Billy Joe Daugherty - Escaping Fatal Attractions

Contents

The Sin Cycle

There are many attraction and temptation traps in the world set to ensnare you. When you put a light up in your back yard in the summer time, it attracts bugs. When you put cheese in a mouse trap, it attracts mice. Advertising attracts people to certain restaurants, businesses, products, services, or events.

Darkness has been unleashed in a new dimension in the earth and, like a whirlpool in many cases, people are sucked into it. Darkness has become militant, trying to force itself upon peoplein public education, government and through certain lifestyles which the Bible clearly states are ungodly. Yet, no matter how wicked the world gets, you can live in pureness and holiness before God. It is a choice you must make.

A fatal attraction is something that draws people into lust and enticement, which when conceived, result in spiritual death or separation from the life of God. Satan has set many traps to entice, allure and seduce God's people away from Him and His light, victory, abundance, blessing, peace and joy. It is God's will that we escape fatal attractions.

James 1:13 says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."

James wanted to drive the point home that God never uses evil to tempt anyone to accomplish His purposes or teach them something.

Verse 14 says, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires [the

King James Translation says "lust"] and enticed."

Enticed means to be drawn away to commit sin in violation of God's laws.

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Verse 15

When the Word of God comes to us and we conceive it in our hearts, that is when we believe it, receive it and accept it. Sin operates in the same way, but in reverse. Instead of the Word, an evil desire arises, and when a person believes it and commits to it, then it is conceived inside of them, resulting in transgression and eventually spiritual death if there is no repentance and turning from sin.

The rich young ruler who came to Jesus had a lot of things going for him, but he had two pulls: one was to follow Jesus and the Kingdom of God; the other was to hold to his own riches.

The rich young ruler asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16). Jesus responded, "...If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (v. 17). After an enumeration of the commandments, Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (v. 21). The young man "...went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions" (v. 22). The pull toward holding to his own riches won in this young man's life, and he walked away from Jesus.

Other obvious fatal attractions, besides the pull of money and material possessions, are alcohol, drugs and crime.

A member of our church who fought in World War II, Jim Keith, told about a fatal attraction of the enemy which arose as American soldiers took an island previously held by the enemy. On this particular island, there was a cave filled with liquor. All of the men who drank the liquor died, because it had been poisoned by the enemy. This is a picture of what happens in fatal attractions: lust (a desire for something that is wrong), enticement, conception and death (physical death in this situation).

There are other fatal attractions, such as immorality, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, wrong boy/girl, man/woman relationships, lying, stealing, cheating, cursing, slander and gossip. More subtle attractions include resentment, bitterness, envy, hatred, impure thoughts, feelings and attitudes.

The devil's desire is to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus Christ came that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly.

Deception-An Open Door

Fatal attractions stir up evil desires and offer pleasure, power, wisdom and/or riches and outwardly may look very good. So it was with the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden God put Adam and Eve in the garden and said:

...Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Genesis 2:16 ,17

The devil, embodied in a serpent, spoke a lying deception to Eve:

Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

Genesis 3:1

Of course God said it, but doubt, which led to deception, was planted in Eve's heart.

"You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [the lust of the flesh], that it was pleasant to the eyes [the lust of the eyes], and a tree desirable to make one wise [the pride of life], she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

Genesis 3:4-6

When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they were separated from God and driven from the garden. Disobedience caused them to lose their position of authority in God.

The Bible is full of examples of people who had good relationships with God, but an attraction pulled them away.

Samson became involved with a Philistine woman against the commands of God and against the desires of his own family. At that time, the Philistines were devil worshippers and practiced every type of immorality and uncleanness. God knew if the Israelites intermarried with the Philistines, their relationship and position with Him would be lost.

Samson, a deliverer who had destroyed a thousand of the enemy in one battle by himself and had become the leader of Israel, was enticed by lust. Sin conceived, and as a result, the Philistines "put out his eyes" (Judges 16:21). He became a slave, grinding grain as he went round and round like an animal in a little prison cage.

Sin wants to blind and enslave you and me. When we see the devastation that comes in people's lives as a result of sin, it should make us want to escape temptation.

Paul said:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

As you seek the Lord, He will give you a way of escape to overcome every temptation you will ever face. In fact, as you live and walk by His Spirit, you will know about Satan's deceptions before they arrive!

TelevisionA Carrier of Satans Enticements

Today, one of the major carriers of Satan's enticements is television. There are some great nature movies and beneficial programs on TV, but many programs are laced with wrong desires, violence, immorality, cursing, slander, bitterness, anger and resentment, and they create lust in a person's heart. It is a proven fact that people act out what they see on television.

In 1973, David Wilkerson had a vision which he published in book form. Though it was hard to imagine that what he said could ever happen, today we are living in a nation baptized in filth, just as he described it.

If you indiscriminately watch television, you are inviting every evil work to conceive in your heart.

Years ago, a man we knew watched some of the vilest movies in front of his children. One time when I went to visit this family, he was watching filth so I turned it off and spoke to the man about turning his life to God. Pornography had such a hold on his mind and heart that he wouldn't let it go. As a result, he lost his family, and he is still ensnared by his own choice. I am talking about life and death.