Build your house upon the Rock

Have you ever seen someone build a sandcastle at the beach and watch where they decide to start the foundation of the castle?  If you notice and experienced sandcastle builder will build his castle far enough away from the water, that his work will not be destroyed.  On the other hand a person who has no experience building a sandcastle will just pick a spot without worrying about the elements around the castle. 

This is like us when we are deciding which way to build our lives.  Are we going to build our lives upon the abilities we think we have, or are we going to build our lives on the abilities of Jesus Christ? 

In Matthew 7:24-27 we see how and where we are to build our lives.  We see these verses as an example to using the perfect architect, God, or our foolish, feeble minds.

We esteem ourselves to highly when we think that we have all the tools and abilities needed to create our own lives.  Yes, we have abilities, but those come from God, not from you. 

Verse 24 says So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them (obeying them) will be like a sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock. (25) And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. (26) And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.  (27) And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell- and great and complete was the fall of it.

Jesus, known for using parables, is using one again about building a house.  These verses, though they can be taken literally, are being used here, figuratively.  He is telling us that our lives should be built on the rock of His word, and not the thoughts of our minds, or directions of our flesh.

Jesus tells us in verses 21-23 that if you do not keep His commandments, surely He will not recognize you in death.  He is saying, I believe, that He has given us one commandment that is held higher than all others and that is to love each other as we love ourselves.  We are also not to have any other Gods before Him.  I personally think this is where we should all start.

We see the connection between verses 21-23, in that if you don’t obey His commandments to love each other and have no other God before Him, you will never be able to build your house upon the rock.  You are to foolish to acknowledge the words that He has given to you, you surely will be too foolish to know that building your house on the sand, will lead you to destruction.

This is like the sandcastle that is built close to the water.  This person is foolish as each time the water comes rushing in or the tide comes in, the sandcastle, and all the time spent creating the sandcastle will be washed away.  

When you study the ground, the area, and where the tide is reaching and decide to build your sandcastle on solid ground away from the dangers that loom around, your castle will have the opportunity to remain, and you will be able to look upon your achievements with satisfaction, not bewilderment.

I believe in these verses, 24-27 we are being told, once again, that yes, the storms of life are going to come they are going to come against your home, which is your body, and some will come with greater force than others.  Our bodies are the temple of the Lords, and where the Holy Spirit dwells, after you have received Jesus as your Savior, so when you are the temple of God, you are building your foundation on the word, or the rock.

He is the rock, on which we should build our lives, so when these storms come, and again, they are coming, we will be shielded by His grace and mercy.  We will be protected because we are firmly planted in Him, and not in ourselves.  We have the knowledge that a person who doesn’t follow Jesus has, we have the knowledge of His word and how to create a life that is pleasing to Him.

The person who chooses to not follow Jesus, and accept Him as their Savior, they are building their houses, or their bodies, on their own thoughts, wills and emotions.  They are aimlessly walking through life, trying to seek the love and purpose we who know Christ have, through Him.

The person, who is following their own path, is the one who builds their house on the sand.  These are the people who build their sandcastle close to the water, and wonder why they are not able to complete their task.   These people are going to have storms of varying degrees but their storms will rock and shake them.

Their storms will create destruction and leave them wondering what happened.  They will wonder how a small storm was able to level everything they have put their hands too.  Notice the word THEIR.  They built their lives around themselves, instead of around God.

Here is what we know; it’s never too late to change the construction of your home.  It’s never too late to say, you know I think we should move from where the water is to where there is a stronger foundation. 

We always have the opportunity, as long as we are drawing breathe, to realize that we have made the wrong choice in building our lives on our own will, and submit to Jesus and keep His commandments.

Hope is never lost to those who are still living this life.  Jesus has told us in a parable about a shepherd who had 100 sheep, and while he was counting the sheep he realized that he only had 99 with him.  He immediately left the 99 that he had and began searching for the one that was missing. 

This is Jesus searching for you. 

If you built your house on the sand, as I once have, it’s not too late for you to decide to fire the architect, which would be you, and higher the supreme architect, which would be Jesus.

Search your heart and look around you, are you struggling every time something goes wrong in your life?  Are you constantly looking for validation and love in people?  Are you trying to fill the holes that are in your life with drugs, alcohol, sex, or new age rituals?  If you said yes to these things you are building your life on the sand, and need to build your life on God.

He will accept you as you are and heal all those empty places that you are carrying around with you now.  He will bring a love to you that you never knew and He will become the master architect of your life, and soon that sandcastle will become a mansion full of hope, opportunity, peace, love, grace and mercy.

Your mansion will be full of Jesus!

Keep Fighting!!!

Life will sometimes swallow you up whole and then spit you out.  There are times when you think that you are coasting along fine, and out of nowhere a wave will knock you down, and then hold you under, until your breathe is no longer.  It is in those moments we are to turn to God to seek solace and comfort, but what happens when God is silent, what direction are you to go in during those times.

This is where I am right now, in this very moment.  I feel as if God has pushed the mute button and I am left to seek within myself for the motivation to go on.  I am not speaking about going on in my life, physically, but emotionally and spiritually. 

There are times when I am riding the wave, like I would imagine a surfer feels, and going strong and steady in my faith.  Then times where I feel that I am on top of my mountain and praising God for getting me to this place, them out of no where BAM... I am knocked to the bottom again.

I wonder why some days your faith is shaken to the point of being lost, wondering if you ever had faith to start out with.  Was everything just a hallucination or dream?   Did I conjure up these ideas for my life out of the desperation to have a purpose?

Walking in the wilderness is not a time of celebration and rejoicing, but a time of becoming naked and revealed.  It's a time of great sorrow and for me has been extremely painful.  I feel the layers of my life being stripped off of me, and the pain of being exposed and vulnerable is more than I can bare.

But God...

These are two words that I am desperately trying to seek solace in and holding on with a grasp tighter than I have ever imagined I was able to have.  My fingers are white from trying to keep a hold of my Faith that satan is trying so desperately to steal.

I know in my heart that God is Able, God is willing, and God will prevail, but the knowledge of those times have not reached my mind.

My mind that has been corrupted by the lies of satan for years.  The trash pit that he has decided to dump all of his of lies and manipulation into for years.  I have a battle before me unlike none I have ever know, and the small amount of faith that I have been given from God, is being tested by a force that is evil.

There are no words, emotions, embraces that can fix this but Gods. 

Jesus Christ is our Healer, our Protector, our Redeemer and in those things I grasp for my life.

