Saturday, June 2, 2012

Temptations and Terror

"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

For the last several months I've been studying spiritual warfare and the ways our old enemy, the devil, tries to trick and deceive us. Some of the ways he does this are obvious:



Sometimes they're a little more seductive, like the time I was shopping online and a rolling sidebar of men and food creeps up the right side of my computer!




Satan also likes to come at us subtly by stacking up daily discouragements from the world around us. Yesterday, my kids and listened to music as we drove to school. The DJ began to talk about "zombie-like happenings" around the country; people attacking and cannibalizing others, flesh eating microbes and a rash of bizarre violence.

My kids wanted to know: Is this stuff real?

    How do you tell them not to be afraid when the world is filled with terror?

This morning while reading the devotional, Streams in the Desert, I came across this beautiful passage about hopelessness:

"I implore you to not give in to despair. It is a dangerous temptation, because our Adversary has refined it to the point that it is quite subtle. Hopelessness constricts and withers the heart, rendering it unable to sense God's blessings and grace. It also causes you to exaggerate the adversities of life and makes your burdens seem too heavy for you to bear. Yet God's plans for you, and His ways of bringing about His plans, are infinitely wise."  Madam Guyon

Though written in the 1700's, Madam Guyon's words brought comfort for me this morning. I hope they help you to also remember that no matter what happens here on earth, God remains on His throne.

2 comments:

  1. "Hopelessness constricts and withers the heart, rendering it unable to sense God's blessings and grace. It also causes you to exaggerate the adversities of life and makes your burdens seem too heavy for you to bear."

    My aHA! moment today. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Erika, this must be a quote God wants many to read. I just read it in another blog this morning- she was also quoting from "Streams" too. Wow. Three of us quoting the same words. Be confident you are hearing His direction for your posts. As always...lovely.

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