The Roaring Lion

James 1:12-15

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

I feel like I am constantly being tempted. When that happens I ask God “why are you doing this to me”, or “why are you letting this happen to me”? I suspect this is pretty normal for most of us, but when I am tempted, it feels like I am alone in this world. I know I’m not, but it sure feels that way.

These verses above, James 1:12-15 confirm that God is not responsible for my temptations. I am solely responsible. As always, the choice is ours to make. It is my sinful desires that tempt me and take me away from God.

Why am I tempted? Where do these desires come from? My understanding is they come from Satan. Satan is real and he knows my weaknesses. When I am weak mentally or physically, Satan is aware . . . then pounces.

The Bible says the devil goes about the earth like a roaring lion, 1 Peter 5:8. Like a lion in the wild, he roams, constantly moving and looking for weak pry. I am pry to Satan because I am a Christian. Satan isn’t interested in those that do not worship God; he already has them in his clutches.

It helps me to stop and think when I am being tempted. Consider the fact that something is off inside of me, just out of sorts. When I realize that and transfer that information to Satan stalking me, I know it is God that is missing. Not that my faith or beliefs have changed, I’m just weak at the moment. Maybe I hadn’t prayed yet that day, or maybe I am overwhelmed with something in life or just feeling blue.

Counting my blessings is a good place for me to start proactively fighting the temptation that I’m facing. Acknowledging that my God is bigger than any problem I have has a profound effect on me. It lifts my mood and gives me strength.

Share with me some of the ways you fight Satan off when temptation faces you.

Tired of waiting?

Do you ever get tired of waiting? Our lives have become so busy and we are constantly running from one appointment to another all day long. Occasionally we have to wait and when that happens it seems to take forever. It doesn’t matter what we are waiting on, it still takes forever. Sitting in a doctor’s office is probably one of the hardest things to do. I think we have lost the art of patiently waiting, I know I have.

If I have more than a three minute wait I tend to take out my phone and start scanning emails or playing a game. If I am going somewhere that I know there will be a long wait I take a book. I see a lot of people doing the same. Of course now a day the kindle or tablet may be the item of choice. No matter what the situation is, waiting is difficult. There is an old saying “hurry up and wait”, not sure where it came from, but it is appropriate. 

 What is your attitude like when you have to wait? If I am prepared for the wait, like the doctor’s office then I’m normally content. Unexpected wait time – well, not always a good thing. I get so impatient, Mix a little bit of irritation, along with a lot of grumpy and you get a whole lot of not a happy camper.

So how do we handle these situations that no one enjoys? We look to God for answers. First I have quit praying for patients because I figure He will keep sending me tests until I get it right. So now I pray for understanding and courage. Especially if there are others around me that are evidently getting in the same mood as I am. I normally will try to diffuse the situation and bring the mood back to an even level. I try to remember that nobody is trying to create this situation on purpose. I’ll trying pointing out some options to the person next to me to show that it may not be the doctor’s fault. Maybe someone is really ill and they had to call the ambulance, or maybe one of the doctor’s in the group is out for an emergency and they are all trying to cover for the missing doctor. Either way, try and diffuse the situation. There is no good that can come from getting so upset in a situation that is beyond my control.

The longest wait we have is waiting on the Lord. Each day is another day that we can spend either being upset with a situation or embrace it and know that one day all our waiting will be over. 

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

What have you been waiting for? Share some of your ideas.