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pray

Feeding the Spirit and Starving the Flesh Part 1

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“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41 NIV

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

When I come across this verse, I immediately relate it to this verse:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

If a lion is roaming around looking for his next prey, it makes sense that we are told to “watch and pray” to avoid “falling into the trap”.

Falling into temptation is a matter of watching where you step, and not giving into temptation is a matter of keeping your guard up through prayer.

We all have certain weaknesses or vices that are easy for us to fall into. Every temptation we come against has been handcrafted to draw us away from God.

What is most tempting to you probably is different than what is most tempting to me because we all have different “lusts” of this world that entice us.

For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16

All of these “lusts of the world” are not things that we happen across, they are what we are bombarded with everyday.

How do we fight against temptation?

Well in our own strength and ability, these temptations that surround us will always overcome us, but through the power of God inside of us we can withstand these temptations.

In Him,

Stephanie

 

 

Photo Credit: image created via wordswag

In Our Power or His?

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“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone… Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (NIV)

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This short passage from Paul to the church in Thessalonica is brimming with practical advice for godly living! Below is a short list detailing Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians’:

  • Respect those ministering for the Lord and those who are in authority over you
  • Live at peace with each other
  • Warn those who are idle
  • Encourage the timid and help the weak
  • Be patient with everyone (yes, even those who have a driver’s license even though they obviously failed the test)
  • Be joyful always
  • Pray continually
  • Give thanks in all circumstances.

While these are wonderful instructions to follow, if we try to accomplish them in our strength we will fail. It takes humility and discipline on our part to surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit so He can victoriously live out this godly life within us. It is not a onetime surrender, but a daily, sometimes hourly, surrender. But when we do, the result is we will be living out God’s love and being His light in a dark world that desperately needs it.

God bless!

Noree

 

 

 

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A Lament for our Country

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“Give ear to my prayer, O God; And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Give heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted.”
Psalm 55:1-2 NASB

woman-praying-300x187Did you know that over 60 of the Psalms are considered laments? That’s not a word we use very often today. A lament, according to Merriam-Webster, is to express sorrow, regret, or unhappiness about something. We see a true expression of this in Scripture, especially in the Psalms. There is no faking it with God – complaint, anger, doubt, and worry is spewed out. There’s a sense of wrestling with God, yet He is never blamed. Instead, confidence, praise and joy are found within each lament.

Here in the United States, our presidential election is just around the corner. I don’t know about you, but the direction our country is headed grieves my soul. I find myself crying out to God for mercy and healing for our once great land. The fulfillment of Isaiah 5:20 (NASB) is becoming a reality:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Many of my prayers have become laments. Would you join me in crying out to the God of the universe to turn our hearts back to Him? But as with most laments within the Psalms, let us not forget to offer our declarations of praise and adoration to God Almighty. Let us not forget to request His help and intercession. Let us not forget to confess our own sins, as well as the sins of our country. Our God is still in control and in that we put our hope.

O God, in You and You alone I put my trust because there is no god but You. I know Your truths, power and salvation, yet many in our land are clueless of Your existence and ways. Whatever is right in their own eyes is their pursuit. Perversions and sexual immoralities are embraced as normal. Goodness is treated with suspicion and absolutes are deemed obsolete. Our country is such a deplorable mess. Help us, O God! Forgive us for turning our eyes away from You. Revive, restore, and heal us once again. Bring salvation to the leaders of this country. Our lives are in Your hands. All praise and honor and power be to You. Amen and Amen!

[Digging deeper – Psalms 11, 12, 56, 71, 85, and 90]

Confident in Him,

Beverly <><