Since the majority of my time is spent working at Los Altos (the Mexican restaurant in my town) this summer, most of my thinking towards these devotionals are going to be based off of my brainstorming during the slower hours.
And right then and there, during those slower hours of work, I am often talking with myself about certain things such as:
“Should I go check on that table? Maybe they need refills. No, you just checked on them 5 minutes ago, they’re fine. But what if they want cheese dip? She looks like she wants another margarita.”
I try and figure out which options are the best to make in the long run for a good tip from my great service.
And just like that, eating pico de gallo and tortilla chips in the kitchen, I realized how similar this thought process is to when it was slow outside of the restaurant and I have to make decisions on my own; the times when no one is around but me, myself, I and God.
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
This verse was shared by our recently ordained, head pastor at church, Pastor Steve Frykholm. He shared this verse because “We are all a mess, church. But we can turn our mess into His message.”
He says this just about every single sermon, and it couldn’t be a more important and truthful thing to tell everyone!
.........
For those of you who don't know, the South American country of Honduras declared a state of emergency due to riots and fights between the people & police against the military/government.
As of 3am yesterday, my parents and their church family took off to Honduras for a mission trip. Which means I have the entire house for myself.
"Should I throw a party? Should I turn the dining room into a video-games lounge/movie theater? Should I take my step-dad's car out for a spin like Ferris Bueller did with Cameron's dad's 1961 Ferrari?"
All of these thoughts have come across my mind, but not in a strong sense, as in "How could I do this and get away with it?"
I have no intentions of throwing a party, getting "wasted", getting "hunnies", or any other vulgar/slang term that doesn't match up with my character.
Why is that? Because I'm satisfied.
John 6:35
Then Jesus said, "I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
I'm not sure about you guys, but whenever I hear this in church right before I devour the 1oz of bread and wine/grape juice, I'm only thinking about the pot roast or steak fajitas I'm having after church lets out!
But God doesn't try and satisfy your physical hunger in that sort of way. He's trying to satisfy your heart, but you have to allow Him to work within you by working with Him, not against Him.
.......
I left a sock on top of the couch yesterday and sat in the dining room across the house to see if one of them would eat it. Surely enough, I turned around 5 minutes later, and a hole bigger than Alaska was dug into my Nike sock. Thankfully, it already had been chewed on earlier this summer, so I wasn't too frustrated being that I left it out on purpose. Just disappointed.
Just like my dog, we're all tempted in one way, 10 ways, or another way. What you might be struggling with, your sibling, parent, or best friend just might be struggling with, also!
Money, attention, lust, laziness (yes, it's a sin, I checked: Genesis 2:15 & all of Proverbs), swearing, pride, stirring up conflicts, terrible eating habits/excessive Doritos-eating, and so many more!
Proverbs 28:13
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
HIDING YOUR SINS ONLY HURTS YOURSELF!!!
I got a phone call from a family member saying they got into some big trouble with something they had been struggling with in the past. The next day after their parent let them go on the trip they maybe shouldn't have been allowed to go on, the parent found Juhl pods hidden inside the back of the toilet near the pump, inside of a Ziploc bag.
Even if they were never caught, God still sees their sin, the sin is still hurting them, and they're going nowhere but backwards in God's amazing plan for their life.
Friends, we don't need to go public to the world with our sins for them to be washed away. God already had His son put to death for that, so let's keep that in mind when we keep wasting our life away; the life that was given to us by Him.
Romans 6:22 says that, "Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
Tell me this: Would you jump into water 10 minutes after you almost drowned, or would you try and find a snake to bite you after you just got bit by one the day before?
I don't think so. So why would you try and sin again after you already see your sin is destroying you?
We didn't deserve this life, and we didn't win some contest before birth that gave us this life! It was because of Him that we're here, because His plan for us to change this broken world is bigger than our own plan to satisfy only ourselves.
We're here to change the world for Him, not for us.
and last verse from Scripture, Luke 10:19, God says to us, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."
God is more powerful than all sin. He has overcome sin. So if you are still going after sin, you're not going after God hard enough, and your mind is weak, but your heart can and will be stronger through Him, time with Him.
Pastor Steve always says that God is nearest to us when we're hurting the most, and it is then that we need Him the most: to restore us and to remind us that we're never alone through our battles, and our battles are nothing He cannot face with you.
Be full of God, but always have room for seconds, because once you allow God to start cooking more often for you, He'll show you the really good stuff you've been missing out on.
Questions to ask yourself:
1. What temptations have you/do you struggle with?
2. How did you overcome it/plan to overcome it?
3. What can/should you fill your week with each and every day?
4. What can you hide from God? Alrighty then, step it up! Quit being weak and start working for the Lord, not yourself nor anyone else!
All God, not all you.
Pray......that God would clear and protect your mind from what the world wants of you. That your heart would be healed by Him constantly, shielded from what you think is right, and given the wisdom to see His desire for your life.
With that said,
Live, love, and be loved.
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