...Resolve...

I recently had the opportunity to coach someone through a very tough situation. Very tough. And I realized that I, too, struggle with this issue - putting spouse before God.

I mean, shouldn't the Heavenly Father be at the top of a short list?

When agonizing over what to say, and how to approach a delicate situation, I was struck with a sudden thought: we are made of flesh, clothed in sin. It is not supposed to be easy for us to get this one important principle right.

We must purpose every day, every hour, every minute to put God first in our lives.

It is going to be difficult. It has to be.

Think about it - aren't all the good things always the hardest?

We must set our minds on things not of this world, and determine to breathe in that life-giving air.

We are meant to rotate around the Son. Not around the spouse.

God has called us to Eternal Life. But we can't just accept it, can we? Our instincts and humanism make us complicate even the simplest of things. Our minds just fail to understand that the gift of Love and Life is free. We bind it with rules and stipulations that were not intended by the Almighty.

My friend decided that s/he was going to pray for God to remove the temptation.

But God spoke to my heart, and revealed that it is not about removing the temptation, so to speak. It is about us resolving to not be tempted. "...lead us not into temptation..." (Matt 6:13) doesn't necessarily mean that God will remove us from the temptation. I believe what He is saying is that the temptation will still be there, sitting in the middle of the road. We must choose to accept the help of the Holy Spirit to detour around it. Not to go wading through the muck and mire of satan's schemes.

Luke 22:40 reads (as Christ goes into the garden at Gethsemane to pray) "And when He arrived at the place, He said to them (His disciples) 'pray that you may not enter into temptation.'"

It doesn't say that Jesus told them to pray against temptation, but that they wouldn't fall into it.

Do you see the difference?

I feel like my prayer life can use a revival. Like I have been granted this amazing gift of knowledge.

And I will resolve not to go about my days as if this revelation doesn't matter.

I will purpose to put my God before my spouse.

He died on that Cross for me. He shouldered that abuse for me.

He knew what was waiting for Him, and He faced it, thinking of me!

How much more should I honor Him?! More than I can even grasp...

"Worthy is the Lamb..." Rev. 5:12