Hello
The worry TRIED valiantly to press in – but there was a song, and then a scripture… and eventually peace. Sometimes, we need a song to provoke the praise, to being to memory the Word. Sometimes our Word is at the ready to conquer worry/fear
Here’s today’s Holy Nougat
“But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ””
Matthew 4:4 NLT
Jesus was in the wilderness – that’s no amusement park! He had been fasting, probably for the full forty days already. His natural body was food deprived. He was being tempted by the devil. Those are somewhat different, yet similarly ideal contexts for breeding worry or strengthening faith.
When in the wilderness and physically hungry or distressed, the temptation to succumb to worry, anger, doubt and fear is very REAL. And often we suppose that if we fast, if we pray, if we do all the ‘right’ things; trouble shouldn’t befall us. Not!!! If we revisit Job’s life, when we look at the surrounding story for the Nougat, it becomes abundantly clear that the enemy of our souls is likely to strike when we are at our spiritually strongest/most religiously correct and even when we are physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually weak.
Perhaps He did not sing. But Jesus definitely combatted the devil. The devil tried to draw him out with Scripture. Jesus was not distracted. The devil tried to ensnare Jesus with what should have been His present weakness – food. Jesus remembered that He had meat that the devil did not know – for the Word is not only a sword; but meat/bread for our souls.
Chances are, you are undergoing stuff right now. Chances are, if you aren’t – you either just overcame or will be soon enough. But we draw hope from the Word – 2 Corinthians 4:17 reminds us that what we undergo is for a season and, as children of God, there’s hope for restoration in Glory (I know – we desire release in human time, not eternal life. Sometimes that happens, sometimes not). Plus we know that some situations have right-now solutions. We only have to ask (James says we don’t get because we ask wrong. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to appeal on our behalf …) And, we overcome what we undergo by the Blood of the Lamb – who shut the devil up once and for all on the Cross – and the Word of our testimony. To me, that means we can ask God for help from someone who’s been there before us and has already overcome!
We conquer worry/doubt/fear/distress by Prayer, Praises, Proclammation of God’s Word and Pondering the Promises! My dear – the devil is defeated; because of Jesus, we also can overcome!
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
