12Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.13Let 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.14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Jesus has come to set us free from the power of sin. We cannot take that victory for granted - it's important that we exercise our spiritual resources so that we might bring honor to Him. He wants us to develop the desire to live for Him more wholeheartedly each day and recognize that there will be the temptation to choose to go in a different direction from His will. He gives us the capacity to resist as we study and apply His Word and activate the power of the Spirit when we face tempation.
When we consider the nature of temptation, we can see from 1st Corinthians 10 that God offers a remedy:
12Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.13No 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.
The 27th late summer classic is invading homes across America - no, not the PGA tournament or some quality sporting event, but a strange amalgamation of science and entertainment. Yes, it's the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" (cue the dramatic fanfare).
And, as USA Today points out:
...sharks are enjoying a pop culture renaissance. No longer the nightmarish monsters of 1975's "Jaws," great whites were recently featured as flying/flaming cannon fodder in the social-media sensation "Sharknado 2: The Second One."
The travels of Katharine, a 2,300-pound great white with a satellite transmitter on her dorsal fin, captured the public's imagination for months.Check out the title lineup of this year's features for Shark Week. USA Today reports that you have Lair of the Mega Shark. Sharkageddon. Spawn of Jaws 2: The Birth. Zombie Sharks. and Alien Sharks: Return to the Abyss. Discovery is even bringing back Megalodon, which was described as a "mockumentary" that drew criticism last year for its dramatization of a giant prehistoric shark. It's been updated as Megalodon: The New Evidence and promises "shocking new footage."
Shark Week has certainly not "jumped the shark": USA Today states that last year's Shark Week was the most-watched in the franchise's history, according to Nielsen. And like it or not, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives hit a ratings high for the event with 4.8 million viewers.
As for bringing back the controversial Megalodon, Michael Sorensen, Discovery's VP of development and production says, "It became a mini cult hit, and people are looking to us to continue that story."
Sorenson says, "We try not to take ourselves too seriously...Some of these titles are very tongue-in-cheek." He's quick to add that there is still a "lot of core Discovery Channel— great science, great natural history." And, he says, "if we ever stop innovating new ways to showcase sharks, then Shark Week isn't as special as it is."
So, why the interest in these creatures?
Sharknado screenwriter Thunder Levin says he's often asked about the endless interest in sharks, real or not. His explanation: "Things that scare us fascinate us."
George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, is quoted as saying that people are awed because they regard these creatures as forces of nature — or "acts of God" — alongside such phenomenon as hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning. He says, "Sharks are among the few things on Earth that we as humans can't control."
So, there's a cultural affinity for these creatures that can destroy us! I would hope that propensity would not transfer into the spiritual realm, but I think there is some truth here that can provide some cautionary principles. For one thing, in our human condition, we can develop a fascination for things that will do harm to us. We are attracted to sinful desires and behaviors - we are tempted, James says, when we are lured by our own lusts. And, what we become attracted to and indulge in can actually become obsessions and result in seemingly uncontrollable behaviors that override our spiritual sensibilities. We must resist the fascinations that can become so powerful, using the spiritual resources that God makes available to us.
You might could learn a lot about the creatures of the deep by tuning in to Shark Week. And when you go to the beach, the awareness of safety measures concerning sharks can make a huge difference. Similarly, in the spiritual realm, we should be aware of the patterns of our spiritual enemy as he pursues us and deceives us, with an endgame of rendering us less productive in our relationship with God. The enemy wants us to give in to evil, time and again, but if we are clued in to his devices, we can be able to walk in the victory God intends.
Shark Week? Informative, perhaps; entertaining - well, maybe. But, regarding spiritual principles, just maybe we can consider God's offer of a place of safety when we are beset by the spiritual sharks that are unleashed on our lives.
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