This fight that I am in is not only with satan but also within myself.  Handing over the control and surrendering to the will of my God.  You would think it would be easy to say to God, here, here is my life, here have it, and do with it what you choose, but this is not easy for me.  This is the hardest thing I have ever attempted to do.

When God feels gone, quiet and that His face is not shining on you, in those moments, in those hours, that is when we must dig in and decide we will Seek His Face, until we find it!

I am sharing these feelings today, just in case anyone else is battling a struggle like mine.  For anyone else that is fighting satan himself for the faith that God has deposited into our hearts at our creation.  For anyone who feels lost, lonely, scared, has a doctor's report to face, has lost a loved one or has been abandoned by a loved one...

For all of you I want you to know, I understand and feel your pain.  I feel your desperation and I stand with you in the faith, that we have been given by our Creator, our Healer, our Friend and our Comforter.  The one who knows what is to come and what has happened.  The one who has the answers for every question and the love for every broken piece of you.

I stand with you seeking, waiting, striving to break through from the wave that has come crashing down.

Let's lift each other up in prayer, let's loudly and boldly, have the strength to persevere and push through these times.  Let's show the devil who our God is and what He has created us to be! 

We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.  We are the Head and not the tail, We are loved by the God of thee Impossible and we too,  just like the cross that He hung on, we too will rise again!

In Numbers 6:24 There is a prayer, a blessing, a hope that was given to us.  Let's cling to these words today, and every day after, knowing that our God is a Strong and ABLE God.  He is the God of restoration, of deliverance or transformation and there is nothing NOTHING in this world that is to hard for Him to conquer.

The Lord bless you and watch, guard and keep you; (25) The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; (26) The Lord lift up His (approving) countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).  (27) And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Are you traveling the wide road to destruction?

Have you ever tried to put a round ball into a square shaped hole?  Did you find it to be very difficult to successfully achieve?  I think there are two ways to make this process happen.    You can either make the round ball smaller in size or you can push with force, the object through the hole.   To push the ball through the hole, is going to take time, pain, and force to achieve, but to make the ball smaller, it’s going to take trimming down around the edges.   

Neither of these options are going to be quick, easy or painless, but they will help you achieve the objective, of getting the round ball through the square shaped hole.

Now, I know there are some of you that are saying, wait, there is another option here, and you are right, there is another option.  The third option would be to make the square hole larger, and this leads me to my reading tonight.

In Matthew verse 7:13 it states Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.

So we see here is our option number three, we can just make the opening bigger.   But to make the opening bigger, do we also see the negative consequences of our actions? 

When you decide to enter through the wide gate, the spacious gate, or to enlarge the square shaped hole, you are taking the easy way out, and the easy way will always lead to destruction. 

If you take a quick look back at your life and allow your mind to show you some of the times that you took the easy way out, or the wide gate, can you see how you short changed yourself from a growing experience?

How about that test that you didn’t study for, so you decided to cheat, and even though you received a high mark on the test, you cheated yourself out of learning the information.  You took the wide gate because it was easier, and because it is more socially acceptable.

What about the person who does drugs?

How about the 13 year old boy who is struggling to find his way in life, he is trying to figure himself out, and also at the same time, find friends who will accept him.  This young, immature boy finds a peer group that are also feeling the same things he is, but they decide to soothe the pain and hurt with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.  

The young boy has a decision to make, is he going to take the wide road that looks to be socially acceptable, will give him the friends, and acceptance that he so badly desires, or will he listen to the voice inside of him, turn away from the friends and the drugs?   This young boy decided to do the drugs.  He decided to drink the alcohol, try the cigarettes, skip school and quickly advance into a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, sex and lies.  

He chose the wide road… and still is

I wonder when we make these decisions do we really understand the ramifications we will face in the aftermath of them.  Do we grasp that when we look around and see that yes, everyone else is doing it, it’s because it’s the easier thing to do.  It’s the thing that is going to cause us the least amount of pain in that moment. 

BUT the pain to come, is worse than that individual moment.

In Matthew 7:14 we see another option.  We see an option that though it will hurt, there is suffering that will happen, and effort that will be needed; the outcome is joy and happiness.   (14) But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that lead away to life, and few are those who find it.

Matthew 7:14 is the reason and the answer to why people choose the wide gate.  They will experience situations that are not favorable to their flesh.  They will have to feel pain, make decisions that won’t allow them to be part of the group, and maybe even experience being an outcast, and that in itself makes the wide gate so appealing.

But just for a second, let’s look at that little boy again.  What if he knew about Matthew 7:14 and he knew that though it might hurt right now, he is doing what is right.  What if he made the decision to follow the narrow road that leads to life? 

His life would be very different now.  He wouldn’t be thirty something, living with his parents, jumping from relationship to relationship, trying to fill the void in his life that only Jesus can fill, trying to manage a co-parenting friendship, from an old relationship that started and ended because of his drug usage.  He wouldn’t feel like life has rejected him, and that he is not worth more than the lifestyle of drugs, promiscuous sex and jail. 

He wouldn’t have watched friends die from suicide, and over dosing on drugs.  He wouldn’t have been arrested numerous times, and he wouldn’t have spent time in jail.   Most importantly he would know his worth and value, because he lives with a clear mind and sees from a clear perspective, instead of a hazy view of drugs and a lowered self-worth.

Yes, the narrow way to life is going to be painful.   You will have to make decisions that are not what your friends are doing, not what you want to do, and not what your flesh is telling you to do.  You are going to have to say no to things that are acceptable to the world’s standards and deal with the immediate pain or being uncomfortable in those moments.

BUT here is what you do get. 

You don’t have to deal with a life that is headed towards destruction.  You don’t have to worry about living a life that you know Jesus did not die for you to have.  You get to have freedom in Him and in living for Him.  You get to be a role model to someone else that is unsure of what direction to take.  They can look at you and see that they don’t have to take the wide road that leads to death, but they can travel the narrow road that leads to life.

The round ball isn’t going to fit through the square shaped hole, unless it is altered to fit.  The round ball isn’t going to wish, hope or snap its fingers and be on the other side of the square shaped hole, but the round ball can pray to Jesus for His help and guidance, on how to make it through the transition.

When we have to remove things from our lives, it’s painful, it hurts, it causes confusion and fear, but deep inside, if you listen for the soft voice you will know it’s the thing that is right for you to do.  When you chose to stay who you are you are cheating yourself out of the life that was prepared for you. 

