I Love Jesus… So Why Do I Still Struggle With Sin? | Break The Cycle

I'm glad we're together today in this space. My name is Mark Cummins. I'm the pastor at Church of Hope. And if you're a regular attender, welcome. So glad that week after week, we join together in this space. And if by chance, this is your first time, I'm really glad that we're beginning our friendship today. Understand that this broadcast literally goes around the world for free. See, we believe that life's at its best when people discover hope in Christ. There are people who give generously so this broadcast can be reached across every continent. If you've never given, I would invite you today to give. You can go to our webpage, hopeinOcala.com and drop down on the giving bar and give a one-time gift. Or you can give generously beyond just today. And if God's blessed you, help us as we give hope around the world. But for now, I want you to open up your heart and your mind. Let Jesus speak to you because what I believe is that when we open up our minds and let Jesus speak to us, life doesn't become perfect and all the problems don't go away, but you experience his presence in you, with you, and for you. Open up your heart. Let Jesus speak to you today. Peace.

I believe that God has good plans for us. I believe what we sang earlier that there is freedom in Jesus. But I've got a question for us on this dusty trail we call life. Is there anything worse than feeling trapped? Trapped in a habit, trapped in a pattern, trapped in something that you said you would never do again. You said, this is the last time. Why? But here you are again. Why? Here's a thought. Temptation never looks like destruction. It looks like relief. Temptation doesn't look like it's destruction. This temptation to violate your wedding vows, it doesn't look like destruction, it looks like it's relief. The temptation to extract revenge to the person who hurt you, betrayed you, it doesn't look like destruction, it looks like relief. Temptation doesn't always look sinful. Sometimes it looks satisfying. After meeting Jesus in the Marine Corps, getting discharged and moving back to Ohio, I started attending a church. It was a independent, fundamental Baptist church. Man, they loved the word of God. They would preach it and they loved preaching about sin a lot.

Mostly the message that I always got is that you're a sinner, stop sinning, go to church more, read your Bible more, then those things are important, pray more, don't watch those kind of movies, stop listening to rock music, wear a suit and a tie every day, even to bed at night. Women, don't be wearing none of them pants, just culottes for you, Google it, you can figure out what culottes are. Certainly no dancing, none of that dancing stuff. See you next week, have a great week. They never really taught me how do I resist temptation. There was an evangelist came to the church once and he said that, you know when you're fighting temptation and it's kind of like you're driving down the road one day and like the devil is sitting in the passenger seat and he's tempting you about something. He says, what I do is I just, I pull my car over the side of the road, I open up the door and I say to Satan, Lucifer, in the name of Jesus Christ, get out of my car, right? And so I heard that, I thought, well, that's a pretty good strategy. I'll do that too, so one day I'm driving down the road, I start having some kind of tempting thought, whatever it was, right? And so I pulled my car to the side of the road, I opened up that passenger door, I said, Satan, in the name of Jesus, I bind you, get out of my car, right?

I closed the door, I kind of felt kind of good about it, right, like 35 seconds later, I started thinking those thoughts again. It didn't dawn on me that Satan just got in the back seat and he's just whispering in my ear. Here's the deal. I still struggle with temptation. I met Jesus 40 years ago. And have you ever kind of thought, like, in your journey and following God and Jesus, and like, I mean, I'm all in. Like, this is not a weekend sport for me. It's got nothing to do, like, with a career or anything. Like, man, I trust God with all my heart. I love people. I'm investing my life. I mean, I'm all in. But sometimes I look at my walk with Jesus, and I'm like, I kind of thought maybe I would be further along. And the things that tempted me as a 21-year-old certainly wouldn't be temptation at 60. Does anybody feel my pain? Anybody understand what this is all about? In your Bible, Matthew chapter 4, all year long, in your journal, we're talking about, we think the world becomes better and brighter when we, Christ followers, are more like Jesus, right? And so today, we're gonna talk about something that we all struggle with.

