How Not To Snatch Defeat From the Jaws
of Victory, Part 3
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: How Not To Snatch Defeat
From the Jaws of Victory, Part 3----------------- Date: 6/08/2000
Keywords:
"defeat" "strength"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Passages: Philippians 4:13,
Philippians 1:12-14*
4:13. I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me.
1:12. Now I want you to know, brethren, that my
circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
13. so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well
known throughout the whole praetorian guard [elite group of Roman guards] and to everyone
else,
14. and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of
my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
Questions
1. Where was Paul when he wrote the book of Philippians?
2. Does the "all things" mentioned in 4:13 include
breaking out of prison?
Practical help
We are looking at the famous passage above about being able to do
all things and asking the question, if this is so, why do we ever fail? It should be just
a simple matter of invoking the promise that God will see to it that we overcome all of
our problems and temptations.
Whenever you come upon a passage that looks like a blank check, be
sure to read it in context before attempting to cash in.
It’s a lot different to recognize the that the one who is
speaking is not the latest millionaire at a sales convention, but a Roman prisoner chained
to guards, eating slop, sleeping on a cold floor, and possibly enduring torture from time
to time.
It’s one thing to overcome pornography in order to live a more
comfortable life free of guilt, and quite another to extend the gospel through the act of
overcoming the temptation of pornography. Simply living a cleaner life is never the
endpoint of authentic Christianity. The endpoint is to extend God’s kingdom in a
world ruled by His enemy. Pornography is a sin that weakens the message God wants the
world to see and hear through our lives of obedience to Him.
eXXit
homepage
Index of three-minute studies
Copyright 2000 by eXXit
*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright
The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by
permission."