You are settling for a road that no one wants to travel on, instead of the road that leads to God.  We all have examples from our own lives where we have taken the easy way out, instead of pushing through the moment, and if we are honest with ourselves those moments, are not our shining moments.  The moments that we stand out and we can be proud of are the moments when we took the narrow road.  Those moments where we did what was right, even if it’s not what is popular, or feels good.

Those are the moments where you are allowing yourself to be changed into His image.  Those are the moments, that when you string them all together, they show you that the narrow road does leads to life.

We all have decisions to make every day, some are small, some are very large, but if we take a moment, we can clearly see two paths to take. 

One path will be the easier path, the one that feels good to your flesh and the other one might be a little bumpier and cause some pain.  But as verse 7:14 tells us when you choose the narrow gate, God will make that road straight and compressed for you.  He will start to remove obstacles from your life so your walk will not be as painful in the end, as it was in the beginning. 

When we choose the narrow gate, we are choosing to allow God to usher us into the life that He purposed for us.  We are allowing Him to shine through us and we are being an example to the world around us, that the narrow road to life is in fact the most rewarding road to choose!

Are you ready to hand the keys over to God?

If someone were to say to you on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most and one being the least, where would you say your faith, reliance, and trust is in Jesus?

Do you think you would be able to put a number to the level of trust you have in Jesus, or is that beyond your ability?  Would you be able to answer the question honestly, and not worry about being a super Christian?  Or is it possible your level of trust, faith, and reliance in Jesus changes moment by moment and day by day?

I hate to admit this, but if I am asking you to be honest, then I must expect the same thing from myself.   My faith, trust, and reliance in Jesus changes day to day, moment to moment, and sometimes storm by storm.  There are some things in my life I have no trouble surrendering the control over to God, and then there are other things that I have grasped so tightly God is moving finger by finger to redeem His rightful control of my life.

When I am writing my trust and reliance on God is high.  I would say it’s a solid nine, because I know that there is no possible way for me to be doing this, and for it to be impacting people, unless it is God.

I have never been a fan of writing, poetry, and I really didn’t like reading either. Then one day I felt this desire to pick up the Bible and start reading it.  It was the evening of February 2^nd 2014 to be exact.  I had just had a conversation with my best friend about how I have never actually sat down and read the Bible, because I've never been able to understand and retain the information.  That night I started reading the Bible in John. 

After I had read a couple verses, again an overwhelming desire hit me to explain, in my words, what I had just read.  Before I knew it I had pages handwritten on the Light of Jesus.   As shocked as I was,  it made sense, and now I was left to wonder, what just happened.  I was/am thankful that I am able to recognize that this is a gift from God, and I am completely in His control in using this gift.

I think I am pretty normal, in the fact that we all have weaknesses, and strengths when it comes to trusting God.  We all still believe to some extent that we can take care of the problems we have.  For me, when I am thinking I can take care of the problems in my life, it’s not because I think I can do it better than God, it’s because it doesn’t dawn on me to take the problem to God.

 I know that in my current situation, there is nothing I can do to bring forth the restoration and healing of this relationship, so I can’t do anything about it… right?

Wrong… I can do, what I am doing, about my current situation, and I don’t recommend anyone making these things a habit in their lives.  

My issue, or one of them, is I worry.  I over analyze.  I reason and try to figure everything out, down to the smallest detail.  And lastly, I am negative with my thinking.  None of these things am I doing because I think I can do it better than God, no, I am doing them out of fear and needing to be in control.

I have had to maintain some composure and control in my life just to survive.  I was never able to really show my emotions and had to endure a lot of physical, mental and sexual abuse so I just disconnected from myself and my emotions.   I began to try to control my environment to the best of my ability and I haven’t figured out a way to stop doing that to this day. 

I have been able to recognize, very recently, that my need to continue to be in control, is because if I let go of the control, I am at risk of everything falling apart, and then what do I do? 

But when I am not allowing God to control my life, I am not trusting, relying and placing my faith in God.  I am actually blocking His ability to fully work in my life.  See why satan tries so hard to maintain those fears and doubts in our minds?  If he didn’t we would all be working for and serving God.

In Matthew 9:27-30 we see Jesus healing two blind men, this is all on heels of Jesus being called to come with a ruler, whose daughter has died.  Before that, on His way to healing the ruler’s daughter, Jesus had come across the woman with the issue of blood.  She had been bleeding for over twelve years and had kept telling herself if she could just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed, and healed she was. 

Jesus spoke to her and said Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once she was restored to health.  Matthew 9:22.

Can you see the connection between the ruler whose daughter died and the women with the issue of blood?  Do you see what brings them the healing they so desperately need and want?

Their faith.

Now back to Matthew 9:27-30 As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting loudly, Have pity and mercy on us.  Son of David! (28) When He reached the house and went in.  The blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, Yes, Lord. (29) Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance (on the power invested in Me) be it done to you; (30) and their eyes were opened.   And Jesus earnestly and sternly charged them; see that you let no one know about this.

And again, do we see the common thread in this story, and the other two shared tonight? Faith, but not just faith, faith in Jesus and His ability.

We see that in all three of these stories, the people had faith in His ability, but more importantly they had faith in Him.   We see different scenarios here.  One person, the ruler, was having faith in Jesus for his daughter.  His faith wasn’t for his healing; his faith was for someone else’s healing. 

To me, this is showing us, that it is possible and needed for us to have faith for those who aren’t able to have faith for themselves, right now.  This is saying, yes, you can have faith, and ask for healing for someone else based on the faith you have in Jesus Christ and His abilities.  This is amazing and can open the doors for so many hurting people in this world to receive healing from a complete stranger.

In the second scenario, the woman with the issue of blood.  Once again, her faith is what made her well.  Not her faith in her healing, but her faith in her Healer and His ability.  Her faith was so strong that she didn’t even worry about speaking to Jesus, having Him touch her, or having Him concoct some special mud antidote for her, no, all she wanted to do was touch the hem of his garment, and she believed she would be healed… and she was! 

Jesus made a point, in this scenario, to look at her and tell her directly that her faith has made her well!   Her Faith!!

In scenario three, we see the two blind men, who even though they are blind, followed Jesus around shouting loudly to have mercy and pity on them for being blind.  After what I am sure was an annoying walk, Jesus turned to them and asked them, do you believe I can do what you are asking of Me?  Their response, yes, Lord. 

What do you think happened next?  They were healed.  Jesus touched both of their eyes and said to them both, according to your faith, trust and reliance on the power invested in Him, let it be done, and they were healed.

