Praise In The Storm

 “After the devil had done all he could do to tempt Jesus, being unsuccessful, 

he departed from him for a season (Luke 4:13).” 

     Many of us are familiar with the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by the devil. But what is sometimes overlooked is that Jesus was tempted “for a season.”

     The devil is busy! He is always plotting ways to trap, hinder and set you up for failure. Consider some of the storms you have experienced in your life. 9 times out of 10, the storm was not created by just one issue, but multiple things that seem to happen at once. Something you must understand is that although you may transition from seasons of storms to seasons of peace, don’t be fooled into thinking that the devil is finished with you. He is just waiting for the moment that you let your guard down and then he’s back.

     How can you be prepared in advance for the next storm that may come your way? First and most important is to PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY SOME MORE!! Pray for guidance and direction on how to avoid letting the storm consume you. Second, learn to praise God when you’re in the valley, as well as, on the mountaintop. We always run to God and beg for help when we’re going through rough times. But when all is well in our lives and there is peace, God is placed on a shelf until we need help again.

     Finally, ask God what lessons you are supposed to learn from the storm, especially if the storm is familiar. A familiar storm is when you keep going through the same thing over and over. We pray and ask God to help us get through it, yet we fail to ask what lesson is to be learned from that storm so that we don’t have to keep going down that same road again. And can I be honest? Some of these storms are not sent to us because God just wants to test us and make our lives miserable. Sometimes our actions are the cause of the storm, and because we haven’t learned how to make better choices, we bring it on ourselves.

     Storms are meant to come and go, but the devil will continue to come after anyone who is trying to operate in the will of God. The temptation of Jesus was not the only time that the devil came after him, but we can read all through the Gospels to see when Jesus’ character was attacked, when His authority was questioned, and most importantly, when the devil entered Judas and used him to betray Christ. I encourage you to stay prayed up, be prepared, and stay on guard. God never promised that life would be easy, but God did promise that you would never be abandoned or forgotten (Heb. 13:5). Only with Christ can you weather the storms of life!