The 4 G's of God

Truths to hold on to in face of deceitful lies and sin's temptation:

God is great - so we do not have to be in control.
God is good - so we do not have to look elsewhere.
God is glorious - so we do not have to fear others.
God is gracious - so we do not have to prove ourselves. *

Two ways to respond to temptation:

First we need to nurture our trust in God's greatness, fear of God's glory, delight in God's goodness, longing for God's future, rest in God's grace.We need to do this day by day through the word, prayer and the Christian community [...].

Second, when we face temptation we need to say not only 'I should not do this', but also 'I need not do this'.
[...]
To say to temptation I must not do this' is legalism. To say 'I need not do this because God is bigger and better' is good news. *

The last poin reminds me of something I wrote yesterday: "If you've spent your life following the god of the air, giving into your sinful desires and commands, to find yourself in the land of the light as a child of God is a complete surprise. How does one act then? If, for instance, you've given in to anger consistently, answering someone gently might not even enter your mind. And what would gentle look like anyway?" [see post here]

It's so refreshing being told: Hey, you don't NEED to react the way you always have! There's ANOTHER way of responding!

So do it. Choose Jesus; Choose Life.

* all quotes from Tim Chester's You Can Change