There is a common threads in all of these stories, but to me, the one that has stood out the most, is the thread of faith.  All of these people had faith in Jesus but also His ability.  They knew from the depths of them that if they could get in front of Him, touch His garment or have Him travel to see their loved ones, they would receive the healing they were asking for.

Now, I ask you again, where are you on a scale of one to ten in your faith, trust and reliance in Jesus?  If you are able to say you trust God with everything you have, and walk with at a level ten, God Bless you, and mean it, sincerely.  I would think there are few people who can say they trust God 100%, but I would also venture to say, there are many people who long to say they trust God 100%.

From what I can gather from these stories tonight, trusting God is a decision.  It’s a decision that you make on whether you are ready to hand the car keys to God, and get in the passenger seat, or you want to continue driving for a little while longer. 

Having faith, trust and relying on someone is really difficult.  It’s dying to oneself and the trust we have in ourselves, but if there is ever a time to release the control of your life, it would be now, and it would be to God. 

Healing, Faith and Relying on God can be yours and mine, all we need to do is surrender and hand Him the keys!   

You can ask God for everything!

Do you ever edit your prayers?  Do you ever feel guilty because you are asking for too much, or because you are asking for the same thing repeatedly? 

I personally struggle with these things, some days they are easier to manage and then other days, it’s a full out war in my mind.   I know that I have been blessed and am blessed.  I have so much more than most people and yet, I still want more.

The things I want more of have changed; they have become more emotional and spiritual than physical and material.  My desires have evolved and have grown with me in age and in relationship to where I am with God.

But yet, I still desire to have more.

Is this the gluttony in me or the desire to be greedy and take more than my share, or is this the Holy Spirit in me leading me into the life that I have always dreamed about.  These are some of my questions.

When I am praying that my heart desires are heard and delivered, am I being selfish instead of praying for the needs of others?  Every day there are thousands of questions like this that we can ask and usually not get an answer too.

We can follow our hearts and not our minds, and speak from the abundance of our hearts, and I believe that is the way that God would want us to go, but still the flesh speaks.

When I pray for God to deliver my family to me soon, and bring me through the times of hardship and softly deliver me into healing.  I am speaking from my desires, but mostly from my desire to be covered and protected, but still changed and delivered.  I don’t think I can have both things without going through the process to have them.

I found some solace in my reading tonight when I came across Matthew 7:7-12.  I am sure that we are familiar with these verses, as we have heard them surely in church, seen them on Facebook as our daily inspiration, or even on instagram attached by some adorning picture that sets the scene for the verse.

But have we really taken the time to think about these verses?  Have we asked that these verses be revealed to us, for the time we are currently in?

Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking (reverently) and (the door) will be opened to you.  (8) For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, (the door) will be opened. (11) If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven (perfect as He is) give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him! (12) So the, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets.

How interesting is it that God would lead me to this scripture tonight when I struggle with my feelings of wanting too much, all day.  Of thinking the prayers that I had asked for today were mainly about me and my needs.  I did include my loved ones and people that I have come across, but still mainly my needs were at the core of these prayers.

So how am I to take verse 7…? Well I will take it this way, and maybe you will like the idea, or maybe you will disagree, either way is fine, but this is how my heart reacted to the verses I just shared. 

It’s ok. 

It’s ok to want things, to ask for things, to request for things.  It’s ok to ask to be blessed and to have God’s favor in your life.  It’s ok to ask for promotion from God… It’s ok!    It’s ok that I ask for the same thing for my loved ones, it’s ok. 

It’s alright if I don’t speak eloquently in my prayers and if they only consist of a few words.  As a matter of fact, God prefers for us to speak words of truth, our truth and for us to ask for help from Him.  He wants you to come to Him often through the day, every day, and ask for His assistance and guidance.  He doesn’t want the pretty, shiny, text book prayer, He wants the prayer from you heart.

He tells us in these verses to keep asking, for if you keep asking you will receive.  To keep knocking, because the door will be opened to you.  And so importantly, I believe, to keep seeking Him.  Keep seeking His face and not His hand so that you will find Him and His Character.  For the glory and the gift, the answers to your hearts desires, and the prayers you so humbly give to Him are all found in seeking His face.

Verse 11, I think tells us, how we can never be ashamed of our prayers or our petitions to God.  How can we ever expect for God to not give us His best, when He is God.  He is perfect and He loves us perfectly.  He doesn’t know how to do anything else but perfection.  He doesn’t do sub-par or mediocre, He gives 100% or nothing.

Our problem, again, just my observation, is we expect God to answer the way we would answer, and that’s not His way.   As we know God’s world is opposite of the world’s view, and we are unfortunately more exposed to the worlds view than we are to God’s.   So when we come across a verse like verse 12 we are taken aback.  We are left to question, really, this is how I am supposed to receive… by giving.

Yes… the answer is yes.

I think the point here is when you are focused on yourself, you do become fleshly and worldly.  You become self –indulgent and me focused and that’s not the nature of God.  We are to become more like Him and less like us.  For He must increase, and I must decrease.

When you take the focus off of your desires and wants and help someone else achieve their desires and wants, we no longer are focused on ourselves.  We are now taking part in someone else’s life and in their joy.  When you give away what you have emotionally, physically or monetarily you are giving from the heart that God has given to you.  You are giving to help someone else.  You are lifting up someone else instead of focusing on your lack.  This gives God the chance to bless you. 

You might not be blessed in the way, again, that you expect, but you will be blessed in the way that God knows you need.  It’s beautiful to know that when your in need, your answer should be how I can give.  What can I give away to actually fulfill the need in myself.

I am not saying this in a selfish way either, I am saying when you give you receive more than anything you could have ever imagined.  It’s double fold actually.  When you give you are helping someone else but also helping yourself.

We are told in the Bible to keep asking, to keep knocking and to keep seeking.  We are given these instructions on how to live our lives, and I believe we are given them so that behind the scenes God can do His work.  He can begin to actually transform us from the old man into the new man.  Into His image.

 

Are you ready to seek God?

I wake up almost every morning with a song or verse in my head.  I am not sure if it’s put there to show me what to focus on that day, or if it’s to help get my day started the right way. 

I would say for about two years almost every day I woke up with Matthew 6:34 in my head.  I would hear this verse over and over again in my head.  It felt as if God was stuck on repeat, because this is basically all He said to me during that time.  

I would go to church, and hear that verse, I would watch a Christian based television program and hear that verse, everywhere I went this verse would chase me down.  I finally got the point, that maybe if this verse has decided to attach itself to me; maybe I should do what it’s telling me to do. 

