When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested, His first temptation was to turn stones to bread.
He was hungry and what would have been wrong with that. His reply was, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
He saw the trap… which would have been to subject Himself to the authority of Satan by following his subtle and seemingly innocent suggestion.
Sin often doesn’t start out being obvious. It likes to deceive and lure us in, coiling round us like a python until we’re stuck and can’t get out. It’s objective is to destroy us.
Why? Because we’re loved by God.
Here’s a big one… online pornography. Many Christians are trapped… trapped between lust on one hand and shame and condemnation on the other which drive them away from the only One who can help us.
The Lord will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure and He always provides a way of escape. (1 Cor 10:13)
There’s hope… the words of Jesus himself… “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”
Godly sorrow produces repentance dear friend… look for it… it can be found.
We can use all the techniques and principles to stop us falling into the same trap… but they don’t work… we need the freedom that only Christ can give… it’s made available through the cross.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Devotion:
Apostle Paul’s prayer in the opening scripture is worthy of note. The moment a believer in Christ Jesus begins to stop believing, doubt sets in and he/she begins to lose many things. Firstly, he loses the flow of the power of God to get things done because where there is doubt, faith is absent, and God needs our faith in Him to bless us (Hebrews 11:6). Secondly, he loses his trust in the Word of God and such a person seldom studies the Bible. Finally, he loses fellowship with other believers because he does not have the confidence to fellowship with Christians. Jesus Christ counseled Apostle Thomas to continue believing so that doubt and unbelief can be destroyed (John 20:27). Christians need to pray for one another to be filled with joy and peace in believing so that their hope in the Holy Scriptures and the many promises of God therein will be kindled until they have experienced them. Dear beloved, is your joy and peace in Christ and the scriptures still alive?
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
Here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Don’t give up; don’t be impatient; be entwined as one with the Lord. Be brave and courageous, and never lose hope. Yes, keep on waiting—for he will never disappoint you!
(The Passion Translation, Psalm 27:14)
When we’re going through a hard season in life, it can be challenging to exercise patience. Since we’re part of a quick fix, instant gratification culture, we often want that to be the case for the difficulties we’re facing. And while there are many circumstances in the Bible, throughout history, and in contemporary culture where God moves on a situation, bringing immediate healing or resolution, that isn’t the norm every time.
That gap of time between when we call on God for help and when we see God move is often a hard liminal space to endure. The longer I’m on my journey as a Christian, the more I realize that there are a number of things that may be slowing or preventing the results I’m longing for from manifesting in that exact moment. Here are the four keys God has given me to help me be patient as I’m waiting for Him to answer.
God may already be moving on my situation, but I can’t see it right now because there are other people and circumstances that need to be brought into proper alignment or timing because they are part of God’s response to my request.
I may not yet ready to carry the thing I’m asking God for and there is a necessary waiting and growing period before God will allow that prayer to be answered because if He gave me what I was asking for right now, it would crush me.
I may be trying to get the cart ahead of the horse and the thing I’m asking for is completely out of alignment with my current season and would deter me from the aspects of my divine calling and destiny that God wants me to step into right now.
Sometimes we’re in a Daniel 10:13 sort of moment and there is spiritual warfare happening in the unseen realm that is preventing God’s answer from immediately coming to pass.
Prayer: Father, we know you desire to give us what we’re asking for, but we struggle to be patient as we wait for your response. Give each of us the wisdom and discernment to understand what You’re doing on our behalf even when our first inclination many times is to think You’re being silent. Amen
Action Step: Take a few minutes to think about the biggest prayer request you’re still waiting for God to answer. Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God for an extended period of time and ask Him to show you why this prayer request has seemingly been stuck in limbo. Ask Him to show you if there is anything you need to change or shift in your life to be better aligned to receive an answer.
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
He does not want us to go around carrying unnecessary stress and burdens in our lives that is why He has made a call unto us to come to Him so that He can lift up the heavy burdens from our shoulders.
It is only in God that we can find rest for our souls. Come as you are for the Lord God is waiting for you.
Matthew 11:28
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
In an instant, years of sin, hurt, insecurity, addiction can be miraculously melted away.
Born again Christians can confirm this freedom from the bondage of the enemy.
God Revealed To Our Hearts By The Holy Spirit Is Powerful
But it doesn’t stop there… there’s a road to maturity we need to walk.
This “road” deals with us… who we are, how we think, how we react. It shapes Godly character within us.
This process is often not instant or easy but it’s in this process the “spiritual man” is formed.
The Lord allows situations to happen that test us… that we can even say bring suffering in us… but don’t resist… accept with the attitude of heart that the Lord be glorified through it… by our response and by the fruit in our lives that’s produced from it.
Right here this sounds to many like “another gospel”… but it’s the original work of the cross… that we seldom hear anymore because we’re too consumed by our blessings, books and programmes that we’ve substituted for real Christian maturity.
Today, let’s allow the power of God to work in us… that even through these tough situations the Lord be glorified.
