Proverbs 13

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death. Good understanding gains favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard. Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly. A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful ambassador brings health. Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, but he who regards a rebuke will be honored. A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.” Proverbs 13:12-16 (NKJV)

One of the greatest tricks of Satan is to get Christians to believe God has promised them something that He hasn’t.  Then all Satan has to do is sit around and wait for us to become despondent and blame God for not coming thru for us.  We literally get angry with God when, in fact, it is Satan who convinced us that God’s Word said otherwise.  Believe me, it happens to us all of the time.  It is how Satan tempted Eve, and he even tried to tempt Jesus (the Living Word of God) by distorting God’s Word.  Jesus resisted Satan by answering with the correct understanding of the Bible.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,” and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”’ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.”’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”  Matthew 4:1-11 (NKJV)

So, after we have chosen to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus and receive salvation, we still have a choice to make every day thereafter.  It is a choice between “hope deferred” and “desire accomplished,” the “fountain of life” and the “snares of death,” “God’s favor,” or the “hard way.”  And the deciding factor is whether you choose to seek God’s Word every day, meditate on it and allow it to govern every aspect of your life.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)  Salvation is not only about eternal life.  It is also about living abundantly and joyfully on this earth, despite fierce opposition.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)