# 197 Singing Telegrams From Hell

The Book of Genesis

Day 197

Ge 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

For the past couple of days, we’ve been talking about “testings” allowed by God. It’s easy to love a God who gives us victory  or answers every prayer in accordance with our wishes, but how is our love and reverence toward God when things don’t go our way?

In Jg 2:21,22 we read,  "I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died,  22 "so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not."

Of course, we know that the Israelites failed the test. For one thing, they allowed their daughters to marry into the heathen nations that God did not drive out and eventually, through this practice of yoking with unbelievers, they served the gods of the heathen!

God did not "lead them into temptation,"  He simply didn’t remove it.  Much like the temptations we face in our everyday living.  God doesn’t make the bars, the porn sites, the internet, the junk food,  or any temptation watering holes  go poof!  We must face them daily, and as we do, we  find out how we are doing with “keeping the ways of the Lord.”

The Apostle Paul’s struggle with a “thorn in the flesh” is very instructive here as we wrestle with our own temptations.  If you recall, he was given a thorn in the flesh and he called it a “messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he became exalted above measure.” 

Did you ever think of these temptations as “messengers of Satan.” They’re like singing telegrams from hell. "Ding dong,"  “I have a message for Duane,”  and a porn site shows up on my computer, or some food shows up in the break room, that I shouldn’t be over-indulging in.

And think about the concept of a perpetual thorn in your flesh! A 24 hour throbbing that calls for action on your part. If you just give in the throbbing will go away, your flesh will be momentarily satisfied, but the wise person knows that the throbbing will return in spades, and it will just get worse.

 

How did Paul handle his “thorn?” He prayed. He asked God three times to remove it, and God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” That’s all Paul needed to hear. He knew that by that very infirmity, the power and strength of Christ rested on him.  Therefore he said, “ I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

So take pleasure in your trial by enduring. God is giving you an opportunity to tap into His grace!  With the grace of God and the power of Christ on your side, resist that messenger from Satan, don’t answer the door,  and he will flee from you. When you do, you are displaying and experiencing the very strength of Christ.

Pray: Lord, help me in dealing with all my temptations. Let me learn to lean on the all sufficient grace of God to resist, and if I fail, let me also lean on Christ for my all sufficient forgiveness.