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Review and Herald Publishing Association

Remodeling Your Life- God's Transforming Power

Jim Ayer

1- Celestial Plan

2- Born Again

3- Second Chances

4- Danger to Safety

5- Revival

6- View From Above

7- Heavenly-minded

8- Are You Tempted?

9- Becoming Fireproof

10- Faithful Abiding

11- Pressing Together

12- Becoming New

Would you be tempted to stare down the barrel of a loaded 12-gauge shotgun set to go off sometime in the next 100 years?

In 1982, people lined up for what had been called an art exhibit to do just that.

It's time to join your guide, Jim Ayer, for an exciting 12-episode journey into remodeling your life.

You're going to discover that God's transforming power is real, and He's ready to provide that power to you.

Now here's your guide, Jim Ayer, to take you on the journey of a lifetime, An amazing and dynamic experience with God.

Staring down the barrel of a loaded gun is not my idea of fun, but it seems that many people disagree with me.

Why are people tempted to gamble with their lives?

The human race is drawn to temptation like a moth is to flame.

The actual gun in the art exhibit was loaded and set to fire a fatal blast sometime within a hundred years from when the clock was set.

I'll bet you that not a single person sitting in front of that deadly barrel thought the gun would fire while they were in the chair.

But you can rest assured that when you toy with danger, the devil will always pull the trigger.

When we mess around with temptation, we will get hurt.

But the good news is, you and I don't need to get cloaked by temptation any longer.

As the old country saying goes, I was knee high to a grasshopper when I started fishing.

Growing up fishing served 2 purposes actually, it put food on the table and it was just loads of fun to fish with Dad.

I had the opportunity to fish from Central America to Alaska, which brings up another country saying, the worst day of fishing is better than the best day of working.

Fishing is 1 of the oldest professions and pastimes of the human race.

Preparing to go fishing can be as easy as having a stick, some line, and a hook with a worm on the end of it.

Why in some countries they don't even use the stick.

If it's a commercial venture, it could cost millions to stock the boats and prepare for a day on the ocean.

I've used flies, lures, eggs, well, different kinds of bait, and the list actually goes on.

If you're fly fishing, you catch what bugs are out, and you select a fly that looks just like the bug that are near the water on that day.

Then, after studying the stream, you determine the location where the fish will be and you place your fly in the perfect spot to just guide it right past the nose of that unsuspecting fish.

No matter what type of bait or setup the fisherman may use, they're all designed to do 1 thing, tempt the fish to bite on a concealed hook.

This is exactly what the devil is doing when he dangles temptation in front of you.

He's trying to lure you, to attract you, to seduce you, to bite on a hidden hook.

And make no mistake, there are always hidden hooks ready to slice deep into your flesh.

But just like the fish in the stream, you don't need to bite regardless of how tempting the meal is flowing past you may be.

Because of the devil's alarming success rate at fishing for sin, we've been duped into the belief that simply seeing a wiggling worm must be sin.

In other words, Many Christians believe that temptation itself is sin.

Well, even if you don't believe it, I would venture to say that you probably act like you do anyway.

I'm convinced that if the devil could keep only 1 truth from you, this would be it.

Temptation is not sin and God has the power to keep you from surrendering to it, from biting on it.

It is a complete lie that you must accept as biblical fact that falling for every temptation is unavoidable.

You and I have been held captive to this lie far too long.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 says, When Jesus lived on earth, He was very tempted in every way.

He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but never sinned.

Our Lord came to show us how to walk the walk and provide all the power to do so.

There is no pressure to sin that is greater than the power of Almighty God to deliver you from it.

Just to make it very clear 1 last time, fishing's called fishing and not catching because it depends on whether the fish decide to bite the bait.

As a fisherman, I don't stand in the water grabbing fish and manually hooking them up.

He can dangle all the tempting bait he wants in front of you, but you don't need to bite." According to Ellen White, through belief in Satan's misrepresentations of God, man's character and destiny were changed.

But if men will believe in the Word of God, they will be transformed in mind and character and fitted for eternal life.

God's Word says the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation.

By way of example, I want to address a temptation that is so sensitive that most people don't even want to discuss it.

Biting on this temptation has destroyed multitudes of marriages and has wrecked entire families.

It has infiltrated every level of our society, including the church, because the devil makes sure that it rarely stops with just a look.

In some cases, it has led to the most terrible of crimes.

The devil dangles sex in front of us at every opportunity.

At the supermarket checkout counter, portrayed by scantily clad women on magazine covers.

On television, on our computers, even in public today.

Sometimes even in the church, exhibited in the way men and women dress.

The devil is dangling his bait at every corner.

Larry's not his real name, and he has requested that we do not show his face nor reveal his true voice due to the sensitive nature of his past addiction.

Okay, Jimmy asked what the effects of pornography was on my life and my family or others around me.

I guess the biggest thing, let's talk about younger age first, was that I drafted my younger siblings into it.

I tried to, you know, there's this point in your life, I guess, when you're younger, you're 15, 16, where you go your separate ways and you try to pretend those things didn't happen in your younger life.

I have only approached 1 of my siblings to really discuss it and basically ask for forgiveness since I let him into this.

The other 1 doesn't wanna talk about it, has said, don't wanna even discuss it.

But at least in the teens, early twenties, in those years, it definitely made a rift in our family.

At least as far as my siblings are concerned.

I realized more and more how much this was affecting my relationship with God.

Not that I didn't realize that before, but the cycle, it just had eaten holes in my life, and enough is enough.

And I was at a low point probably about a year, year and a half ago, year, whatever.

And the Lord has a way of reaching people when they're low points.

In fact, I'm a sincere believer that he pushes us there sometimes, allows things to happen that will refocus our lives.

And about that time, I received a manuscript from a good friend.

That manuscript turned out to be what was now, or what is now known as the book, Transformation.

And I'm a big pusher behind Jim, trying to get this thing out.

It brought me into a much deeper relationship with God and the Bible.

My daily worship schedule was iffy to say the least.

My prayer time was there, but my prayers never went further than the introduction of his chapter or book where he talks about prayers not going through the ceiling.

I never had any problems all my life in that area.

It was just my relationship with God was that fault, and I didn't know how to get it back on track.

I think Benjamin Franklin put his finger on the problem with temptation when he said, What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is that they don't want to discourage it completely.

Could that be what happens with you and me?

Many times we make the conscious choice to open the door of temptation just a tiny bit.

We're scared to close the door completely, even though leaving the door open will result in our destruction.

Satan's sole focus is to destroy every hint of Christ in you, which is why he's in the business of tempting you.

But when you're faced with what seems like an overwhelming urge to sin, you have an out.

God dwelling in you, therefore, submit yourselves to God.

Resist the devil, the Bible says, and he will flee from you.

You see, God can do anything he wants to do, because after all, he's God.

And what he's living in you, why he wants to keep you from sinning.

Remember the angel told Mary to call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.

Back to Menu

Series

Remodeling Your Life- God's Transforming Power

8- Are You Tempted?

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Fair Weather Faith

44m

How to Experience Peace During the Final Storm - Part 3

1h 4m

Dylan McWilliams Weekend

“But If Not”

52m

Not So Fast

42m

Revelation’s Victory Cry

1h 2m

When God Fights Your Battles

1h 2m

A Sure Foundation

31m

Andre Waller Weekend

02 The Anatomy of Temptation

52m

Plenary

Victory in the Final Crisis

1h 11m

The Sanctuary

10. The Highest Form of Worship

48m

ECYC 2012: Plenary Sessions

Messenger Without a Message

1h

Encounters With Jesus

Jesus’ Encounter with the First Disciples

43m

Sound Doctrine