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WAY BACK IN MY TWENTIES WHEN I
FIRST BEGAN IN MINISTRY I
REMEMBER BEING CONCERNED ABOUT
AREAS OF TEMPTATION WHERE I
OFTEN WOULD FALL. SO I DECIDED
TO MAKE A LIST OF THOSE AREAS
AND I GOT A PIECE OF PAPER AND
BEGAN TO MAKE A LIST. AND THEN I
TORE UP THE PIECE OF PAPER AND
THREW IT AWAY AND GOT A BIGGER
PIECE OF PAPER BECAUSE THE LIST
WAS LONGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS
GOING TO BE.
AND I MADE A LIST OF AREAS WHERE
I KNEW, IF I AM TEMPTED, I STAND
A GOOD CHANCE OF FALLING. AND
THEN I TRIED TO FIND A VERSE IN
THE BIBLE THAT ADDRESSED AND
CONTRADICTED EVERY ONE OF THESE
TEMPTATIONS.
AND TO MY SURPRISE I FOUND A
VERSE FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE. I
WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE I THOUGHT
MAYBE I HAD INVENTED SOME OF
THEM. I DIDN'T THINK THEY WERE
EVEN IN THE BIBLE BUT THEY WERE.
AND THEN I KEPT THAT SHEET OF
PAPER IN THE BACK OF MY BIBLE
FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND I LEARNED
MANY OF THOSE VERSES AND I
QUOTED MANY OF THOSE VERSES AND
I PRAYED ON THE BASIS OF SOME OF
THOSE VERSES WHEN I WAS BEING
UNDER BATTLE.
AND THEN ONE WEEKEND I WAS
SPEAKING AT A YOUTH RETREAT AND
I LEFT MY BIBLE SITTING OUT
SOMEWHERE AND SOMEBODY FOUND IT.
"WHOSE BIBLE IS THIS?" YOU KNOW,
LOOKED THROUGH IT AND FOUND THIS
LIST IN THE BACK. AND THOUGHT,
"WOW, THIS LOOKS VERY
INTERESTING!" AND PASSED IT
AROUND AND EVERYBODY HAD A LOOK
AT MY LIST OF SINS AND
WEAKNESSES.
AND I WAS RATHER EMBARRASSED SO
I DIDN'T KEEP IT IN MY BIBLE
AGAIN.
BUT I RECOMMEND TO YOU THAT YOU
FIND WHERE DOES THE WORD ADDRESS
MY AREAS OF VULNERABILITY? IT IS
NOT GOING TO BE THE WHOLE
ANSWER, BUT IT'S A STARTING
POINT OF AUTHORITY. "IT IS
WRITTEN."