DON’T GIVE THE ENEMY A SEAT AT YOUR TABLE: CONVICTION

Easter is quickly approaching! We are preparing our hearts for resurrection with the study and sermon series, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table The sermon this week is “Conviction.” God is at work in our hearts every day to help us overcome temptation and choose the right over the wrong, the good over the bad, and the light over the darkness. Unfortunately, we are sinners and we will fail. We all have experienced this type of failure because it fills us with condemnation, guilt, and shame. All too often, though, after asking for forgiveness and rededicating ourselves to never failing in the same way, it happens all over again!  Once again, we are filled with condemnation, guilt, and shame. Satan uses this cycle of temptation, failure, condemnation, and rededication to keep us living in hopelessness and despair.  We think that nothing will ever change and we might as well give up! This week we turn to 1 Corinthians 10:6-17, Paul tells these believers that God will not allow them to be tested beyond their ability to resist. This seems so contrary to our experience, especially if we are caught in the “doom loop” of condemnation, guilt, and shame. Why do we fail, if God does not want to allow it? We allow the enemy to keep us in guilt rather than grace, in concealing our sins rather than confessing our sins, and in resisting our own power rather than the power of God. We have to break the “doom loop” with God’s victory lap!  Paul wants the Corinthians to find the path to this victory and experience a solid, confident conviction that the power of God has set us free from condemnation! You may be experiencing the burden of condemnation and straining under the weight of shame. It is our prayer that as you read these words you will sense the victory raising in your heart and life! 1 Corinthians 10:6-17 “Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did– and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did– and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did– and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.