Verse 6:33 in Matthew tells us But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

In my own limited perspective and view point, I truly thought I was seeking God.  I thought that I was putting in the effort that I needed to have the relationship with Him that I wanted.  Little did I know God had something else in mind?   I was resistant to this verse, because, I thought I already had a good relationship with God, and I was very content and comfortable, with where I was.

I was happy living my life as a Luke warm Christian.  (Gasp)  Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the verse that tells us that God takes issue with the Luke warm Christian.  I thought I was being obedient!  I thought I was earning my gold star, while maintaining the lifestyle I was also comfortable in.  Basically, I was straddling the fence of being a Jesus freak and being a worldly person. 

It’s not possible to be both… something is going to have to shift and change, and change it did.

Slowly, I started to lose my friends, first the surface friends, that I would casually socialize with and then one by one, I started losing my inner circle of friends.   I didn’t really notice nor should I say acknowledge this until a couple weeks ago, after the death of one of my closest friends.

My desires in life also started to change, while I was losing my friends.  I no longer really wanted to be the person in the bar, or at a party, and wanted to be at home.  I started reading and spending time learning about God and developing a deeper relationship with Him. 

 All of this was happening and I didn’t even realize it.  I didn’t connect the constant repeat of Matthew 6:33 in my head, with the slow dissolution of the person I knew myself to be.   God was changing me slowly without me even realizing I was changing.  

When we desire to seek God, seek the life that God has for us, the decisions that God would want us to make, and the decisions that Jesus made, means we have to change.  There is no way to remain the same person, while your mind is being renewed. 

That would be like taking a piece of paper, cutting it up into little pieces, and still insisting that the paper is still the same.   Yes, it’s still paper but it’s not one piece of paper; you now have many small pieces of paper.  

I am still a person; I still battle with problems in life.  I still make wrong decisions, and sin daily.   But yet at the same time, I am not the same.  I want different things in life than I did even a year ago.  I want to help people more than I did before; I want to understand people’s stories more than I did before.  I want to extend my hand in service or prayer, in ways I never did before.  My heart has been opened to people around me and my heart has been softened, so I am not as hard and judgmental as I was before.

Now, God knows, as well as I do, that I have a far way to travel, but all of these things have taken place without me even trying to change.  All of these things happened because God kept reminding me where my priority in life needed to be, and that was seeking Him.  

I was no longer to seek Him for things.  I was no longer just asking Him to fulfill my fleshly needs but I was asking Him to use me in His Kingdom.  To change me into the person that He created me to be.  I was now asking for help for other people and to show me how I can be used. 

I was now searching for God, for His qualities, for His face, not for His hand, and what He can give me. 

It changed my relationship with God.  It changed my relationship with other people and it changed my relationship with myself.   My relationship with God became deeper and no longer surface.  He began revealing to me His plans for my life, not my plans, but His plans for my life. 

When I decided to give in to verse 6:33 and to do what God has been calling me to do for over two years, I saw a change in everything around me.   Now, I don’t want to give the impression that life is rainbows and butterflies, because it hasn’t all been easy.   This has been a very challenging, emotional and sometimes lonely process.   But I know I am doing what God has called me to do. 

While things are changing and shifting, there are new things being birthed into my life.  There are new friendships forming, new dreams, hopes and desires that are coming.  There is new life beginning to shape and sprout in the midst of the death of who I used to be.

When we are called to seek God, and truly seek Him, we need to be prepared for the changes that are going to happen in us.  We need to know that yes, we are being obedient to the call of God but at the same time we are now denying our flesh, and that is going to hurt.   It is going to be uncomfortable to you, your flesh and maybe even the people around you. 

But we have a promise, a silver lining if you will, and that is the last sentence of this verse.  And then all these things taken together will be given you besides.   God promises you, that when you seek Him for who He is, and what He wants to do in your life; He will reward you by giving you everything He has. 

There are many peaks and valleys when you are changing into the image of Christ.  There are many adjustments and questions to what is happening, and why, but the one thing that we know is the entire time; God is walking right with us.  God is the one who is opening our eyes to the things that need to change, and He will do this in the time that is perfect for you. 

God will take you by the hand and walk in front of you as you enter into a new relationship with Him.  He will kindly make the way for you and try to ease your pain as much as possible, while going through the hard days.   He will open doors that no man can open and I promise you He will close doors that no man can close. 

If we allow God to truly work in our lives and change us into His image, we are guaranteed to have a life that was more fulfilling and joyful then the life we had before seeking Him.  

Remember God doesn’t call you to do anything that you are not prepared to do, through Him, so when He starts to play Matthew 6:33 on repeat in your life know that you are ready for it.  You are prepared for this season in your life, and that you will be rewarded for it in the end! 

Matthew 6:33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

 

Which do you choose, the world or God?

Have you ever noticed that God’s rules and way of living are completely opposite of what the world tells us to do?  Have you noticed that since you were a young child you have been taught to behave, react and treat other people a certain way, but when reading the Bible we find we are to do the opposite of what we have been conditioned to do? 

The world’s standards and God’s standards of living are at war with each other, and sometimes it’s very confusing to know which way to go.  When your flesh tells you to do one thing, but your heart tells you do something else, which one are you to believe.

I’ve heard it said a million times, to reference the word of God for your ultimate truth but when the ultimate truth goes against what everyone else is doing, and what you have been taught by your parents to do, it can be hard to follow the Bible.

We are taught not to hit, not be rude and cruel to people ,and animals, and these rules comply with the rules we see in the Bible, but we have also been taught to stand up for ourselves and protect ourselves against someone who is hurting us.  This is not the direction we see in the Bible, so which path do you choose?

This can be a very confusing thing to navigate as the conflicts become larger and more complex.   We are formed, conditioned, and shown to be independent thinkers, to use our rational brains when coming to a decision on something, but lately my rational brain and my relationship with God are not Seeing Eye to eye.  I have honestly been struggling with what direction to go.

Tonight I was reading from Matthew 6 1-13 and found myself once again questioning the path I am to take.  Now, honestly, this isn’t new for me, as I am a person who questions everything by nature, so when I am being taken in a direction that is completely foreign to who I am, naturally it becomes very difficult for me.  

This has been my life since November of 2013. 

Matthew 6: 1-13 Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven. ² Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.³ But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,⁴ So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly.⁵ Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.⁶ But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.⁷ And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking.⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.⁹ Pray, therefore, like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.¹⁰ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors.¹³ And lead (bring) us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Personally, I am not a person who needs to be rewarded constantly for their good deeds or performance.  I am very comfortable with slipping into the background and allowing my work to stand for itself.  This is one of the reason’s there is nothing personally attaching me with this blog.  I wanted it to stand on God’s word and His leading alone. 

