2 weeks ago
The caller book "Light For Today: 365 Daily Devotions from nan Lighthouse" was a labour of emotion — to spot God successful nan mundane challenges of life and to reconcile nan soul pains and normal stresses pinch nan God who said, "I will ne'er time off you nor forsake you."
It was a earthy postlude to my first book, "Lighthouse Faith: God arsenic a Living Reality successful a World Immersed successful Fog." This devotional, you could say, is nan applicable exertion of what was presented successful nan first book.
The lighthouse is simply a awesome awesome of refuge and strength, a beacon of dream successful darkness. In that way, it's packed pinch symbolism and metaphors.
BIBLE FULL OF HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR HOW EFFECTIVE PRAYER IS, STRESSES FAITH LEADER
But it is besides truthful overmuch more. The lighthouse, its existent structure, seems to beryllium God's logo stamped connected each portion of creation, from nan planets successful eden to quality and nan animals and, of people each of us, who are made successful His image.
So really is nan lighthouse God's logo?
"Light for Today: 365 Daily Devotions from nan Lighthouse" by Lauren Green has conscionable been published. It is disposable successful aggregate formats connected Amazon. (Amazon)
Because it is truthful incredibly for illustration God's law, nan Ten Commandments. These laws are not conscionable an arbitrary group of rules and regulations to support america successful line, but an existent explanation of who God is ... And who we are meant to unrecorded retired our lives arsenic His image bearers.
Of course, it's a batch harder to do than to say.
The First Commandment is nan hinge: "I americium nan Lord your God … You shall not person immoderate gods earlier me."
It's a elemental bid that is some an edict and a connection of truth. And for illustration each God's commands, they are motivated by love.
"God knows really we are made and really champion we tin unrecorded joyful, meaningful lives."
It's a bid because God knows really we are made and really champion we tin unrecorded joyful, meaningful lives.
EASTER IS ABOUT GOD'S LOVE AND SHOULD NOT BE ‘DOMESTICATED,’ SAYS BISHOP ROBERT BARRON
It's a connection of truth, arsenic location are nary different gods but God. And thing we put successful God's spot is simply a mendacious idol.
Turns retired idolatry is our biggest problem. Or, arsenic 1 theologian noted, it's astir "disordered loves."
Tybee Island Lighthouse, a historical lighthouse pinch assemblage era ties adjacent Savannah, Georgia. "The lighthouse, its existent structure, seems to beryllium God's logo stamped connected each portion of creation, from nan planets successful eden to quality and nan animals and, of people each of us, who are made successful His image." (iStock)
For example, you can't perpetrate fornication unless personification else's emotion intends much than God's love.
You can't bargain unless thing other is much valuable to you than God.
So each nan laws are identified first by their narration to nan First Commandment — and 2nd by their narration to each other. It's nan horizontal and nan vertical of nan cross.
"Scripture tells america that God is emotion … God didn't create love. He IS Love."
What you person present is simply a elemental and rudimentary, closed system. It's a seminal constituent that everything successful nan strategy relates to first, and past 2nd to everything other successful nan system.
MOVIE PRODUCER OF ‘CABRINI’ RESPONDS TO CRITICS THAT FILM FAILS TO SHOW NUN'S FAITH MOTIVATION
We spot this repeated successful architecture pinch a correct triangle, successful biology pinch nan building of nan cell, and successful euphony successful nan diatonic scale.
So what does that person to do pinch emotion and a devotional arsenic a labour of love?
Scripture tells america that God is love. First John: "God is love." Yes, God loves — but He is emotion itself. He is nan Author, nan Headwaters, nan Fountainhead, nan Source itself.
"We are each susceptible to belief attacks. Satan’s intent is to tie america distant from God — to make america put our basal and foundational spot successful thing different than God." (iStock)
It intends God didn't create love. He IS Love.
So if God is love, what are nan implications? Lots!
We deliberation of emotion arsenic purely emotional, moreover irrational. But God's emotion is acold much complex.
"When God said, ‘Let location beryllium light,’ it was retired of love."
If God is love, it intends that each creation — each its laws, and technological principles, nan periodic array that subject discovered, nan beardown and nan anemic forces, gravity, quantum physics, nan mobility of nan planets — are products of God's love.
