Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!



I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this beautiful "hump day". It is HOT here in the DC area, and there's no sign of relief. It's miserable hot, and I don't want to go outside, not even to swim in a pool. I had a wonderful weekend, and spent time with family and friends, but I'm grateful that it wasn't as hot as it has been for the last few days. Yesterday I had the day off, but refused to leave the house, because it was so hot. I know it's summer, and God is in control, but we must also pray for our world. There's a lot going on, especially in our nation, so our prayers are much needed. The Body of Christ is being attacked more than we understand, so it's time for us to stand firm for every human being. You know one of my favorite verses: …The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16) Elijah prayed for the end of the drought to save his entire nation (1 King 17-18), and he was just one man, so if we gather together and pray, we'll make a great difference in this world. I came across this on Dr. Stanley’s website today, check it out: http://www.intouch.org/resources/140-days-of-prayer. Enjoy the remainder of your day family, and be blessed!



Today's scriptures are about temptation. Temptation is something that we each will face on a daily basis, and no man is, or ever was, above it. However God is grater than anything that we could ever face, and because of His greatness, we can endure all things, with just a little faith. The love of God can take us where our own strength cannot, and it's so important to keep our focus on Him, so He can shine His light on our path. Temptations are like speed bumps, or objects placed in our path in hopes of slowing us down, or tripping us up. Some temptations are like false detour signs, which cause us to stray off of His the path completely. The enemy knows the Word of God as good, or even better, than most Christians, so He'll setup evil temptations with a Holy pretense, to trap us. It's important to read and understand God’s Word, and to keep a close relationship with the Holy Spirit, in order to clearly spot temptation and be able to avoid it.

Even Jesus was often tempted in the flesh, but He never sinned. He endured by trusting God, and praying without ceasing. He was the strongest Man, who ever walked this earth, and even He had to rely on God to get Him through certain situations, so you and I aren't above anything or anyone. Maybe you’ve heard one of the most popular stories in the bible, about Jesus being tempted by Satan, in the wilderness, after fasting for forty days. This passage starts off: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1) Why do you think Jesus was tempted? Jesus was the great Rabbi or High Priest, so He was our teacher, as well as our Savior. God showed us a lot of things through Jesus’ walk, and each story we read in the gospels teaches us how to conduct ourselves, when faced with the same temptations, by the words and actions of Christ. There are plenty of times we too are "lead by the Spirit into moments of temptations", to help us further rely on the love of God.

God wants us to understand that we can, in fact, do all things through Christ. We have all power by faith, in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated the enemy, and every temptation threw at Him, with the Word of God. Paul taught us to "put on the whole Armor of God in order to withstand the wiles (scheming) of the devil, because our struggles are not against the flesh, but against 'the spiritual forces of evil'" (Eph 6:11-12). It's written: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Eph 6:13-17 NIV)

Now I was lead by the Spirit to read this passage a few nights ago during my studies, and I kept asking God why I had to keep reading this over and over, and He revealed this very thing to me (hallelujah!). This was the first time that I noticed that the Word of God is your sword, and everything else is meant to protect you from attacks. Now, although it's very important to have protection from attacks, such as a helmet, breastplate, shield, etc., it's more important to have a weapon to fight back with as well. Eventually, if you keep being beat up on, your protection get's weak and could give way. You can only defeat your enemy by using force, and that's what Jesus did when He was tempted. Jesus defeated the enemy and overcame temptation by the striking back with the Word of God.

The most dangerous thing we could do as Christians is think that we have it all figured out, because it makes it that much easier to step outside of the will of God. We then become more susceptible to temptation, and more likely to submit to it. In most cases we allow the wrong people in our lives, who allow themselves to be used by the enemy, to tempt us, so be careful about the company you keep. I love the old cliché, "If it walks like a duck, and quack like a duck, it's a duck". We have a lot of animalistic characters, and evil people prey on the weak. So be careful who you go to with your problems, or trust with your heart; it's always wise to seek Godly counsel in your times of trouble. Someone once told me that evil people could sense when you

Re at a weak point, almost like a lion can smell wounded prey from miles away. The enemy is most likely to tempt us in our weakest moments, in order to cause us to step outside of the will of God. However, we're to take on God's strength in our weaknesses. I love the way Paul said it: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:10)

Temptations are going to be an issue for any human being, but there's only one way to overcome them. Without the strength of Jesus, you'll keep falling, but you have to put on the Armor each day. Read the story of Jesus' temptation and learn how it's done. If you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord then you posses His strength, by His blood. If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you have to take that first step today. According to John 1:14 Jesus is the Word of God, which makes Him your sword. You can get to know Him by praying and asking Him to be your Lord and Savior, and through Him you'll receive His Holy Spirit, which dwells with you at all times. He will be the one to help lead you along the way. My favorite verse today is: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)



ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455385&dtype=Scripture

http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio

http://www.intouch.org/magazine/daily-devotional



I love you!