I say all of that about myself since this chapter, or at least the beginning, is about how we should handle our good deeds and charitable contributions.  I agree with the verses, you shouldn’t be giving to get a puffed up ego or acknowledgment from your fellow man, we should be giving because that is what God has directed us to do, and because we are told to help the people in need around us.  This can come in many forms.  This can be in a monetary donation, a donation or items, or of your prayer and personal time.  You have to see how God leads you to fully see the harvest of your obedience to Him.

I love that the Bible goes out of the way to make sure the point is driven home that we should not let the left hand know what the right is doing.  We should not be boastful of our accomplishments or our abilities, since they were given to us by God.  We should always give the glory to God, for allowing us to be of service to Him and His people. 

In verse 5 we see a bit of a change in direction, as we are now being directed on how we should pray to God, and what not to do.  Prayer, I don’t know about you, but for me, has always been difficult. 

Not because I don’t have things to pray about, because trust me I surely do, but because I never can seem to find the right words, or the words, should I say to impress God.  I want to shower Him with my vocabulary and I guess if I am honest, give myself a God star for sounding eloquent when speaking to my God.

Prayer has been such a point of contention for me, I have found myself not wanting to do it.  I have shied away from it, and have made excuses to myself, to get out of praying.  Oh, I’ll do that later, or God knows what I am saying or what I need, I don’t need to pray about that.   Now, I still do pray and I am better with this than I was a year ago, but I have some road to still travel.

Verse five says, Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people.  Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. (6) But when you pray, go into your (most) private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. (7) And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking.   (8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  

As I am sure you can tell these verses were striking a chord with me, as I struggle with seven and eight.   I struggle with the fact that I am speaking to God and I need to impress Him.  I need to show Him He has picked a good servant, and that I am worthy enough of His love and time. 

None of these are true.  The truth is, as I believe was revealed to me, I am not worthy.  I am not worthy of anything from God, because I am a sinner and I sin every day.  I was born into sin and I will die a sinner, I had no choice on the matter, but I do have a choice to sin daily or not.  I struggle not with what we would consider the big sins.  I don’t struggle with not killing someone, stealing, or taking the Lords name in vain, but I do struggle with not having jealousy towards people who are living a life I wish I had.  I do struggle with having sexual thoughts and feelings, I struggle, like we all do, which makes us unworthy of God’s time, love, forgiveness and grace. 

But that’s why we have Jesus!!

I can stop beating myself up, and so can you, for not being perfect, for having made mistakes, and for the mistakes I will make in the future, because we have a perfect Savior, in Jesus Christ.

I can pray my imperfect, choppy, grammatically incorrect prayer, because I am not bringing to God who I am, I am bringing to God all that Jesus is.  I am coming before the throne of God, in the spirit and truth of Jesus Christ.  That is what makes me and everyone else worthy of God’s love, affection, blessings and everything else He has given to us.

I can stop being convicted of what I am doing wrong and allow Jesus, to fill in the spots and make them right.  I can allow Jesus to shine up my prayers and make them beautiful in the sight of God, because He goes before me.  He intercedes for us before God, all the time.  He represents our wants and needs to God and petitions Him on our behalf, along with the Holy Spirit, so that we can come as we are, and not be ruled by our faults.

The enemy, otherwise known as satan, will take advantage of this short coming you have, or the place where you feel inferior and he will enlarge it.  He will magnify it and make you feel even worse about your ability than how you felt before.  He will say to you, see your prayer was so mediocre, God will never listen to that.  God is not going to answer your prayer; He has other things going on.  

WRONG!! 

God will answer your prayer, and I am sure you will love this answer, because I surely do, (insert sarcasm).  He will answer your prayer in three ways, Yes, No or not yet.   Ugh, how I despise that response, and really can’t believe I am using it, but it is true. 

God will answer your prayers and petitions, no matter how juvenile, short or inadequate we think they are, but He might not answer them how we want Him to answer.  He might be telling you like He is telling me, hold on, there are other things we need to fix or change before I can give you the things you desire for… but the waiting can be so difficult.

Just because God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you want Him to answer it, doesn’t mean you should stop praying.  We should never stop having communication with God.  We should never stop contact or the open dialogue that God has with us, and we have with Him.  This is how we get to know God intimately, is by talking to Him.

Do as the Bible says and go into a place where you feel comfortable, less stressful, whether it’s your bedroom, office or even the shower, go where you have a moment alone, to spend time talking to God.   Speak to Him as you would speak to a friend, again, hard thing to do, because He’s God.  But do it.  Speak to Him like you would your best friend.  Ask Him for advice on your relationship, child, job, money or purchases, talk to God.

We are the ones who are making the relationship with God hard, not Him.  We are the ones who move, not God.  Remember that verse 8 says Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 

You may ask so what’s the point in praying if God already knows what I need? The answer is because we still have to ask Him, for Him to do it.  God won’t, for the most part, barge in on your life; we have to ask Him to come into our lives.  We have to bring everything from our lives to Him and ask Him for His help, and guidance on our lives.

God is waiting for you to say, hey, God, it’s me, and I need you to help me have more strength in this situation.  Or hey, God, it’s me, can you help me have a deeper desire to know you more intimately.   When we open the door that God is knocking on, through prayer, we give Him the ability to start to work in our lives. 

The world will tell you to go get what you want and what you need.  Do whatever you have to do to be successful and climb your way to the top.  The Bible tells us to go to God for what we want and what we need, because He already knows what we need, before we do.   We shouldn’t be living by the standards created in the world today, have we stopped to take a look at the world today?  We should be living by the standards that the Bible has given us, to accomplish the life that God has purposed for us. 

You make get some looks, you might feel awkward and you may even disappoint some people, but what you will get is a deeper connection with God and the peace of mind knowing you lived your life by the Book, being the Bible, not by the standards of the world!   You will be rewarded, in the open, for your adherence to the word of God.

We are all created equal, through Him.

You know the phrase keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer.  That phrase is said often and usually means to keep your eyes on the person who is out to get you, or who you think is out to get you.   We think this is the way we need to live to watch out for ourselves to keep safe and aware of the evil that may be coming against us. 

What if that phrase is correct but for very different reasons?

What if we are to keep our friends close but our enemies closer to show them God, instead of showing them contempt?

In Matthew 5:43-45 we see exactly what we are supposed to do with our enemies and how we are to treat them.