Which intends God's love, first and foremost, creates order.
AMID POST-EASTER CULTURE WARS, JESUS STILL ASKS, ‘BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?’
When God said, "Let location beryllium light," it was retired of love.
God didn't conscionable create a dwelling spot for us. He created a location for america — a loving home.
Under belief attack
And yes, this bid is nether belief attack. Just look astatine what's happening successful nan world — crime, protests, violence.
All of it has a belief component. And this belief onslaught has existed almost from nan very opening of time.
We are each susceptible to belief attacks. Satan’s intent is to tie america distant from God, to make america put our basal and foundational spot successful thing different than God.
"Yes, this bid is nether belief attack. Just look astatine what's happening successful nan world — crime, protests, violence. All of it has a belief component." (Getty Images)
The Bible warns america perpetually astir these belief battles.
"Put connected nan full armor of God, that you whitethorn beryllium capable to guidelines against nan schemes of nan devil" (Ephesians 6).
"For though we locomotion successful nan flesh, we are not waging warfare according to nan flesh" (2 Corinthians 10).
"The Bible warns america perpetually astir these belief battles."
"Your adversary nan devil prowls astir for illustration a roaring lion, seeking personification to devour" (1 Peter 5).
PASSOVER HOLDS THE KEY TO COMPREHENDING TODAY'S ‘VICIOUS ANTISEMITISM,’ SAYS RABBI AND SPIRITUAL LEADER
Satan's extremity is to not only make you distrust God, but successful that distrust, to move distant from nan root of emotion that we each want and crave.
3 important points astir belief attacks
There are 3 things that are very important to retrieve astir belief attacks.
- They usually travel from personification aliases thing acquainted to us.
- A batch of times they attraction connected our strengths, not our weaknesses.
- To do nan top damage, they hap erstwhile we are astatine our weakest, emotionally aliases physically.
Here's a deeper dive into these 3 points.
1. Spiritual attacks often travel from those acquainted to us
The champion illustration of No. 1 is wherever it each began, nan original sin, nan autumn from grace successful nan Garden of Eden.
There, Eve and Adam are enjoying this beautiful narration pinch God. And God tells them that they tin eat thing successful this beautiful plot — except, "do not eat of nan 1 character successful nan middle."
"If you don’t spot God, you're automatically putting your spot successful thing else." (iStock)
Things commencement to spell downhill quickly; retrieve Eve’s brushwood pinch nan serpent. Big questions situation modern folks surviving successful a technologically precocious world.
Why is Eve talking to a serpent? And why is simply a serpent talking?
JEWISH GROUP FOR PASSOVER INTRODUCES 'TEN PLAGUES OF ANTISEMITISM' IN ITS HAGGADAH THIS YEAR
These are nan incorrect questions.
Because nan Bible is overmuch much a communicative of nan "why" than nan "how."
The existent rumor present is that Eve is not amazed by nan serpent's presence. She is not acrophobic of him talking to her. She does not run.
What does that show you? This was astir apt not their first conversation. They whitethorn person moreover had galore talks earlier — mightiness person moreover been friends.
"Eve can’t admit nan evil intent because it’s not coming from an enemy. It’s coming from a friend."
But astatine a important clip regarding nan 1 "don’t" that God gave to her and Adam, this is wherever nan serpent's deception does nan existent damage: "Did God really say...?"
Eve can’t admit nan evil intent because it’s not coming from an enemy. It’s coming from a friend.
And his deceit is pinch a harmless phrase: "Did God really say…?"
It was a twisting of God's words to mean thing different than their existent intent.
If you don’t spot God, you're automatically putting your spot successful thing else.
Where is Eve putting her spot if it's not successful God? It's successful her ain expertise to judge what is correct and incorrect — what is bully and what is evil.
"Put connected nan full armor of God, that you whitethorn beryllium capable to guidelines against nan schemes of nan devil" (Ephesians 6). (iStock)
This originates nan breakdown of her narration pinch Adam. She gives him nan forbidden fruit.
And alternatively of owning up to his violating nan command, he blames Eve — and past blames God for giving him Eve.
He now calls her, "That woman!" Not moreover recognizing nan wife, nan 1 he first called "bone of my bony and soma of my flesh."
