Roaming<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
I must admit that yesterday had its ups and downs. I was thrilled to be sharing about my journey to SE Asia, but as the day unfolded, it wasn\u2019t all that great.<\/p>\n
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People, attitudes, rushing from one place to another, and a myriad of other things can get in our way of having a good day. Especially when we have something important to do.<\/p>\n
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We may lose confidence in ourselves. We may not feel up to doing the important thing. We may feel insecure. And as we combine all these things, we suddenly don\u2019t want to do what God wants us to do.<\/p>\n
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You see, the devil is a busy guy. His agenda is to trip us up. As we are walking down the smooth path of life, Satan is there to throw obstacles in our way. Big or small, the size doesn\u2019t matter. If it\u2019s on the path, we just might stumble.<\/p>\n
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Peter warned us of the devil in 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV). Peter knew what the devil was capable of and how he worked. \u201cBe self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
This verse is almost frightening. No one wants to be devoured by a prowling lion. That\u2019s the exact reason Peter gives other advice to go along with this bit. Be self-controlled. Be alert. As we have control of our emotions and our bodies, we have a better chance of spotting the lion before it\u2019s too late. The same can be said of being alert.<\/p>\n
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But Peter goes on in this passage to share some more advice. \u201cResist him <\/em>(the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.\u201d <\/em>(1 Peter 5:9 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Resist him. The problem with this piece of advice is that the devil changes his tactics. He tempts us with bigger and brighter things. He knows where we are weakest and he attacks us there. But still, we must resist him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now my issues today may not be someone else\u2019s exact issues, but I know I am not in the boat alone. Satan is attacking all over the world and I find strength in knowing there are other Christians who are resisting the devil\u2019s temptations. I can do it as well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s the good news. Peter then continues with an assurance that I find great comfort in knowing. \u201cAnd the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.\u201d<\/em> (1 Peter 5:10 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
God is with me through it all. But He is doing more than just being with me. He is restoring me. He is making me strong. He is making me firm. He is making me steadfast. I am only able to get through this life with God on my side.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s through my faith in God and His grace, strength, love, and forgiveness that I can wake up each day and say, \u201cGood morning! Let\u2019s do it!\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And as the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour, God isn\u2019t sitting idly by and watching. 1 Peter 3:12a (NIV) assures me, \u201cFor the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
If this verse isn\u2019t an encouragement to you today, I don\u2019t know what else I could share with you. God is searching for those who need strength. If that is you today, He is looking and He will provide.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But we also see from this verse that He doesn\u2019t just hand it out to anyone. He is looking for those who are committed to Him. Maybe that\u2019s where we need to start today.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As I read through these passages, I\u2019m able to face today with all its troubles and temptations, knowing that I am not in the day alone. God is right beside me. Loving me and comforting me along the way. I pray that you can say the same.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Donna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I cannot wait to get to church today. We have a guest speaker at Rocky this morning. Joshua Straub will be speaking about the importance of fighting for our marriages. Joshua will also be sharing some important information this afternoon about creating emotionally safe homes for our children. If you want more information about […]<\/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,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,4664,296,3770,17,14],"tags":[2830,310,1051,4804,4800,4806,4805,4802,4801,4803],"class_list":["post-4979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-believing-god","category-choose","category-experiencing-god","category-listen","category-obeying-god","category-seeking-god","tag-1-peter-312","tag-1-peter-510","tag-1-peter-58","tag-1-peter-59","tag-another-great-sunday","tag-god-is-looking-out-for-you","tag-god-provides-a-way-out","tag-joshua-straub","tag-roaming","tag-satans-tactics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979","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=4979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4980,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4979\/revisions\/4980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/a>I pray that you are just as excited to attend your local church this morning. God has prepared your pastor and worship team for today\u2019s service. Now, do your part by preparing your heart for worship and then get there. Don\u2019t allow anything to stand in your way. God has a special message for you today. I pray that your ears will be open to His Words.<\/p>\n