5:43 You have heard that it was said; You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  (44) But I tell you , Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  (45) To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers (alike).

We know that there are always going to be people who don’t like us, who despise us for one thing or another, and it is up to us to show them the love of God, anyway.    As we see in 43-45 We are to love our neighbors but you are to love your enemies as well.  We are called to not persecute our enemies or to seek revenge on the people who have hurt us, but we are called to pray for them.  God has asked that we not only love them but that we pray for them and not cast them out of our lives. 

To me verse 45 is showing that we are all equal and that what one person experiences we all experience.  We may not have the same story or outcome but we all have experiences in our lives of people who have hurt us, abandoned us, shamed us, or lied to us.  We have all had bad interactions with someone over the course of our lives and God is showing us that this will happen to all of us, just as the sun will rise on the wicked, and on the good, and the rain falls on the wicked and the upright.   We are all equal in the eyes of God and so we should be treating each other equally.

There is no one that is better than the other, or worse than the other.  There is no one that is loved more by God or who is cast away by God, we are all given the same amount of love from God, it just depends on how you receive it. 

If we choose to not receive the love of God we are truly walking alone in this life.  There is a deeper connection that is not being met on our end, and sometimes this can cause us to treat other people poorly.  You know Hurting people, hurt people.  This is also a very true phrase.

When you are hurting or miserable in your life, most people will seek out other people who are in the same situation or emotional state as they are.  They feel comforted by the fact that they are not alone in their despair.   Most of the time when you are feeling a sadness, you don’t want to be around the happiest person you know.  You usually, want to find someone who understands your pain, someone to validate how you are feeling.  

When we do this we need to be very mindful and careful that we are not allowing the other person to either take on our pain and burden, but also to not keep them locked in their own misery.   As Christians we need to raise up one another, and not keep each other stagnate in a season of life.

We all have bad things that happen to us, and we have all done bad things to another person.  We can’t chose who is going to hurt us but we can chose how we are going to handle it.  We can decide that we are going to forgive the person for the pain they have caused us, and know that they are causing pain to the people around them, because they are in pain, and pray for them.

We can pull them closer into our lives and help minister to them the perfect love of God, or we can do what our flesh wants us to do, and seek revenge, or alienate them from our lives.  What good is either of those things going to do for you, them or for the kingdom of God?

It is our responsibility to be a beacon of light to those around us, and to let God shine through us in every situation, when we cast away people, which we know Jesus did not do, we are not being a beacon of light, we are not showing them God, we are more than likely, reinforcing every thought they already had.   We can rise above the situation and allow God to work through us to minister to the hurting person or people around us.

Let’s try to be mindful when we are amongst people in the world, whether they are family, believers, non-believers or complete strangers to show them God.  To be the salt and light in a dark world, and allow them to see the goodness that can happen, even in a very bleak time. 

This is a very difficult task, I know, I fail at it almost daily, but if we continue to try and continue to open ourselves up in a way that allows God to work through us, it can be accomplished.  God would not have put it in His word, if it wasn’t possible for us to do, through Him.

Have an attitude of love with everyone you meet, including yourself.  Walk with the confidence and reassurance of God’s love and favor on your life and it will be easier for you to then give away, what you already have.

Imagine the good you could do instead of repaying someone evil with evil if you took a moment, to pray for that person, and ask God to help you, help them!  Don’t you think we would see a different world, if we were to actually adopt the instructions God has given to us!  

Do you truly appreciate your blessings?

Blessed… what does that word mean to you?  This word, I think is a personal word.  I believe that this word takes on its own meaning to each and every person.  It becomes personal, so when one person says I am blessed, or the Lord has blessed me, it draws another image in the mind of the person listening.  What we do know is that the person blessed has received something valuable from God. 

When I think of blessed or being blessed I can go a multitude of ways.  I can go from monetary blessings to physical blessings.  I think that the blessings of God happen to us every day and most of us, including me, are too busy to see them.  I think we are always looking for the blessing, or really the miracle, to notice that the blessings are coming at us constantly.

In Matthew 5:3 he is starting to discuss the blessings that we have received from Jesus.  In this particular verse I saw my grandmother, who to me is the definition of blessed.  She was the definition of blessed because she recognized the blessings even in the times of struggle.  She recognized that even when she was in a low part of her life she was still blessed because she was able to serve a God that loved her.

She acknowledged the small things in life as blessings, such as hot water, sunshine, birds, trees and flowers growing in her yard.  She saw all the daily blessings that many of us would consider to be small, and she received them, so they never went overlooked by her.   She loved a cup of coffee and she even saw the blessing in a cup of coffee.  

I didn’t realize it then, because I was so used to hearing her say, thank God for hot water, or thank you God for my family, but she was acknowledging her daily blessings.  

My grandmother would even thank God through her trials.  She would thank Him for getting her through another day, or for giving her the strength to handle a situation.  She would thank God for giving her people in her life who have loved her and left her, or who have loved her and hurt her but she thanked God for them anyway.  She saw the blessing in each situation. 

I am sure if she were here today, and we were discussing this, she would be surprised that I noticed or even remember these things, but they truly impacted me.   She was able to rest and find peace in her Heavenly Father.

In verse three Matthew says Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous- with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!

After hearing how I have spoken about my grandmother would you be surprised to know that she died with about $2,000 in the bank.  Would you be surprised to know that she didn’t have cable television, she had a cell phone, but only because I “surprised” her with one, she had an old used van and she lived in a trailer.   She wore second hand clothes and always shopped at discount stores.

But and this I think is a big but, she always had plenty!  She never lacked!  She lived on a fixed income, and had for as long as I could remember, but she always had more than enough to give away.  She would give you food, a ride, flowers from her garden; she would clean your house, burn your trash or take care of your family, as if it was her own.  She would find things at garage sales and buy them just in case someone would need it, and nine times out of ten, someone always did.

She was poor in material things but prosperous spiritually.    Her soul prospered even though by the world’s standards she had nothing.   I know that I am very biased when it comes to her, but to me, she was the perfect grandmother and a great role model of verse 5:3.

My grandmother’s blessings had a ripple effect that was felt for miles, states even and when she was passing away the room was filled with love.    There was sadness of course, but the love that she was able to give, to people she knew and didn’t know, is the ripple effect, that I am sure is still lingering on even after almost nine years of her being in Heaven.

We all have a legacy here on earth and we get to choose what that legacy will be.  Did my grandmother make mistakes in her life?  Yes, many!  But you see even though, I know the mistakes, and lived through some of the mistakes, I don’t remember them, because her heart was never a mistake.   The blessing of knowing her was never a mistake.  The ability to stand in the light or shadows, of someone who had an attitude such as hers, can never be a mistake.