It's temptation. And how do you resist it, and is there a game plan? So we're in Matthew chapter 4. I want you to notice the very first verse, verse number one, it says, then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Now, you gotta know about that word then, and this is your homework. Go back and read chapter 3, because chapter 3 is the high-water mark. It's the time that Jesus was baptized, and Jesus is coming up out of the water, and the Heavenly Father looks down and says, this is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well-pleased. It's like, it's the high point in his life. It's a time to celebrate, right? And then, a few moments later, it's not the voice of his dad, the Heavenly Father, it's the voice of the devil, the father of all lies. He shows up, he's sneaky, and that's something for us to always remember, is that in our lives, often the adversary, after we've had a high-water mark in following after Jesus, like this has been a good moment, you know, an Easter kind of a moment, then we can find ourselves quickly walking in the valley, the shadow of death. Now, notice verse number two. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights,

he was hungry, do you think? Right, and there's a time to, you know, turn over your plate and have a season of fasting. But I also know this, there are some times in our life when we get hungry, we get tired, and we get isolated, we become sitting ducks for the adversary. That's why doing life with people in a small group, in a Tuesday night class with a group of guys, that you can have some sense of strength alongside of you. Verse three, the tempter came to him, came to Jesus. Here's his tactic, do not miss it. If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread. Did you see what he said? He said, if God the Father just said, hello, this is my son in whom I'm well pleased. This is, Satan is always questioning God at his word. God at his word, then and now. But too often, you know what happens? Is we start doubting our faith. We're kind of like, I don't know, did I hear God right on that? I mean, is that what God meant in his word? And we start to kind of parse and piece it out, and we take God's word, and then we look at current events, and how we feel about something, and our friends' opinions about something, and what a social influencer says, and we kind of mash it up, and here's what happens.

We start doubting. I want you to know what the Bible says about your doubts, that when you doubt, and you will have doubts, pick up those doubts and keep following Jesus. What the adversary wants you to do is he wants you to doubt your beliefs. That's what he wants you to do. What we're gonna do is we're going to doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs. We're gonna keep following after Jesus. That's what you see all throughout this piece. Look at verse number four, how Jesus continues to believe his beliefs. Jesus answered, it is written, man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the son of God, he said, throw yourself down for it's written. He will command his angels concerning you, and that they will lift you up on their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You know what's tragic about this piece right here? And I'd write this down. Satan knows the word of God better than I do. The reason many of us aren't living the abundant life has got nothing to do with your spouse. It's got nothing to do with politics. It's because you just don't know what God's word.

Here, the adversary is quoting God's word back to God. Now notice how Jesus responds. Jesus answers him. It's also written, do not put the Lord your God to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I'll give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said again, away from me Satan, for it's written, worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Then the devil left him and that's what we want, right? That's what you want for your life. That's what you want for your family, in your career, in the journey of your life. I want the adversary. I want that temptation. I don't wanna stay trapped no more. I wanna really walk in freedom and the angels came and attended him. So here's an idea. Write it down. Temptation is anything that promises satisfaction at the cost of obedience to God. It's really important. Temptation is anything that promises that you will be satisfied at the cost of obeying God at his word.

Now, I want you to notice on the screen these three temptations of Jesus. These three temptations of Jesus, right? Turn the stones into bread. In other words, meet your needs your own way. Jump off this temple, force God to prove himself, bow down for the kingdoms, take a shortcut to your success. And what I wanna show you quickly, don't have all the time, so I want you to write this down and go back this week and look at it. But in 1 John 2, in verse 15 and 16, and in John 3, 16 and 17, there are two words that we often get backward in us following after Jesus. And those two words are the world. I'm gonna teach it to you in a second. But here's, this is really important. I'm just telling you. I want you, I want you to have an abundant life. I don't want us to be trapped no more. That temptation does not have to have you trapped. There is a way out, but you have to have a strategy. Everything's at stake this morning. All your dreams, all your goals, everything. A pastor can't do this for you. Going to church more won't do this for you. Parents, you tell me you love your kids. What is the strategic plan that you have trained them up so that when, not if, when the temptation comes against you,

students, I promise you, the dreams and the goals, the hopes that you have for your life, the adversary, Satan, this is not just a Halloween moment. This guy wants to destroy you. He wants to minimize your life. So developing a strategy right now will minimize much of the pain that maybe you've seen in your parents, you've seen in culture and other places. So here it is. In 1 John, chapter two, the Bible says this. Do not love the world or anything that's in the world. For anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. For everything in the world, there's those two words, the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. I need that picture back up on the screen of the three ways Jesus was tempted. I'm gonna teach, I'm gonna show you how the strategy of Lucifer, same all the way back in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, all the way into the life of Christ and all the way into your life, where the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life all sneak up in to tempt you, that you can satisfy you, that somehow your life can be better apart from trusting and obeying God. Now remember, John three, those words are more familiar. For God so loved the world, there's those two worlds,

that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, right? God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but rather, that the world through Jesus would be saved. Now, here's where we get it backwards. Those two words, we have a tendency, most often, shamefully, we reject the people of the world, John three, and we adopt and we accept the values and the systems of this world, and we need to flip it. We need to, as I taught last week, we need to value the people of the world, because Jesus died for all the people that irritate you and agitate you and make you upset. We need to value them and we need to reject the systems, the policies of the world. And that's what Jesus did. See, turn the stones into bread. That deals the lust of the flesh. This is your feels. I deserve to feel good. He's hungry, he's tired. I mean, Mark, don't I deserve to feel better? I mean, you convince yourself that I deserve. I mean, God created me. I mean, my spouse doesn't wanna have sex with me, so if my spouse isn't gonna satisfy me, I deserve to be satisfied, so I'll go off with a coworker

or I'll get online. I mean, if they don't wanna have sex, I'll get online and I'll watch some porn, I'll masturbate. And I mean, Mark, don't I deserve, right? That's the lust of the flesh. Meet your needs your own way. Yeah, God, you ain't taking care of me, so I'll take care of myself. Then jump off the temple. Force God to prove himself. This is all about status. This is about position. I mean, I should be at this level in the company by now. I mean, I should have been promoted. I mean, I should be respected better. I should have this and I should have that. You see, his tactics are in play. And for too long, they have kept you and I trapped in bondage. And then bow down for the kingdoms. Take shortcuts to success. This is the lust of the eyes. Oh man, look what they have. Look at that house. Look at that car. If I just had a little bit more, and then you say, if I could make 100K, but I promise you, once you make 100K, it's like if I could make 120K, and then it's 200. And then someone says, how much more is enough?

And you just say, just a little bit more. So you see these tactics all throughout the scriptures. So what I want to do is I want to give you four temptations, or I would call them better, truths about temptation, and then give you a strategic plan. So get your pencil out. If you don't have your journal, get the note card in front of you. This is life changing. Not one of us has to leave this space trapped in that temptation any longer. If you stay trapped, it's your own decision. And you can't stop blaming it on the pastor, stop blaming it on the White House, stop blaming it on some congressman, some senator, and all that kind of stuff. Hey, listen, this is your life. God's given you life. He's given you the freedom of choice. Right now you've got a choice to understand what temptation is and a strategy to resist it. So it's all rooted in 1 Corinthians 10. Notice what God's word says. If you think that you're standing firm, be careful that you don't fall. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted,

he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. The reason I want you to have this, and particularly the strategy I'm about to give you, is that I remember as a young man in my 20s, I loved Jesus. I didn't want that temptation, but it's like I thought about it, I tried to resist it, I tried to go to church more and all, and I kept getting in this trap because I didn't understand the tactics of Satan and really what temptation is. So here, write these down. Number one is this, is it is not a sin to be tempted. Hebrews 4 and 15, Jesus was tempted in every way, yet he did not sin. Temptation is a test. Sin is a choice. You have a choice to say no. James 1 and 2, this is what the men are studying on Tuesday nights. Consider it a sheer gift, friends. When tests and challenges come at you from all sides, you know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.

Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. What God's teaching us is this, that life, he wants you to win in life. He doesn't want you to be trapped. That's why life is an open book test. I wish I had more open book tests at Strongsville High School. I would have had better grades. I mean, my goodness, it's an open book test. There's the question. I turn in the book. There's the answer I write it down life is good The tragedy is that too many of us are failing in life Because you're chosen you're choosing to live the test of life with the book closed Open up God's Word to win in life number two write this down You're you're never above temptation. I don't care how long you've been in church and how committed you are. I'm committed. I'm Like I'm here pretty much every single day But the temptation it is for real first Corinthians 10 and 12 So if you think you are standing firm be careful that you don't fall See the moment you think you're beyond it. You're already close To it Let me say something about temptation temptation is tempting and your temptation might be different than someone else's temptation, right? Just because your temptation might be In my world would be some type of sweet treat around 8 o'clock at night, right? That's that's very tempting for me and you're like how in the world. Why is that so tempting? My goodness, just go to bed mark. It's not a big deal, right? My temptation might not be your temptation

