Then the devil took
him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the
temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.
For it is written: “‘He will command his
angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered
him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matt. 4:5-7
Jesus was tempted by the devil to
jump from the top of the temple and trust God to catch Him and protect
Him. Instead of giving in, Jesus
responded by saying that “testing” the Lord God was wrong.
When you face temptation or
you go through a difficult time or if it seems you’re treading water and your
dreams are not being realized, or your prayers aren’t being answered
immediately or the way you thought they would be, don’t be impatient with God
and rebel against Him. That only
displeases Him and delays His blessings in your life.
Take to heart some of the things God
tells us about how to trust Him through whatever it is you’re going through:
As the deer longs for
streams of water, so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
… Why am I discouraged? Why is my
heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my
God! Psalm 42:1, 5-6 (NLT)
I waited patiently for
the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out
of the mud and the mire. Psalm 40: 1-2 (NLT)
O Lord, I have
come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. … Love the Lord, all you godly
ones! For the Lord protects
those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. So be strong and courageous, all you who put
your hope in the Lord! Psalm 31:1, 23-24 (NLT)
The Lord is
my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? Wait patiently for the Lord. … Be brave
and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for
the Lord. Psalm 27:1, 14 (NLT)
God will answer you in His
time. His blessings will come. You’ll know His strengthening. When it seems you’re not getting a lot of
response from God, be persistent in trusting Him. Accept the fact that God doesn’t do
everything on our time table. Anticipate
and rejoice in the future deliverance He will bring. Rejoice in the past blessings God has given
you. Keep honoring God, keep learning
from Him, and keep dreaming of how God can work in and through your life. And one day you’ll stop and look and see all
the great things He has done in your life.
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