I will make bad choices and decisions that might alter my ripple effect in life as well, but if I keep my heart right, attached to my Lord and Savior and love out of His blessings and abilities, then my mistakes shouldn’t be remembered either.   We value the things we can hold with our hands and yes, there is nothing wrong with having nice things, for my grandmother, that was not important to her, but to put the value on things over the value of another person’s spirit and heart, now, that’s where we are wrong.

There is a blessing in each day and a blessing in every person you come across.  We should learn from Matthew 5:3 and realize that yes, we can be blessed materially but to be blessed spiritually and to be humble and insignificant in this world and give the glory to God, instead of yourself or your fellow man, is truly living the blessed life. 

Oh, my grandmother had this one so right, and because of that I will say, thank you God for this hot water and thank you Lord for giving me her as an example of an open, blessed heart! 

When Satan attacks...

Matthew 4:3-11 are some very mighty and powerful words.  These are words that just about leap off the page and smack you in the face.  These are words that give you an example, just a quick glimpse at the hell Jesus went through after He went His forty days and forty nights in the wilderness.

The wilderness, whenever I hear it or see it written anywhere I never think of a place of happy times.  I never think of the wilderness as a place of plenty or abundance.  I never think of skipping and rainbows when I think of the wilderness.  I think of times of trials and tears.  A time of great tests and strength, whether it be mentally, spiritually or physically.  I think of the wilderness as a time of hardship.

But the wilderness is also a conjunction, a linking place, to a time of plenty.   The time where you have abundance and a time of celebration.  Where your tears of hardship turn to tears of joy.  The wilderness will lead you to the Promised Land, as long as you don’t get stuck in the wilderness.

The verses in Matthew 4:3-11 we see exactly how we are to handle the wilderness through Jesus.  We see how Jesus was tempted, by whom Jesus was tempted and how Jesus made His way through each and every temptation.  We also see something that I don’t think we really pay close attention too, but that is in the beginning of Matthew 4 it says, Then Jesus was led (guided) by the (Holy) Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.  (2) And He went without food for forty days and forty nights, and later He was hungry. 

What this is saying to me is that satan didn’t wait for Jesus to be strong, fed and on His game to attack Him.  No.  He waited for Jesus to be vulnerable and weak in His flesh.   Satan, will know the best time to attack you, and he will then seek you out.   Remember it tells us in the Bible Peter 5:8 that the devil roams about seeking someone to attack and devour so we are to be vigilant and sober of mind so we are prepared for the attack.

I know for me personally the devil will attack, or try to attack my mind early in the morning and before bed.  Sleep is difficult for me so when I am tired my mind is not as sharp nor are my reflexes to what is going on in my mind, this creates an opening for satan to start his attack.  I know that I have to be on guard when I am in that state of mind and before I go to sleep I try to fall asleep while in conversation with God.   I try to wake up and before my feet hit the floor I am asking for protection for the day and calling on Jesus. 

Find your personal opening, so you can stop the devil immediately, so you can be on guard for him.   Satan isn’t this red jumpsuit pitch forked animated cartoon character we have made him out to be.  He truly is evil and has evil forces working against your every move, so to be diligent and vigilant in his attacks and approaches on you is wise.

He attacked Jesus at His most vulnerable time as a man, but because Jesus was armed with the word of God, He knew how to fight the war against evil, and win!

We don’t just want to fight a war and keep satan and his demons at arm’s length and fight this war over and over and over, no, we want to fight this war and win.  We want to have the weapons of mass destruction for evil! 

In verse 4:11 it says Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

Jesus used the only weapon that will defeat the devil and that is the word of God.  When you speak the word of God against your enemy, your evil, your demon or you’re satan, you are throwing water on a fire, and we all know that water extinguishes fire.    Darkness has no chance of surviving in the face of light.

This is why when you are coming closer to God, or working in His kingdom, before you receive your breakthrough it’s always darkest.   It seems like the oven has been turned up seven times hotter, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.    The hill seems steeper, the oven seems hotter, and the road seems longer, but that’s because satan is trying to get you to throw in the towel before you reap the reward of God’s calling.

Satan will try to kill, steal and destroy anything good that will happen in your life, and since we know that all good comes from God, this gives satan even more ambition to put out your desire to serve God.  He wants to stop anything or anyone from glorifying or serving God, but as we see in Matthew, he was unable to stop Jesus, which means, satan can be unable to stop us.

Jesus, listened to what satan had to say, and then He responded with, it is written.  We have the same strength as Jesus has through His blood.  We have the same power and the same authority that Jesus had through His blood.  We also can say to the devil, it is written… and he will have to flee from us as well.

Jesus went through this torment and hell for us, not for Himself, but for us.  He did this to show us how we can defeat the devil and also what to look out for.  He wanted us to see some of the tricks the devil will play on us. 

You see how in verse three and six satan used the phrase “if you are”.  Satan will do the same thing with you.  Satan will question your devotion to God.  His devotion to you, your devotion to your family, their devotion to you and whatever else you take any pleasure in.   Satan will use anything that he can to get you to question life.  To make you reason, question, and wonder makes you do all of those things with and to God.

Satan will try to tempt you with things or the possibility of things.  If you do this I can get you this.  Just like in verse eight, when the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and said, I’ll give you all of this, if only you bow down and praise me.  Satan will try to get you to sell your soul, and literally it is selling your soul, to praise and worship him, so that he gets the glory over God, but he has nothing to give to you.  Remember all good things come from God.

There is nothing that you can get from satan that is going to benefit or enrich your life.  Satan is the equivalent to death and death on earth as well as death in the afterlife.   Satan spends a lot of time trying to destroy anything good we have been given or will receive from God, so then we should be taking time to learn how to prepare ourselves against his advances.

If this wasn’t something important for us to know there wouldn’t be references to it over and over again in the Bible and Jesus would not have had to battle against evil to gain the surpassing victory. 

I am not saying that we should be glued and obsessed with evil, but we should be educated on the working of satan in this world.  We should know how to guard ourselves against satan and how to glorify our God in the midst of attack. 

Satan is never going to wait for a time that is right for you to reach out and try to upset your life, he is going to wait for a time when things already seem a mess, and make them messier.  Your job in the midst of all of this is to praise the God who made you, and who will walk you through this storm. 

Your job is to keep your eyes on Jesus and know that this too shall pass and you will come out stronger and victorious just like Jesus did!