Someone says I don't get it white men. Why can't they just kick the habit of smoking? I mean it says right there on the carton like the surgeon general says it's harmful I mean see that's but that's not your temptation your temptation is your temptation because it's tempting to you the adversary Has the tape on you? He knows what gets you He's like a like a fisherman right when you go out fishing and you put a lure on the on the hook And yeah, he puts it on the lust of the flesh. He's kind of pulling you're not biting on that It's not a problem. He brings it back in. He puts a different lure on that lust of the eyes Ah, right, right, you know, no one's biting. He goes there for that granddaddy the pride of life puts it on Gets it gets on it. That's why you have to understand you're never above temptation confidence without caution leads to collapse Right that down because I know you think I know you think that doesn't apply to you Until it does Number three God never God never tempts you never you've never been tempted by by God Why James again chapter 1 when tempted no one should say God is tempting me for God can't tempt you For God cannot be tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone but each person is tempted when they are Dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it's full-grown gives birth to death Here's the picture The cycle of temptation you you begin to think about it if I could have that if I could feel this way I'd be more satisfied if I had this kind of status then you start imagining what it would be look like I'm I'm driving down the road, right? I mean I get it I only make seventy two five, but I got myself a Bentley baby I'm driving down and I would be like everybody be looking at me, right? I mean you start imagining it Then you justify it I deserve this I Mean I I should have this I should feel this way then you make the choice and then You sin. Here's the fourth observation. There's always a way out There is always a way out when that temptation is pressing in on you

The Bible says that God will provide a way of Escape you're never trapped You're only tempted You're never trapped You're only tempted. You do not have to act on that temptation because temptation itself is not sin So let me give you let me give you your defeat temptation action plan. I want you to write it down If you got your own plan, it's working for you Then you put it into play But we need more than just pulling our car over the side of the road and saying devil get out of here Because he ain't getting out of there. He's getting the backseat and even worse. He's in he's lodged in our brains at time tempting us So here's what God's Word says here. It is James 4 and 7 this is exactly what Jesus is doing Submit yourself to God and Resist the devil and he will flee from you When the temptation is coming in the desert to Jesus He is submitting himself to God the Father submitting himself to the Word of God and he's resisting the devil So here's the principle first submit to God Submission is not weakness it's alignment. A lot of us are tired, not because you're serving God too much, not because you're working really hard at your job, not all the things that you think. Many of us are misaligned with God. We're living by our opinions rather than the word of God, and what happens, like your spine that gets out of line, the pain radiates all throughout the body. The pain, it just fatigues you. We get tired. The Bible says a double-minded man is unstable

in all his ways. Think about it. All the energy that you're trying to spend to cover up who you are privately so everybody publicly thinks you're something else. How snarky and mean and critical you are in that private, but then you come out in the world and you're like, I'm all kind of just nice and fine, or those things that you're doing late at night where no one else can really see what's going on, and then you try to cover it all up, and you're erasing your history on your phone, and you're doing all these different things to try to cover it all up. You don't defeat temptation by trying harder. You defeat it by surrendering deeper. I see you. I know what I tried. I tried to defeat it by trying harder. I'm gonna try harder. I'm not gonna do it. I promise, I promise, I promise. I'm not gonna do this no more. That was the last time. I'm never going back. I'm never doing this ever again. I'm never going back, and I'm never doing this. I'm never going back. I promise, I'm never, ever going to ever. And that defeat and that cycle continues.

You don't defeat temptation by trying harder. You defeat it by surrendering deeper. You surrender that desire, the lust of the flesh, what you think you need to feel. Surrender those feelings to God. What you see, what you think out there would make you happy with that job or that car or the clothes or whatever it would be, right? You surrender it and let God satisfy you. That pride of life, that status that you wanna have with man surrender it and let your status with God be the highest. So first you submit to God. Then second, there is some work you gotta do. You gotta resist the devil. How do you do that? What you feed grows. What you starve dies. So I want you to feed your spirit in prayer. Feed, you resist, feed your spirit in prayer. Matthew 26 and 41, watch and pray so you will not fall in temptation. We are not weak because strength is unavailable. We are weak because prayer has been absent. Gotta feed your spirit in prayer. Number two, gotta feed your spirit with God's word. Jesus knew how to combat it. He knew that even the adversary would speak God's word but he knew it was always out of context. Psalms 119, how can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Here's the principle. If the word isn't in you, the world will win you. Parents, you need to put that somewhere in your home. I applaud all your efforts. Your efforts in academics. The efforts that you do in athletics. Wonderful, I'm for training up our sons and daughters. I want them to win. I want them to go the distance in life. But here's what I know. Whether it be homeschool, private school, parochial school, boarding school, whether it be a city rec team or the best travel ball team, at some point, they're outside of your care. And the pressure and the strategy of Satan himself is going to come. And if the word isn't in them, the world will win them. The reason so many of our young people in their 20s and 30s are walking away from the faith is many of us parents were too busy trying to make our kids happy rather than being their parents when they were in our home. If you want your kids to be your friends for the rest of your life,

be their parents for the first 18 years of their life. And they will come back and thank you for all the times that you said no, no, no. And you allowed God's word to shape that lust of the flesh. They would see it's not found in what their friend group says, but it's what God says, the lust of their eyes. It's not what they see on social media, the pride of life, what a coach or what a teacher or someone else said. It's all rooted in Christ. Christ, feed your spirit with prayer, feed your spirit with God's word. And then third, feed your spirit with the right people. Moms and dads, I know it's probably not very woke and I know it's probably not cool in 2026, but you should choose your kids' friends. You should choose who they follow on Instagram. You should intimately know everything they're looking at online. By the way, who's paying for that phone? Students, I love you. I am so for you. But listen, I know what the adversary's trying to do. He's trying to kill, destroy, and ruin your life. And we say as parents, we love them. Let me tell you, loving them is more than taking them on splendid, wonderful, expensive vacations. Wonderful, I'm so glad that you do that for them. You gave them experiences,

but the best experience you can ever do is to make sure that that circle of friends around them are communicating the same values that you're installing in them. Why? Because show me your friends and I will show you your future. First Corinthians 15 and 33, do not be misled. Bad company corrupts good character. Here's the third thing, winding it down. I'm just setting you up to win, I want you to win. You've got to pre-decide what you will do when temptation arrives. You've got to decide in advance. First Corinthians 10 and 13, God has made a way of escape. I make a decision on the evening about my workout the next day. I'm laying out the clothes that I'm gonna be wearing. I have already written out what my plan will be. Tonight, I will outline my entire, I am pre-deciding, I am pre-loading what I'm going to do this week. Victory isn't decided in the moment of temptation, it's decided before. Before I met Jesus, I had had sex with women. I met Jesus and understood what God's word is. I aligned myself, God's word could not be more clear. Sex is between a man and a woman after marriage. Anytime before that, any other way, whatever your opinions might be, whatever social media, whatever some pastor's afraid to teach you,

any sex outside of what I just described is the lust of the flesh. It is sin. And I didn't want to continue in that. So when I met Linda, I mean, she's like a walking Barbie. I mean, it's like, I love this girl, and so we start dating. And so I pre-decided, I couldn't go back and undo what I had done, but I pre-decided if this was the woman for me, 37 years ago, she said yes. We're celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. You clap for that part, you don't clap for the front part. See, people want what I have. I have an incredible marriage that's built on trust, why? Because when we dated, all we did was hold hands. We were in our 20s. I didn't put my arm around her, because I know you put your arm around her, and the next thing's going to happen. I didn't kiss her. You start kissing, come on now, you know me, you're kissing my, that's intimate, it's going to happen. So I decided, I pre-decided. Now Linda hadn't pre-decided, I had to kind of keep her at bay, but like, come on, girlfriend, slow it down some. I pre-decided that when that temptation came,

no, no, we're not doing this. See, you want what I have, in a 37 year marriage that's built on trust, but you don't want to do what I did. And you want to give all the justifications, well, you know, if we had two rents, and it's tragic. It is so rare for me to do a wedding anymore, that they're not already living together. As a somehow like, well, that's just kind of natural step, because we got to kind of see, does it work out? Hey, listen, that might be pop psychology, it's not the word of God. And it's why so many of us are living defeated lives, and you feel trapped. How much assurance do you think Linda has? When the pressure was on, and she kind of thought, yeah, come on, I could kind of maybe wear this, or I could kind of say this to him, and he might, yeah, right, right, right, and I said, yeah, no. I ain't giving in to you, girlfriend. No, no, no, when I could. Every time I'm, she saw me say no when I could. How confident do you think she is, when I'm away from her, that I'll say no to the advancements of someone else, where I could? You got to pray. You got a pre decided when it came to our finances Linda and I we were first married. We just pre decided. Hey, listen God owns everything I'm trusting God with everything and when that money comes in we first we first give to God period We've been doing that our entire entire marriage and there a lot of people would look at the financial success that Linda and I have And you're like, yeah. Yeah mark. I I want what you've got. Yeah, but you don't want to do what I did

