Michelle McKinney Hammond - Why Do I Say Yes When I Need to Say No?: Escaping the Trap of Temptation

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WHY DO I SAY YES WHEN I NEED TO SAY NO?

Formerly published as The Genius of Temptation

Copyright 2002, 1998 by Michelle McKinney Hammond

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McKinney Hammond, Michelle, 1957

[Genius of temptation]

Why do I say yes, when I need to say no? / Michelle McKinney Hammond

p. cm.

Originally published: The genius of temptation. c1998.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-7369-0869-2

1. Temptation. 2. Spiritual lifeChristianity. I. Title.

BT725.M37 2002

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 /BC-CF/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my heavenly Father, who,
with the temptation, made a way of escape.

To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who became sin
for me that I might become righteous for Him.

To my Divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit, who constantly
whispers, This is the way, walk ye in it.

To my parents, who loved me enough
to teach me not to yield to temptation.

George & Charity Hammond
William & Norma McKinney

To apostle John Eckhardt, whose life and messages
continually inspire me to lay aside every weight
and continue to press toward the mark.
Its true Gods plan is larger
than our personal design. Youve taught
me to keep the world in mind.

To Dr. Erwin Lutzer, I only pray that
the rich deposit of wisdom and profound truth
that I have received from you is evident
in all that I write, say, and do.

THERE are so many men of God who have influenced my life through their messages, directly or indirectly, over the years. I feel this book is the fruit of the seeds they planted while teaching me the deep and hidden mysteries of God. Thank you for saying things that made me say, Hmmm, while provoking me to stretch beyond where I had grown content.

A very special thank-you to Bill Jensen, who planted the seed, asked me to write this book, watered it, and nourished this author into producing fruit. LaRae, thanks for breathing new life into what could have been old news (smile). Steve Miller, you are great!

Thank you to Bob Jr., Carolyn, Betty, andoh, all the family at Harvest House. You are truly family at this point. May we grow old together. Words cannot express how wonderful all of you are. You make me want to give my best for you.

Contents

HERE IS A BOOK THAT REMINDS US that behind the trap is the trapper; behind the lie is the liar. It reminds us the good news is that God has a wonderful plan for your life, but the bad news is that Satan has a destructive plan for your life.

Michelle McKinney Hammond knows both the power of temptation and the grace that God can give us to overcome it. She writes with a realistic grasp of how often we fool ourselves by wanting to be tempted; we hesitate when we should run and play when we should fight. At the end of the day, we are deceitful creatures indeed!

Ive known Michelle McKinney Hammond for many years and have seen how God has steadily worked in her life to bring her to a point of contentment with who she is as a Christian woman. Her road has not always been easy, and like many of us, she has learned through her own personal struggles.

The moment you begin to read this book you will know that God has graciously gifted Michelle as a writer, a woman who can speak with a candor and perception. You will come away with a better understanding of your weaknesses, and best of all, you will be better able to recognize Satans strategy in the many choices you face daily.

I commend this book to all who are interested in not repeating the same cycle of bondage to the lures of the devil. You will see yourself in these pages, but you will also see Gods grace and power.

Enjoy this book. But above all, learn from it. You will be glad you did.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer

Senior Pastor, Moody Church

T AKE ME IN, TENDER WOMAN. TAKE ME IN, for goodness sake. Take me in, tender woman, sighed the snake. This popular song of the 1960s, sung by the late Oscar Brown, Jr., spun a woeful tale of an unassuming woman who allowed herself to be sucked in by the smooth conversation of a wily snake. She happened to stumble upon him as he lay frozen in the snow, and his piteous cries for help wiped out her sound reasoning that his bite could be lethal if she took him into her home. He reassured her that his gratitude would override his nature to bite, and being the kind sort that she was, she took the snake in to be warmed by the fire. Well, the rest of the story is predictable enough. Fully recovered, the snake bit the woman, and when she reminded him of his promise not to strike at her, he calmly countered, You knew I was a snake when you took me in. (Sounds like a player to me!)

Indeed he was a snake, yet he had painted himself as something elsea helpless frozen being whose character had been transformed by the hardship he had suffered. He knew a nave victim when he saw one. He knew exactly what to say and what to leave to supposition. This is the genius of temptation at work. After all, it is the great Suppose that gets most of us in trouble.