{"id":122,"date":"2012-10-21T12:55:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-21T12:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=122"},"modified":"2012-10-21T12:55:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-21T12:55:00","slug":"the-rattlesnake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=122","title":{"rendered":"The Rattlesnake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a beautiful autumn day in Colorado. The mountains were clear with fresh snow covering the tops of the highest peaks. There were clouds, but that kept it just cool enough to enjoy the opportunity of wearing some of the warmer clothing tucked away in my closet.<\/span>
<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
I was out and about yesterday. Nothing exciting\u2026grocery shopping. And while I was scooting around town I was listening to Christmas music.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I really was having a pleasant drive until I heard a strange noise. It sounded like a rattlesnake. My heart started racing and became very heavy in my chest.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now normally, I wouldn\u2019t have even considered the possibility that there might be a rattlesnake in my car, but I had been on a large hay farm the night before. I was helping at a barn dance and dinner that our 50 and Better ministry was hosting for the group.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
My car was parked by a grouping of trees and I just imagined that while we were whooping it up inside, a rattlesnake had found a warm spot inside my car.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now remember, I was still driving. My heart was still racing. Then I heard it again. By this time, logic had regained control of my physical reaction. It was then I realized that it was on the Christmas album.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Who puts rattlesnake sounds on a Christmas soundtrack to enhance the music? Really? It just isn\u2019t natural. So, just to be clear, I did not have a rattlesnake in my car. Really.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I don\u2019t exactly know what I would have done if there had been a rattlesnake in my car. It\u2019s just not something I\u2019ve ever had to think about before. But I do think I will formulate a plan in my head for such an occasion.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I believe we must do the same when Satan shows up in the least likely places. When he wants to turn our hearts and minds away from God. We must have a plan.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jesus had a plan and it was a pretty good one. Perhaps we should adopt His plan as our own and use His weapons against Satan. So let\u2019s look at Jesus\u2019 plan.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jesus\u2019 temptations are found in three of the Gospels\u2026well sort of. Mark only shares two verses of this experience, but he does add an interesting piece that I\u2019ll talk about later (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; and Luke 4:1-13).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So here\u2019s the set up. Jesus had been baptized and the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert. In the desert Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. Nothing is mentioned of His day-to-day activities, but fasting in itself denotes spiritual growth time. An opportunity to spend quality time with God during that period of fasting.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So I could only assume that is exactly what Jesus was doing. Spending these last days of solitude with His Father before His ministry turned public.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then the tempter arrived. When Jesus was physically at His weakest, the temptations began.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Satan tempted Jesus in three ways. First with food. This was only natural since He hadn\u2019t eaten in forty days. The second temptation was to put Himself before God and be attended by angels. And the third was the offer of land if only Jesus would worship Satan.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jesus heard Satan\u2019s claims. Satan even quoted Scripture to Jesus. And of course, Satan misused the passage he quoted. But Jesus used His weapon of choice when battling Satan. He too, used Scripture. \u201cThe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God\u201d <\/i>(Ephesians 6:7 \u2013 NIV)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So how can we utilize Jesus\u2019 plan in our own lives?<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
First we need to understand what we are up against. Mark 1:13 (NIV) says that Jesus was \u201cwith the wild animals and angels attended him.\u201d <\/i>Now I don\u2019t know if Mark meant that Satan was a wild animal, but we certainly can look at him that way. We need to know that the tempter will become whatever he needs to become so that we might fall into his trap. Remember, we are with the wild animals.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Second, we must know ourselves. Are we weakest when we are tired? Does hunger bring you to your knees? Whatever it might be, we must realize in those moments, the tempter will attack.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Remember Paul\u2019s words in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)? Jesus spoke these words to him. \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d <\/i>And then Paul responded with \u201cFor when I am weak, then I am strong<\/i>.\u201d (2 Corinthians 12:10 \u2013 NIV) When we are at our weakest, we must rely on Jesus for strength. <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Third, we must use Jesus\u2019 example of using Scripture to battle Satan. Now you may not know exactly how the tempter will tempt you, but you certainly can still plan for it. Find passages that will lift you up. Memorize them. If you feel you can\u2019t do that, write them on index cards (remember my Scripture cards?) and carry them with you. Be prepared. Don\u2019t be caught off guard. <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And lastly, we must remember that Satan will never give up. Luke\u2019s account ends with these words. \u201cWhen the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.\u201d <\/i>(Luke 4:11 \u2013 NIV)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Another opportunity will arise for the tempter and he will take advantage of that opportunity. Knowing that he could show up at any moment gives me the resolve to be prepared even more. I don\u2019t like surprises that much.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
So do you think you might be ready the next time the old devil shows his ugly face? I believe that you will be if you use Jesus\u2019 example and follow His lead. When we allow His Holy Spirit to help us remember these simple steps, we have more than a fighting chance. We will be victorious!<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I feel kind of silly talking about a rattlesnake like it\u2019s an everyday occurrence in my world. I\u2019ve never seen one (except on TV and through glass at the zoo). I\u2019ve never heard one (except on TV). But still, the possibility got my attention.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now, I\u2019m off to get rid of that Christmas CD.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Donna<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was a beautiful autumn day in Colorado. The mountains were clear with fresh snow covering the tops of the highest peaks. There were clouds, but that kept it just cool enough to enjoy the opportunity of wearing some of the warmer clothing tucked away in my closet. I was out and about yesterday. Nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17,21,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-following-god","category-obeying-god","category-trusting-god","category-worshiping-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}