I pre decided that all my money Belongs to God know all of it and to me it's like wow He says mark just test me trust me in this each week set it aside this portion to start with 10% and just trust me It's it's pre deciding. I pre decided when we found out that she was pregnant. I Pre-decided out loud that these two kids when they came into our family first Emily then Katie that Linda and I were here before Them so guess who's adjusting their schedule not me and not Linda They're gonna adjust their little schedule around us. I have found the kids are incredibly resilient Well, they get kind of cranky or they kind of get in there fussing whatever you have a conversation They can sleep just about anywhere, but I wanted I wanted my daughters I wanted them to see that the world does not revolve around them The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life. Hey You've hired somebody in their 20s and 30s and you're kind of thinking 40s or 50s and you're just trying to get on a stay at work. I promise you at some point going back to the parenting process And drawing a line, but here's the deal some of us Actually use our children as our idol It allows us to say no to God or no to our spouse or no to something else Because somehow we think that it is a noble thing to put our children above Everything and I want you to know something that might be great pop psychology It's not in the Word of God. This is how we have a strategy. We've got to pre-decide What you feed grows what you starve dies Let me give you this kind of just land on this and Corbin the team will come up and we'll sing together Is this these are just some declarations that when I feel the pressure that are on me I've learned to say them I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Sometimes I have said that a hundred times Before I get a breakthrough. I'll say I'm an overcomer by the by the power of the blood Of Jesus. I'm an overcomer because of Jesus I mark you don't have to you don't have to give in or I'll say man mark I'm feeling really weak man, but mark when you're weak, you're strong and you're weak These are just mantras that I just I have them inside here that when that pressure is coming on me

God's strength is made perfect in my weakness. I would always criticize myself. I can't believe it I thought you're a pastor man. I thought you're a marine thought you're an iron man You can do all these things. You can't push back this little temptation. Come on, man, but then I remind me wait, wait, wait God is strong in my weakness Here's another one that has really shaped my decision-making. This one's not a Bible verse but I fight to win this moment for favor with my family and God in my last minute I Have said no To more temptation than you could ever imagine The wildest the wickedest the vilest of temptation as your pastor as A guy who reads his Bible every day. I Have used this little tool. I have pictured a Grandchild I have pictured my daughter's There I am. I'm over at the hospice house I'm not running marathons no more I'm not the dad that they can come and get wisdom from no more My body is failing and my mind is weak Nothing I can do to show off prove And I have said no I have pushed back Against that temptation because I know I'll lock eyes with Emily and I'll lock eyes with Katie and I want to see the favor in their eyes of a dad Who said no to the temptation? When my wife Looks in my eyes And it won't be my arms of

Strength and words of love All that'll be left is her looking and me knowing That she knows that when the pressure The pressure was on I Did all that I could do and Then when I take that last breath and I've told them please do not resuscitate me. I know where I'm going When I take that last breath and I stand before my God And I have failed and I struggle but I want my God To know that Temptation offered me a shortcut But shortcuts always led to a setback. So I didn't take the shortcut And I want my Savior to look at me and say Mark, I know temptation knocked on your door a lot in life But because of Jesus my son you knew you didn't have to open the door Here's the door to heaven welcome home Well done Thank you Being together in this space today is really good If you've never begun a relationship with Jesus, I'd like to invite you today to start following Jesus It's not about your behavior. It's not about your church attendance It's about the reality that Jesus is for you. God's not mad at you He's madly in love with you. Would you right now pray this prayer with me? Hey God, it's me I've sinned and I know it and I can't fix me. But today I Receive you Jesus as my Savior

I believe that you died on that cross for me and that you were buried for three days and Then you became alive again And I invite you into my life to guide me and direct me all the rest of the days of my life And with that prayer my friend welcome to God's family I'd like to continue our friendship if you would email me Pastor at hope in Ocala comm I'll follow up with you and together We'll celebrate Jesus in your life. Peace