Good morning, Ladies,
I'm sorry I am getting our reading plan up late this week. Being a wife and mama kept me extra busy this past week! I am so enjoying the book of Matthew. I hope you are too. Here is this week's reading plan! Matthew, chapters 5-9 Because of my busyness, I was unable to get study notes up last week. I want to take a moment to discus a chapter from last week's reading. Matthew, chapter 4 shares an experience that I think we should look at very closely. Jesus' time on this earth, gives us in depth examples of how we should live, love and handle life situations. Here in chapter 4 we are shown just how to respond to temptation. First of all, allow me take just a moment and be real here. This is just my humanly comment, but...... Can you believe the audacity of the devil to temp Jesus?! Tempt Jesus! I mean, if the guy is going to tempt the Savior, God's holy Son, don't think for a second that he will think twice before bombarding us, mere humans, with hordes of temptations. Now that I've shared my thoughts, let's dig into Scripture! "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry." ~ Matthew 4:1-2 Please note that God allowed this testing. He was "led by the Spirit." And secondly look at his physical strength. Jesus was weak, he was hungry. When we are weak, Sweet sisters, whether physically, emotionally, mentally and especially spiritually, the devil will pounce on us. He knows us well enough to know that when we are at our weakest, we are the most vulnerable. We must keep up our strength. We must take care of our bodies and our minds. But most importantly we must strengthen our hearts and souls with a close intimate relationship with Jesus. We have to know Him. Talk to Him in prayer. Listen to Him through His Word and know Scripture by heart. Here is why. Jesus was tempted three times in three different directions. He was first tempted with the lust of flesh (verse 3). Secondly, He was tempted with the lust of pride (verse 6). And lastly He was tempted with the lust of the eyes (verses 8 and 9). In all three instances, Jesus responded with Scripture. Wow! How powerful! When temptation comes our way, our best weapon is Scripture. But here is the key to that: we have to know God's Word. We can't know it if we don't read it, study it, memorize it and apply to our everyday life. God gives us the very tool we need to overcome our temptations, Sisters, let's use it. I encourage you to memorize Scripture on a regular basis. As you read and study God's Word, when a verse stands out to you, write it down and carry it with you. Study it until you know it by heart. The more you know, the stronger your armor will be. "Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus." ~ Matthew 4:11 The last thing I want to look at is what happened to Jesus after the temptation. Many translations use the word ministered referring to how the angels cared for Jesus. I don't know about you, but this gives me great comfort. As long as we are on this side of heaven, we will be tempted. We will have our own struggles and strongholds. We will have our trials and sorrows. it won't stop till we reach Heaven's gates. But, when we come through. When we pass each test and trial, God will be right with us. He gives His angels to us to minister and care for us. Our strength will be restored and He will not forsake us. He loves us. We are His and He will not leave us out to dry, He will sustain us and will make sure we are covered and cared for by His angels, His people. Sisters, as we start this new week, let me challenge us to memorize God's word. Let's hold it close and know it. May God's Word always be at the tip of our tongues. If you are up to the challenge, leave a comment sharing what verse you are working on. Let's fill our hearts and minds with God's Word and His promises. They will keep us safe and steer us from temptation. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." ~ Psalm 119:11 My Sweet Lord, thank you for loving me so much. For caring about me always and for always giving me a way out of temptation. Lord, help us to be women with a purpose for Your Kingdom. Help us to learn your Word and to hide it in our hearts at all times, and guide us to use it correctly. Draw us closer and closer to You, Lord. We love you, too. In Jesus' sweet name I pray, amen. Keep reading! Joyfully His, Andrea
2 Comments
Leslie
2/24/2016 07:58:07 am
That is the exact thoughts that stuck with me last week. What was Satan thinking? And what a great example of how we are to respond in temptation. I know that I am tempt reach day and I unfortunately do not always respond as well but is is very comforting to know that I am not alone in this struggle. Such a great example for us to strive to reach each day. Today, I am thankful for the accountability and encouragement I have with you ladies each day. God truly placed each of you in my life.
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Casey
2/26/2016 07:19:27 pm
Matthew 9:9-13. To have the faith Matthew did, he didn't hesitate, he got up and followed Jesus. As much as I want to be in Gods will, he still may have to ask me more than once before I am obedient. Matthew 9 :18-34. Again what amazing faith these people had, and because of their faith they were healed. Matthew 9: 37-38 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” I pray that God will lead us in this journey with other fellow believers, that we may go into the fields to gather his harvest for his glory.
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For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " AuthorHi! I'm Andrea, wife to my handsome hubby, homeschooling mama to my 7 amazing blessings, and daughter of the King of kings. I am so glad you have stopped by my little piece of the web. My prayer is that the Lord will use this blog to encourage you in your personal, daily walk with Christ. Archives
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