Monday 12 Aug 2013

Monday Reading: James 1:12-14

Key Verse: James 1:13
13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

Devotion:
Sometimes we look at things that go wrong and we expect to be blessed because we have had to face something undesirable. Sometimes we look at what others have and we expect to be blessed because we think that we are more deserving than they are. But what are we actually seeking, aiming at or expecting in these circumstances? And what has this got to do with temptation?

Because Satan is such a wily enemy we do have to be very aware of how he can infiltrate our lives because he is always doing what he can to not just trip us up but to bring us down and take us away from God. It is his goal to try to trick us into worshipping him instead of God. Even God has warned us that in the last days our evil enemy will we persuading many people to do wrong and worship him instead of God. Can you imagine being faced by someone who heals the sick and makes all manner of things happen just when you are at your lowest point in life? Of course many are going to cling to such miracles – unfortunately they will be false miracles in that they will be working against God!

When things go wrong we always look for a way that we can obtain a blessing or some other encouragement. When we are seeking in desperation we will not always see everything for the truth that it is and we will look in many places we should not be looking in. I see it in the places where I work and the places where I try to reach out to people and encourage them toward God. Satan is already there, working against us to try and persuade others to ignore the things of God and focus on the unreal.

When things go wrong we look for anything that will pick us up – and, just like drugs, we may find something that will pick us up for a moment before dashing us against the rocks. God will never do that because He wants us to find the truth that is built on the solid Rock! Never think that God will tempt us by showing us things that are not real – God will always show us the truth and uphold that truth no matter what else is going on around us. Don’t be led away by false prophets…

Points to Ponder:
Do you seek experience?

Or do you seek God?