Purpose Driven Life

[kayre]

Summary: God never permits temptation that is too strong to be overcome. To overcome: Refocus your attention on something else; reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group; resist the devil; realize your vulnerability.

My thoughts: His advice on turning your attention elsewhere is good, of course-- but it’s rather amusing watching Warren gloss over the fact that it’s pretty hard to claim as a ‘biblical key.’ To my surprise, when he refers to “the wisest man who ever lived” he means Solomon-- not Jesus?

Yes, he’s talking about a literal Satan; he may not go as far as a red suit and pitchfork, but he clearly means a real entity with a personality of sorts. Personification of evil can be useful at times, but I wish he’d taken the time to look into the dangers of being obsessed with Satan-- a very real danger for some who might read this.

“Memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating temptation.... If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, you’ve got no bullets in your gun!” None? Not even prayer? No, no, just chant a magic verse. Honestly, this chapter could lead some folk into regarding both prayer and scripture as magic talismans rather than guides and disciplines. (Also, my recent lessons in storytelling make me aware that most folk never memorize the stories, just the snappy one-liners-- thus giving up SO much of what the Bible has to offer!)