Who or What Is in the Heart of Your Ambition?

Ambition has been the driving force behind every great achievement since God created us. Listen to his command: “Be fruitful and increase in numbers, fill the earth and subdue it.” Ambition is blessed by God when its purpose and goal benefit everyone. Yet reality testifies that ambition is not always in compliance with God’s purpose.

Temptation will wait for ambition’s vulnerable moment and present itself through a person or inanimate object. Enticement often originates in the heart and mind, where vulnerability is continuously present.

Before becoming discouraged, listen to the hope provided in God’s word. Although we are inclined to permit ambition to entrap us in sin, by God’s grace he forgives and cleans us from all unrighteousness. By God’s power, temptation doesn’t have the final word. God has the final word, so dedicate the object of your ambition completely to Christ Jesus and to serving him with all your heart.  

___________

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

~Ephesians 1:17-18 New International Version

 

His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:7 The Living Bible

____________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Tempted by Unhealthy Ambition?

With most people ambition is considered a positive attribute. To lack ambition is viewed as being deprived of initiative and motivation. However, there are those whose ambition exceeds their ability and conditions necessary for reaching an objective. If not attuned to comply with reality, failure will be unavoidable.

The temptation may be to cover up an act of poor judgment by pretending it never happened, which then prevents learning valuable lessons from mistakes and failures that result. It’s important to look closely at ambition to be sure what motivation propels it into action. Good, healthy ambition should always be based on reality and worthy objectives.

Temptation uses ambition by taking advantage of a tendency to be self-centered and greedy, especially in the case of overzealous ambition. Temptation exploits its victim’s misperception of reality. Listen to James 3:13: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show it by honorable deeds expressed with humility that comes from wisdom.” Godly wisdom is available to those who will use it for godly purposes.              

___________ 

God said to us humans, “To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil.”

~Job 28:28 Good News Bible

 

“Let the one who boasts boast in this: that he [or she] understands and knows me, for I am the Lord who acts with gracious love, justice, and righteousness in the land. I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

~Jeremiah 9:24 International Standard Version

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

God's Word – a Safeguard Against Temptation

 Ambition plays a crucial role whenever an individual sets out to achieve an important goal in life. Without ambition there would be little motivation to endure the struggle and sacrifices that all important objectives demand. God designed humans with an innate need to be productive and creative.

However, ambition is not always driven by a desire to benefit the world for good. Sometimes it is propelled by a selfish need to promote and advance oneself. Yet Jonas Salk dedicated his life to creating a vaccine that would stamp out the polio virus that had killed and crippled thousands of children and adults. Because of his ambition, millions have been vaccinated since 1955.

Philippians 2:3 issues this warning: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.” This admonition is a safeguard against being pulled into temptation’s cutting edge. If this identifies you, return to Christ Jesus. Seek his forgiveness. He’s waiting for you.           

__________

I have thought much about your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.

~Psalm 119:11 The Living Bible

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

What's God's Antidote for Temptation's Poison?

 It seems impossible to constantly be in good standing with oneself.  This is caused by careless behavior and bad choices. Temptation’s cutting edge slices into our propensity to be in conflict with ourselves and, seizing the moment, lures us away from fellowship with God and others. Our joy in the Lord then slips away.

When one aspect of our Christian life fades, it doesn’t take long for God’s presence to seemingly disappear. How could something so significant be permitted to slip away? Human nature lends itself to becoming neglectful as stress and pressure mount, causing our life to fall into disrepair.

As life’s conditions deteriorate, temptation steps to the forefront with attractive substitutions. This does not mean God gives up and turns his back. Instead, Jesus had this to say, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” This is God’s antidote for temptation’s cutting edge.  

__________ 

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

~Matthew 6:13 New Living Testament

__________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

How Does God Nurture Us?

Not long ago I misplaced an important book and began searching for it in every nook and cranny. Jesus told of a shepherd who went in search of a lost sheep although he had ninety-nine others who were safe. Consider how we permit temptation to pull us away from the safety and protection of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

As society advances, stress and worry tend to diminish our readiness to enjoy life. Consequently, time to be nurtured by God evaporates. So how does God nurture us? As we choose to relax and be still, it’s possible to sense his protection, provision, and love. He nurtures us with his comfort and healing presence.

God nurtures us by giving us hope for the present and the future and by giving us strength to resist temptation’s advances. If you are out of touch with God, you can return now by asking him to take you back. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is searching for you, so open the door to your heart and let him in.                        

___________ 

“I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them…I will give them a king like my servant David, [Jesus,] to be their one shepherd, and he will take are of them. I, the Lord, will be their God, and a king like my servant David, [Jesus,] will be their ruler. I have spoken.”

~Ezekiel 34:11,23-24 Good News Bible

 

Jesus said:…I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and they know me…I give up my life for my sheep.

~John 10:14-15 Contemporary English Version

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

Covering Up Temptation's Power and Privilege

Temptation is not a pleasant topic to discuss because of the difficulty of admitting our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Consequently, what gives temptation power and privilege is the tendency to cover up its intrusion and impact. It’s also easier to blame others for failing to fight off temptation’s allurement.

The more secretive we are about submitting to temptation’s advances, the harder it is to escape and recover from these attacks. We tend to forget that nothing can be hidden from Christ Jesus, who knows our struggles. He’s also aware of our weaknesses and promises to help us with strength to confront any allurement.

We open the door to temptation’s snare by being discontented with our job, relationships, or possessions. If you could list the desires of your heart at this moment, what would be included? Let me encourage you to place the Lord Jesus Christ first and then seek him with all your heart. He will satisfy your longing. Do that now.             

___________                 

But remember this – the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it.

~1 Corinthians 10:13 The Living Bible

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Temptation Demands Conformity

Conformity is a powerful force all creation undergoes. Migrating birds fly in formations, with each one submitting to changes in position during flight. Jesus emphatically stated he had come to fulfill the commandments not to discard them, indicating he was in full submission and conformity to their requirements.

Temptation’s demand for conformity involves modifying the Ten Commandments. This philosophy copies what Joseph Fletcher and situational ethics hyped five decades ago, implying religious values and society’s rules are subject to individual discretion. This philosophy destroys personal safety and security.

Temptation attempts to nullify God’s commandments in order to elevate personal choice. 1 Peter 1:14-15 reminds Christians they are not to conform to temptation’s cutting-edge agenda. “Obey God because you are his child; do not slip back into your old ways. Be holy in everything you do."                             

___________ 

As obedient children, let yourself be pulled into a way of life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

~1 Peter 1:15-16 The Message

___________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.