Article November 29, 1999 Issue

Years of guilt, gone in a moment

How an honest self-assessment spurred healing

BY MELISSA NEILL

HAVE YOU EVER stolen anything? This may be a tough question to answer, even in the privacy of your own thoughts. But willingness to face an incident we would rather forget, and to learn what it takes to overcome temptation, is worth the effort.

If you think you're tempted in the first place because you're not a very good individual, you're mistaken. The Bible reports that even Christ Jesus was tempted. Three times the devil presented devious plots designed to trick Jesus into using power as his personal possession (seeLuke 4:1-13) Jesus knew that all power belongs to God alone, and that his purpose was to carry out God's mission in his healing and saving ministry for humanity. Jesus did not allow himself to be used to satisfy curiosity, selfishness, or dishonesty. The devil's last attempt was so bold as to ask the Master to bow down and worship him. Jesus demanded that these devilish thoughts leave him.

We can make the same demand.

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Years of guilt, gone in a moment

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