Temptation does not come from God and He does not entice us to evil. Although He may test our faith, He does so without a solicitation to evil. By His very nature, God is UNABLE to either be tempted or to tempt with evil. James in his Epistle (James 1:12- 15)shows the great cause of sin. He accentuates that our unbridled desires have a greater hand in temptation than either the devil or his instruments, who cannot make us sin without our consent; as they sometimes tempt and do not prevail. In scriptures (Genesis 4:5-7), a temptation to evil is likened to a beast crouching at the door. Although he can not let itself in, our unbridled desires let it in. The temptation each one faces is orchestrated by the enemy of our souls; the tempter who lures all to do evil. To keep the door of our lives locked to the beast crouching at the door, we have to rule over it by keeping our desires under godly check and resist it immediately, ruthlessly and consistently.

Paul argued in 1 Timothy 5:6 that a life lived for mere pleasure and unnecessary ease is no life at all; it is a living death. Is he against pleasure and comfort? Of course not! He is against irresponsible and ungodly pleasure-seeking. Pleasure is irresponsible when it costs our family and the church, and ungodly when it cost us our conscience and soul! How then should a Christain enjoy the good things of life? This episode tries to answer this question.

John the Baptizer was a prophet with a novel message and man of good repute. This drew multitudes to him in the wilderness at the climax of his ministry. Soon he got himself arrested by the king and was on death roll. From the prison, he sent his disciples to confirm if Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus affirmed his messiahship and went on to affirm the authenticity of John the Baptizer's ministry and virtue. Indeed the people went out to see a man of virtue and character but even in his most vulnerable time, the message he has declared as God's prophet remain unchanged because the word of God is always consistent and true!

What is the significance of the burial of Jesus Christ according to scriptures and why was He buried the way He was? This question may not be a crucial question to us who live in the 21st century, particularly to those who live in the parts of the world where the dead are buried and not cremated. However, it is very significant that Jesus was buried because those who died by crucifixion in those days like Jesus did, were not typically given any decent form of burial rites at all. The victims of crucifixion were usually taken to what seemed to be like a dunghill that is always on fire; a setting which may have been used as a pictorial metaphor of the eternal lake of fire (Gehenna). The bodies of the crucified would be casually disposed on this foul, perpetually-burning dunghill of some sort filled with human bodies; half rotten, half burnt because it’s slowly burning. For our sacrificed Lord, the situation was different... more details in this podcast and in an article on http://alwaysfragrance.com/the-burial-of-christ/ To understand why growing up in Nazareth was a humiliation for Jesus, listen to this podcast- https://soundcloud.com/alwaysfragrance/the-good-outta-nazareth-matthew-219-23

In John 12:23, for what seemed like the very first time, Jesus said: "The hour has come, that the Son of Man should be glorified". Before this, he has told his mother and brothers otherwise on different occasions. In John's Gospel, we see Jesus as the saviour of the world and evidently, John wants us to understand that what happened in John 12 has ushered in the climax and Jesus sees it as evidence that His mission has climaxed and His time has now come. The fact that His hour had not yet come had delivered Him from violence before. Now that the hour has come, it was time for Jesus to make the ultimate sacrifice. This special episode x-rays the statement "Now my hour has come" and what it means for the believer and non-believer alike. Links to the articles mentioned in this episode: 1. http://alwaysfragrance.com/the-burial-of-christ/ 2. http://alwaysfragrance.com/hosanna-in-the-highest/ 3. http://alwaysfragrance.com/before-the-cross/

Both in his ministry and personality, John the Baptist was styled after the bold prophet Elijah. It wasn’t that John the Baptist decided on his own to make his lifestyle and public ministry like the predicted Elijah-like forerunner of Christ but as he faithfully lived his life and carried on with his ministry, he fulfilled the prophecies of Malachi (Malachi 4:5). He became the grand finale of the messianic prophets and a man whose fashion, diet, message and mien fulfil scriptures...

In this role as a forerunner, John’s purpose was to prepare hearts for the Messiah as well as to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could receive the salvation from sin offered by the Messianic King. Isaiah's prophecy about John the Baptist had the imagery of building up a great road for the arrival of a majestic king. The idea is to fill in the holes and knock down the hills that are in the way, a preparation that must actually take place in our hearts. Charles Spurgeon once said "Men’s hearts were like a wilderness, wherein there is no way; but as loyal subjects throw up roads for the approach of beloved princes, so were men to welcome the Lord, with their hearts made right and ready to receive him"