DAY 9
Testing, Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Advance PREPARATION: Sit quietly at your prayer place and take in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Make a physical gesture of reverence and openness. PRAY for God’s grace to be ready for the tests that will come. PRAYER TEXTS: And don’t let us yield to temptation but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:13 NLT) “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV) The basic meaning of the Greek word used for temptation is “test”. Tests are part of life, but the hardest tests are the ones we are not ready for – they can discourage and harm us. If however, we are prepared for a test, it can make us stronger. God gives life in all its fullness by releasing us from sin through Christ’s work on the cross, and enabling us by the Holy Spirit to orient ourselves toward God’s will. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13) and will use tests that come against us to make us stronger and more like his Son. The devil “steals, kills and destroys” by testing or tempting us to fall into sin and to ignore God’s will. Repeat softly over and over: Jesus, you have come so that I may have life and have it to the full. As you do, allow yourself to see it with the eyes of your heart. What picture do you see in your mind’s eye as you repeat the Scripture?
Read about the temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:1-13 At Jesus’ baptism there is a sizzling affirmation of Jesus as a dearly loved Son. Immediately after this the devil rattles the cage of this identity to try to get him to step out of it and to run on the treadmill of trying to qualify for God’s love, and living for himself. We think that the 24