HANDLING TEMPTATIONS AND TROUBLES

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
(Psalm 46:1)

MEDITATION:
When you are in trouble or have problems, what is the FIRST thing
you do? Do you call 911? Do you call your close friends? Or do you
pray?

What about those times when temptations seem overwhelming? Do
you try to fight them on your own, or do you look for divine help?

Do you wonder why God may be tempting you? He’s not!
Scripture tells us that God does not tempt anyone.
    When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”
    For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
    (James 1:13)

So where do these temptations come from?
    but each person is tempted when they are
    dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
    (James 1:14)

Temptations come from Satan and they begin in our minds. God may test
us and allow us to endure the temptation, but Satan does the tempting.
Why would God allow us to endure the temptation? Because He wants
us to depend on Him and He may want to teach us something of value.

We have been on the earth for a very short time when compared to Satan’s
existence. Consequently, he should be much better at tempting us than we
are at resisting him. We need help from a source much stronger than any
resistance we can invent. We need someone who knows Satan much better
than we do, and is more powerful than him.

The scriptures tell us that God is our
    “…ever-present help in trouble”
He is the one we should turn to whenever we are in trouble or facing temptations.
He is “ever-present” so we don’t have to worry about a busy signal or a dropped
call. We don’t have to wonder if He is “at home” – He is “ever-present”.

We can learn from the voices of children.
A little girl said,
    “When the devil comes knocking at the door,
      I don’t answer it. I send Jesus to the door.”
Sounds simple, huh? She is doing exactly what we should do.

If we know we are facing something greater than we can handle,
then we need to ask for God’s help. We don’t need to be analytical
and think of our own solutions. The scriptures would not tell us that
God is there if He is NOT there.

ACTION:
Are you still trying to fight temptations in your own strength? Are your
struggles creating frustration, disappointment, anger and discouragement?

If you had some bully who was picking on you, and you had a brother
much bigger and stronger than the bully, more than likely you would
call for his help. Well, Satan is the bully, and God is the big brother.

Stop trying to fight a losing battle and call on the One Who can help you
win the battle. You don’t have to continue living a life as a slave to Satan.
You may be thinking,
    “I am not a slave to Satan!”
But if he is continuing to win the battles you have with temptations, then
you ARE a slave to him.

What else can Satan offer along with his temptations? Nothing.
What does God offer when we are slaves to Him?
    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
      goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….”
      (Galatians 5:22-23a)
It is easy to see that God has much more to offer than Satan could.

And if you want to be analytical, consider this:
    God stands for truth and can be trusted;
    Satan is a liar and cannot be trusted.
        Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
        for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God
        sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are
        unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and
        you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from
        the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
        When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the
        father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
        Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why
        don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.
        The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
        (John 8:42-47)

Going forward, make a commitment to call on God in times of trouble
and stop relying on your own strength. The mere whisper of His name
brings immediate help. Plan ahead and don’t make it complicated,
simply whisper, “God, I need you”.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your assurance that
You will always be with the ones who belong to You.
When I am in a valley of life, remind me of Your love
and how You are ever present to help me in my times
of need. Forgive me for my attempts to resolve troubles
in my own strength. Help me to show others my love and
dependence on You. Teach me to point others toward Jesus
by the way I live my life in full dependence on You.”

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