Dealing with the Devil

I made the statement in the message this morning that “the Devil hates you and has a terrible plan for your life.” But in retrospect I wonder if that statement gives the Devil more credit than he deserves. Does he really have a “plan” or does he just take what he gets and ad-libs.

I’m wondering if he looks for any opportunity for temptation. As life happens, he’s there to try and make it more difficult tempting us to take a short cut that would take us away from our pure devotion to Christ.

Even in Jesus’ case, the Devil prompts his temptation when things are tough for Jesus. He’s hungry, feeling a little powerless, and may have been wrestling with the Father’s will as he did right up through the scene of his struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. And when Jesus rebuffs the temptation of the Devil Luke records, “When the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)

Let’s not give this diabolical creature more credence than he deserves!

Too much on "suffering?"

I’ve been wondering if this series on 1 Peter isn’t a little morbid. We’ve been stuck on suffering for quite a long while. The whole purpose of the book is helping people be ready for times of intense persecution and suffering, just for being Christ-followers.

My bother-in-law, Ralph Trainer is the director of Beulah Beach near Vermillion, Last we he told me that his son, Joel had decided last spring that he wanted to study the book of 1 Peter during the staff worship and devotional times during the summer. What’s with a 20-something wanting to dive into the subject of preparing to suffer? Is God pointing his church to these critical passages to study as a means of readying us for some difficult days ahead? I’ve found a number of preachers and themes related to this issue of dealing with trials, suffering and afflictions.

Here is video excerpt of Tullian Tchividjian (grandson of Billy Graham speaking about suffering. His basic thesis is that suffering itself doesn’t rob us of joy. It’s when suffering begins to take away from us things that were more valuable than God. Idolatry he states is in reality what robs us of joy and peace.  Check it out: