A Ride With The Devil

Matthew 4

Have you ever wondered, why Jesus willingly tagged along with the “tempter”, after He had fasted 40 days, and was hungry? We are taught in James 4:7 to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from us. Rather than resist the devil, Jesus allowed the devil to take Him along on a short journey, with hopes of tempting Him to disobey the will of God, His Father.

Jesus has always been submitted to God, so why would He freely tag along with the very one who caused man to sin in the beginning? Contrary to worldly belief, the enemy has absolutely no power to stand against the Son of God. In fact, satan has already been condemned to the pit of hell, then eventually will spend his eternity in the lake that burns with fire. I have come to believe, Jesus allowed the devil to tempt Him, in order to show the children of God how to handle themselves whenever their seasons of tempting comes. The most effective way to stand against any attack of the enemy is, utilize the word of God as your countermeasure. Every situation satan presented to Jesus, He used God’s word to shut down his wicked motives and intentions.

The body of believers will most certainly be tempted during their lifetime, but using the word of God when faced with difficult times, will prove effective to counter anything that’s intended to sway them from the truth.

When’s The Last Time…?

Psalm 106-107

When was the last time, you told God you love Him? When was the last time, you expressed gratefulness, simply for being alive? When was the last time, you hugged yourself? When was the last time, you considered how short life is? When was the last time, you treated yourself to something nice? When was the last time, you ignored your haters, and prayed for them instead? When was the last time, you stood your ground, in the midst of persecution and shame? When was the last time, you spoke highly of someone, other than yourself? When was the last time, you sat with an elderly person, and gleaned from their years of wisdom? When was the last time, you shared your wisdom with a child? When was the last time, you thought about men and women who are incarcerated, and felt a sense of sorrow? When was the last time, you visited someone who was sick, and in pain? When was the last time, you didn’t hesitate to give food, clothes, or money to the poor? When was the last time, you took a walk at night, gazed into the starlit sky, breathed in slowly, exhaled, then told God “thank you”? When was the last time, you looked around, and appreciated God’s creation? When was the last time, you brought comfort, to an uncomfortable situation? When was the last time, you actually meditated on the Word of God? When was the last time, your smile made someone’s day? When was the last time, you held your peace, even when you knew you were right? When was the last time, you helped someone grow closer to God? When was the last time, you held on to your faith, even when it seemed God had forgotten about you? When was the last time, you went on a fast (not a diet)? When was the last time, you shunned pride, for humility? When was the last time, your soft answer turned away someone’s wrath? When was the last time, your grievous words stirred up someone’s anger? When was the last time, you considered eternity? When was the last time, you made preparations for your eternal destination?

Worthy Of The Kingdom

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5, 11-12

What is the proper way to conduct oneself while facing persecution? Well, there are two answers to that question. One response is fairly simple and straightforward, while the other can oftentimes be rather vague. For the child of God, enduring inevitable persecution requires patience and faith. For those who live beyond the realm of God’s readily available safety, persecution tends to consume them without a sense of reason, or purposeful end. When worldly men suffer, they typically expect others to pity them, and make sacrifices on behalf of their tragedies. On the contrary, when a believer suffers, they endure to prove that in their suffering, they can still perform works that are pleasing to God.

The church doesn’t suffer, so that they can get contaminated government assistance, but it suffers because the world hates the truth, and will go to great measures to silence those who go against worldly beliefs. In our text, the apostle Paul, and those who sojourned with him, were pleased to see that those in the Thessalonian church were continuing to grow in faith exceedingly, and spread love amongst each other, despite enduring persecutions and tribulations. The apostle Paul did not commend the Thessalonian church for building a great edifice, or rendering awesome praise and worship, but he counted them worthy of the kingdom of God, because of their suffering.

When hard times come in our lives, God allows them to test our level of faith in His Word, and to prove to our adversary, he has no claim, nor influence in the lives of God’s people. Take pride in being a child of royalty, and see your suffering as a way to show God that if those who died before us endured until the end, then you can too! “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4).

Keep your chin up… it’s easier to see Heaven that way,

Ell

Keep God’s commandments

Proverbs 3:1-10

This lesson will be a short reminder to all those who claim to be born-again sons and daughters of God, that keeping His commandments always yield amazing benefits. Although heaven and earth are soon to pass away, disciples of Christ are yet mandated to live by a godly, and holy standard. Serving God, at times, seems tedious, and can cause the minds of even the most faithful to question whether or not He sees all the troubling experiences they encounter, but the Lord never slumbers, nor sleeps, and pays close attention to every detail of everything we face. God commanded His people to do things a certain way for a reason. For example, to obtain peace and long life, one must only remember God’s laws, and keep His commandments. While that may be a simple command to obey in order to reap such great blessings, attempting to follow God’s words are usually met by inevitable confrontation. Satan has a hard time ignoring those who seek to please God, because he was deemed, “the author of confusion”, and directs all his focus on knocking them off track. For this very reason, the text reminds us in verses five and six to, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledged Him, and He shall direct thy paths”. When we consult God’s advice on all the situations we face in life, it will greatly reduce the possibility for satan to influence us to sin. God’s power never fails, and if we commit all our trust to Him, then He’ll make sure our choices and decisions are stamped with His approval.

From morning, to afternoon, and in the evening, God should be at the forefront of our minds and hearts. His way is right, and those walking along the path He directs exhibit consistent righteous behavior. Make sure you have a full understanding of what God expects of you, after claiming to be His own, because many wear the title “Christian”, but live contrary to what it stands for.

Walk in love,

Ell