PASSOVER BRISKET: HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR'S RECIPE HOLDS ‘SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE’ AMID JEWISH HOLIDAY
The family breakdown started here, arsenic neither of them put their eventual spot successful God.
And nan rest, arsenic they say, is history.
2. Our strengths are often premier targets of belief attacks
Our strengths thin to go our identities. They are talents, gifts from God.
But they tin besides beryllium a root of awesome pridefulness and illusions astir their eventual value. Let's return the very successful Taylor Swift arsenic 1 example.
"Good things that go eventual things go our logic for being — and they are premier for belief attacks."
She's an highly talented singer, songwriter and poet. She's besides rather beautiful — and has go astonishingly prosperous, pinch a nett worthy estimated to beryllium $1.1 billion.
Her latest album, though, has drawn disapproval from immoderate Christian leaders, who opportunity that "it mocks God and Christians." One illustration cited successful a caller Christian Post article says, "In nan opus ‘Guilty As Sin,’ Swift sings, 'What if I rotation nan chromatic away? / They're gonna crucify maine anyhow / What if nan measurement you clasp maine is really what's holy."
In different time, this would beryllium branded blasphemous for mocking nan resurrection of Jesus Christ, nan cornerstone of Christianity, and for making earthly romanticist emotion adjacent to, aliases worse, amended than nan Love of God, nan Creator.
"Lent is simply a clip for belief reflection, dream and fasting. The 40 days commemorate really agelong Jesus was successful nan wilderness, wherever He was tempted by Satan." (iStock)
Today, Swift is successful successful each arena that nan secular civilization values.
In nan documentary astir nan Eras Tour, she is heard saying, "I conscionable want to beryllium connected nan correct broadside of history."
Yet nan Lord of history is much concerned astir our eternity.
Good things that go eventual things go our logic for being — and they are premier for belief attacks. Without offering them up to God, they tin beryllium utilized for our downfall.
The talent becomes nan mendacious "hinge" connected which life hangs.
3. Spiritual attacks often hap erstwhile we're astir vulnerable
This week is Holy Week for millions of Orthodox Christians, who are now focused connected nan climax of nan Lenten season, which is Pascha (Easter, connected May 5). Lent is simply a clip for belief reflection, dream and fasting. The 40 days commemorate really agelong Jesus was successful nan wilderness, wherever He was tempted by Satan.
IN PROTESTS AGAINST ISRAEL, ‘AMERICAN WAY OF FREEDOM’ IS BEING ‘DEEPLY CHALLENGED,’ SAYS AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN
One point to remember: The enticement came astatine nan extremity of His 40 days of fasting and prayer, not astatine nan beginning. Jesus was nan weakest physically and astir apt emotionally.
Satan tempts Jesus pinch food, sustenance: "If you're nan Son of God, show these stones to go bread."
And Jesus answers, "Man does not unrecorded by breadstuff alone. But by each connection that proceeds from nan rima of God.'"
"Away pinch you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall believe nan Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
He tempts Him pinch information and shelter, fundamentally saying, "If God loved you, He'd do this aliases that … He wouldn't fto you suffer."
Jesus answers, "You shall not … tempt nan Lord your God.'"
And nan 3rd enticement is money, powerfulness and prestige — astir making nan proverbial "deal pinch nan devil," having our heart's desire pinch nan caveat of worshipping that desire.
Jesus answers, "Away pinch you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall believe nan Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Notice that Satan tempts Jesus utilizing Scripture — a twisted mentation of Scripture, that is. Jesus responds pinch Scripture — its existent knowing and meaning.
We're ever going to beryllium faced pinch a situation to our belief successful God. It's nan sacred versus nan secular.
The subtleties whitethorn look harmless — but small by little, they tin tie america distant from God.
It's why we must ever remember: "For God truthful loved nan world..."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This caller regular devotional, "Light For Today," was my travel of emotion — to cognize and person religion successful what nan Bible calls "a emotion that surpasses each understanding."
And to cognize for definite what God tells us: "I will ne'er time off you nor forsake you."
This article is drawn successful portion from a reside fixed astatine nan Lenten Retreat astatine nan Greek Orthodox group, Archons of nan Ecumencal Patriarchate, April 20, 2024.
For much Lifestyle articles, sojourn www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
