Daily Huddle - Tue Jul 21, 2020 The Best Defense

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word, it tells us truth, it tells us what happened.  It tells us of the love of God – for you.  It tells us what God did for us.  He sent His Son to be one of us, but sinless, so not only could He take our sin on himself, but so he could also show us how to overcome it.  Matthew 4 – Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  Are you like one of those who are quick to fall away the moment God’s Word says something that you don’t understand, or that seems like a contradiction?  As if God made an error, and after 2000 years – you out of all humans in history, you were finally the one that caught it?  Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it isn’t true, or isn't right, or that God isn’t perfect, holy, kind, gracious, fair, righteous…  James 1:13 – And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.”  God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else.”  So what do you do if you don’t understand something?  The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, knowing temptation would come, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t tempt you.  In this life temptation will come, trials will come.  God doesn’t cause them, but He turns them – for your good.  He can create purpose in anything.  The one good thing about temptation – every time you respond in obedience – it will grow you stronger.  If you overcome this time, you’ll overcome next time.  Verse 2 – After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Notice how the devil waited until he was hungry – really hungry.  Notice how the devil always tries to frame what good is, or what righteousness is?  It sounds right, but it's not what God says.  The tempter will speak through people who will tell you that if you were a Christian, or if you were a good person, or a moral person, you would do this, or say this, or agree with us, or do what we do.  The devil always wants to control you, so you obey him instead of your Heavenly Father, his plans for you, rather than God's plans for your good.  Jesus was having none of it.  Clearly He could have done it.  He was hungry.  He was probably about to stop at McDonalds, it was time to eat something, but this is not the way He was going to do it.  The first thing out of Jesus’ mouth – It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’  It wasn't even about eating food, it's about whose word controls you, God's Word, or someone or something else?  A suggestion of the devil, a pressure from another person, a question about God’s Word? Someone telling you what you would do if you were a good person?  Jesus was clear – there are things more important than bread, but the most important thing is what God says.  If God told him to make stones bread, He would have done it.  That's why PiVAT is so important, if you already doing what God told you to do, any suggestion to do other, becomes obvious.   If God tells you to do something in your PiVAT time with Him – getting His plans, that’s what you should do - not what other people tell you, not someone else's ideas of what is good or right for you.  Notice Jesus didn’t say – wait just a minute, let me look up what the Bible says about this.  (Sometimes you need that due diligence in truth) but most of the time, you need to have it in you beforehand.  PRISM every day – helps you know what to say…  When God’s Word is in you – it can come out.  That's the best defense... "It Is Written."  Praying that first, you won’t get thrown off track if you see something in Scripture that you don’t understand, or thought differently.  The devil's strategy is always to get you to doubt.  Because then you will be slow to obey.  And slow obeyers become non-obeyers - really - disobeyers.  Even John the Baptist – whose life purpose was to point the way to Jesus… In prison, sent someone to ask Jesus.  "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look  for another?"  Wow, tough day.  Jesus replied, “Go and report to John what you hear and see, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers and cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  When people don't see things, it's usually because they are in prison, not physically like John was, but spiritually or mentally.  Doubt and unbelief can be that prison that keeps you from seeing and understanding.  Then Jesus finished with this...  “And blessed is he who does not take offense at me."  (Who isn’t offended, who doesn’t stumble, because of me)  Because what I am doing, was not what they expected, or how they expected it.  Praying that you will only make stones into bread, if your Heavenly Father tells you.  That PiVAT will be such a habit, you are already doing what you know God told you to do.  That PRISM would be such a habit, that His Word just comes out of your mouth.  Your best defense - It is written.   Praying that every opportunity for temptation, is your opportunity for overcoming.  That His Word will be in your mouth, so your obedience will bring you to every testimony He has planned for you. 
 
Love you all,
dad