Satan wins by making us comfortable

I was recently listening to an old John Piper sermon (highly recommended: Christ in Combat- Defense by the Spirit," March 18, 1984). He stated "People sometimes ask why, if Satan is real, we don't see more demon possession and exorcisms in America. I have an idea. Satan holds American Christianity so tightly in the vice-grip of comfort and wealth that he's not about to tip his hand with too much demonic tomfoolery."

As a Christian, I am often quick to associate various pleasures with blessing from God. But this statement gives me pause and rings with truth. How many of my sins with which I struggle are related to comfort and security? Satan could be pleased no more than when I am too comfortable to seek the face of God. Are we resting with tummies full and faces smiling as we bask in worldly pleasures?

Did our heroes of the Bible seek God's face out of positions of comfort, or did they see God through hardship? John the Baptist lived in the desert and ate a diet of locusts and honey (AND wore an itchy robe all the time!) Paul was flogged, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and often cold and hungry. Joseph was sold by those he loved into slavery. The list goes on and on. I can't in fact, think of a single Bible hero who had it easy. Can you? And these people, who were willing to trust in the Lord while they endured difficulties, were the ones he saw fit to use for his good purposes.

I pray (with thankfulness because I know he WILL!) that as I lay down my "right/need" for pleasures that are worldly, God will continue to amaze me with his grace.

Joy and delight in our children

Today, as I was walking by a strip mall, I saw a mother with her teenage daughters laughing and walking arm-in-arm as they discussed the similarities between Thai and Chinese food. Their joy in each other struck me, as I so rarely see the same among teens and their Moms. It reminded me of a statement made by a son of Rick and Marilyn Boyer, who noticed that when parents "took genuine delight in their children," the children were less likely to stray from close relationship with family and the Lord when they grew up. This mother was obviously taking genuine delight in her girls, and their relationship and joy in it was flourishing. I suspected that these daughters would have little motivation to turn their backs on their mother and go their own rebellious ways.

In one of my Bible studies, we are learning about some of the ramifications of our God being a "happy" God, who takes infinite delight and joy in His Son. Because of His Son's sacrifice on the cross for my sins, He now takes infinite delight in ME!

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet your with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

(I can't get rid of the indent now on this dumb word processor so bear with me, indented!)

My Lord rejoices over me with singing! He is happy because I am His!

Likewise, I want my children to know that I am happy that they are "mine." I pray for the strength and ability to take genuine delight in them, even when they are challenging, and my life seems really hard. It is so easy to flip into selfish-mode and to focus on all the wrong things. I pray that God would give me supernatural joy as I go through the ups and downs of life with them, and that they would always feel that my presence is one of joy and delight in them. I pray that ultimately, their hearts would be inclined to His, and that they would understand that true fullness of joy is only in Him.