Looks like all of you made it through another week! As I have been praying for you this week, my curiosity has been peaked at to what you all are up to. Be sure to contact me through my web page or my e-mail address (pcpretty@yahoo.com). I will be able to post your GALLERY notes that way. I'm sure many of you would love to hear from others on how God is using them and giving victory over temptations. I will continue to pray for you all and hope to be used of God to be a blessing to you. We need all the help we can get.

I was reminded just today how close we are to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. I earnestly believe that you and I are living in the Rapture Generation-we shall see. It's so sad that the very time in which we believe our Savior is going to return, we are the most carnal, cold, and careless about the things of God. I warn you as best I know how not to be sucked in to the temporal garbage of this world. Revelation challenges us to "hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (3:11) Has it ever occurred to you that there will be a generation of Christian teenagers when Christ returns? Perhaps you will be that generation! Does that not excite you, challenge you, and empower you?! Does that not make you want to be very careful that no one takes your crown? In II Timothy 4:8, Paul makes it very clear that a person can know for certain before they ever go to heaven they will receive an eternal crown of righteousness. Beware, lest this world draw you away from the precious, holy decisions you have made. The temptation is great because the potential reward is great. Is that not always the way it works?

THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE

I'm writing this week specifically to help you keep from returning to many of your former ways that were threatening your eternal reward. THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE is something the Lord gave me long ago that was such a blessed help to me. Let's look at the premise for this W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE in Proverbs 23:1-8. Turn there with me tonight and picture yourself once again seated together ready to eagerly hear from God's Word.

INTRODUCTION TO THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE

In the first two verses of this chapter, we are given three important items that will make up our outline for this introduction. You have:

• The Provider
• The Provision
• The Prevention

First, let's look at the provider. Who is this ruler mentioned in verse one? Verse three makes it very clear that whoever this is, he is deceitful. He is trying to trick you into believing something that is not true. Verse six mentions that he has an "evil eye." In other words, he is looking to do you harm and not good. Last of all, verse seven tells us that his heart is not with thee. He pretends he wants the very best for your life and has your best interests in mind, but if the truth be known, he has no heart for your future, your happiness or your life. There is one additional piece of information we gather from this passage that helps us identify who this ruler is. He seems to know exactly what you have an appetite for. Notice in the passage, he has the uncanny ability to put before you exactly what your carnal passions desire. The conclusion is clear: this ruler is Satan, or, more generally, the voice of temptation. Only Satan knows exactly what it would take to cause you to fall.

Secondly, let's look at the Provision. Verse one tells us to consider diligently the Provision that he is offering. By the way, notice this, if you want to sin, lose your purity, or throw away your life, the Devil is more than happy to make all the provisions to do it. He will make it possible and help you to see it happen. But, the Bible is warning you to think long and hard about what he has really set before you. Remember, his provision is consistent with his deceitful character. Though he promises it will be wonderful to be involved in physical intimacy, pornography, Rock music, swearing, and other evils, if you will really consider the end of all of it, you will see clearly it is not good. Verse three tells us his meat is deceitful. In other words, it promises far more than it will ever produce. Verse eight gives us a rather graffic depiction of the end of enjoying his provisions: we will wish we could vomit out those wicked things he offered. What we thought would taste good turned out to be poison to the soul. I warn you as your concerned friend, do not bite into the devil's lies. His provision is not for you. Consider diligently the rest of your life and eternal rewards before you sink your teeth into the devil's provision.

Last of all we have the Prevention. The Prevention is in fact THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE. Verse two says to prevent yourself from that particular temptation, put a knife to thy throat. Let me quickly say that this is in no way talking about suicide or anything related to mutilation. Let me explain. In our culture, we bring the food off our plate to our mouths, and then we eat. In that culture, they put their mouth down to the plate and then ate. Picture what might happen if someone put a knife to their throat and then bent down to eat the food on the plate. The results would be disaster. Obviously, if he has a knife to his throat, there is no way on this green earth he is going to bend down and eat what is set before him. Do you see the picture of The Wedge? The idea is to set some prevention between you and the temptations that most draw your carnal appetite. Again, let me repeat, this does not in any way include bringing harm to yourself or others. The principle, is to set a road block, a safety switch, between you and that one sin you just can't seem to have victory over. Verse six even tells us that we are not only not to eat what Satan offers us, but we are not even to DESIRE it! How is that possible!? By placing some road blocks in your life such as Bible reading, prayer, Church, Christian music that is conservative, and good godly friends that will help you. Many young people want to have victory over sensual thinking, yet they watch movies that lead them right back into it. Others who have struggled with Rock Music, listen to Contemporary Christian Music and Christian Rock which leads them right back to the world's kind of music. The problem is that they are not making a Prevention from the temptations of Satan. You must learn to take serious steps to put great distance between you and the temptations that drag you down the most. This is THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE.

Next week we will go into the first point of THE W.E.D.G.E. PRINCIPLE, and I trust it will be a great help to you. Comrades, compatriats, friends, fellow soldiers, don't give in now. Keep on the firing line. I will be praying for you this week. Looking forward to hearing from THE GALLERY.