CORAM DEO MONDAYS with MARISA Satan will most likely step it up a notch as he sees us seeking to live before God’s face, for he is both terrified and enraged at the thought of us awakening into deeper awareness of the actual Presence of Christ Almighty in us. There will be trials when we must forsake discouragement to tenaciously hang on to our coram Deo resolve. When we fall away we will have to diligently harness our guilt-ridden hearts to immediately return to God and to be sprinkled in the fountain of His Son’s blood, instead of scampering away to plop in the pigpens as penance. We will need to be aware that many times we are merely tempted, without having actually sinned. Temptation makes us feel filthy as if we have already sinned the same way walking by and overhearing a filthy conversation would. However, just as we would not be held responsible for overhearing the filth, we cannot help when we are tempted. We only fall into sin if we engage in the filth. (Smith 1998) We must understand that there is no humiliation in temptation; otherwise Satan will have us thinking we are defeated before the battle even begins. Like Martin Luther penned, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building nests in your hair.” No matter what comes, if we resolve to let nothing convince us to forsake the high calling of abiding before His face, we will find ourselves overcoming like never before. We will stand our ground each time we are tempted. If we are tempted to despair, we will do the opposite and praise Him until despair flees and joy comes. If we are tempted to strike with our tongues, we will do the opposite and bless with our tongues. If we are tempted to fear, then we will do the thing we fear. Although none of us will do this every time, only the prevailing attitude of “I’d rather die a 1000 deaths than sin once” that will ultimately cause our enemy to give up and flee. (Jas 4:7) Adapted from the Coram Deo Secret marisarickerson/coram-deo.html
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:42:56 +0000
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