thanked God they had a Bible. They even thanked God for the horrible crowds of prisoners, that more people would be able to hear God’s Word. And then, Betsie thanked God for the fleas.

“The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

‘”Give thanks in all circumstances,”‘ she quoted.  “It doesn’t say, “in pleasant circumstances.”  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”

“And so we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.”    It turned out that Betsie was not wrong; the fleas were a nuisance, but a blessing after all. The women were able to have Bible studies in the barracks with a great deal of freedom, never bothered by supervisors coming in and harassing them. They finally discovered that it was the fleas that kept those supervisors out.

Through those fleas, God protected the women from abuse and harassment.  Dozens of desperate women were free to hear the comforting, hope-giving Word of God.  Through those fleas, God protected the women from much worse things and made sure they had their deepest, truest needs met.

We all have “fleas” in our lives. We all have those things that we can see no use for, things that are obviously horrible, unpleasant, painful things that we want gone.  No life is free of “fleas.”   We all have aggravations, inconveniences and pain.  If God can use fleas to protect Corrie and Betsie, He is fully capable of using difficult things to bless us.  God does care; God is working even when we are uncomfortable with or disappointed with life.   As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, lets thank God for His constant care and provision, and for His hidden blessings that come in ways we can easily overlook.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18

There are periods during the day or night that my world spins.  Literally, it spins. 

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo has been a problem for me on and off for years.  WebMD describes it quite accurately. “Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is an inner-ear disorder that is the most common cause of vertigo, a very specific kind of dizziness that makes you feel as if the room is spinning around you.”

One day, as I was getting out of my car, I tilted my head too far down and suddenly the world around me began to spin.  As I stood, my whole world was suddenly circling out of control.  I quickly grabbed my car door to steady myself, and I was thankful for the strength it gave me during the spinning.  That firm grip kept me steadfast even though the world around me was spinning out of control.  My door became my anchor.

Life can get incredibly challenging.  Have you ever gone to bed needing a good night’s sleep, only to have your spinning world keep you awake? A phone call that day that threw you for a loop. The unexpected repair for the car is way more than you can afford.  You think about what is going on in the family, and it throws you off balance.  As you recall stories of the unrest and violence in the land, fear begins to take over your mind.  You just want to scream, “STOP!”

There are times that it seems we are on a merry-go-round, and we can’t get off.  I choose to change my focus and call it a mercy-go-round.  I cry out to God amid all the spinning and ask for His mercy and His peace.  I hold firmly to Him when my world is whirling out of my control.

There is a verse that I grab hold of quite often.  Romans 8:34 says, “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” 

Most of us have heard that verse many times, but I want you to stop and imagine the scene. For example, let’s suppose I just lost my job, and my world is spinning.  I grab hold of Romans 8:34 and envision Jesus sitting by the Father.  Jesus says, “Barbara lost her job today, and her world is spinning.  She is on the mercy-go-round and needs a fresh dose of mercy.  Father, I am asking You to work all things together for her good.”

It does not get any better than Jesus, the Son of God, praying for us. 

Beloved, I don’t know what is causing your world to spin today.  Maybe you are holding on for dear life and wondering when the rollercoaster ride of ups and downs is going to stop. I encourage you to take hold of Christ to find calm in the middle of any situation.

God’s world never spins out of control.  He is never dizzy over situations. He is never bewildered.   When your world suddenly begins to spin, quickly reach out and grab hold of the Anchor.  He will keep you steadfast when your world is spinning.  His mercy-go-round eclipses your merry-go-round!

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

Amazing to me is that we actually have people who make a living by being an “influencer.”  An influencer can persuade other people, for example their followers on social media, to do, buy, or use the same things they do. They get paid or are given free products in exchange for doing this. Sign me up! 

Some business sites have even categorized influencers:

• 1,000–10,000 followers = Nano-influencer
• 10,000–50,000 followers = Micro-influencer
• 50,000–500,000 followers = Mid-tier influencer
• 500,000–1,000,000 followers = Macro-influencer
• 1,000,000+ followers = Mega-influencers

Though it is not my cup of tea, the fact is, it pays to be an influencer. How the influencer reviews a product can have a direct bearing on people being interested in the product.

The New Testament is full of “influencers” who gave Jesus a great review. 

In his review of Jesus, John the Baptist declared Him “the Lamb of God,” a statement that heavily influenced Andrew and John. That influence along with an invitation from Jesus to follow Him, caused their lives to be changed forever. They gave Jesus a great review by their words and their lives. John the Baptist, Andrew, and John became influencers.

The Apostle Paul lived a deeply religious life, always playing by the rules.  His first encounters with Christians did not go very well. In fact, Paul led campaigns to destroy Christians, but Paul had a divine encounter on the road to Damascus. The story is recorded in Acts chapter nine. Paul was influenced so powerfully by the Holy Spirit that Paul himself became one of the greatest influencers in the kingdom of God. Paul influenced thousands by setting up churches and sharing Jesus. He is still influencing millions through his writings found in the New Testament. His life left a great review for Jesus. Paul became an influencer.

Acts chapter sixteen tells us of a woman named Lydia who lived in a male-dominated society, yet she had a successful business selling purple cloth. Affluent people would purchase purple cloth, so Lydia must have been well connected for her to be successful in this trade. At some point, someone influenced Lydia to become a Christ-follower. The Bible records that Lydia and her entire household were baptized. She later hosted Paul and his helpers in her home, which made it easy for them to spread the gospel. She had a house church it seems. Her life left a great review for Jesus. Lydia became an influencer.

Thank God for the many influencers whose stories are recorded in God’s Word. They were ordinary people who allowed an extraordinary God to change them and use them.

The question for God’s people today is: are we influencers or influencees? Am I an influencer or an influncee? Who is influencing whom?

God has saved us and has empowered us to become influencers. We read the stories in scripture and too often we forget that these were ordinary people. God uses ordinary people like you and me to star in extraordinary “God stories.”  We get to be in real-life narratives that tell of the life-changing, sustaining work He has done in our lives. My life has been changed by powerful influencers who modeled and taught me to be sold out to Jesus Christ.

Are you someone who is an influencer or an influencee (one influenced by others)? Today is the day to change the mindset of influencee and become an influencer. 

Our Lord and Savior has called us to be the influencers. The values, the mindset, the love we have received from Him are to be used to shape those around us. An influencer for Christ is one who declares, “I am going to give Jesus Christ a great review, by the words of my mouth and the actions of my life.”

The Apostle Paul informed us that we are Christ’s ambassadors. Let’s be loving in a mean world. Let’s be gentle in a harsh society.  Let’s be bold in our faith when we are often encouraged to keep quiet. Let’s make a meal for the one in need.  There are so many ways to leave a great review for Jesus. Be an influencer.

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19-20) “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)