Category: Faith

Temptation: A Necessary Preparation for Ministry?

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By Paula Marolewski, August 18, 2009 2:03 pm

This morning, I read of Jesus’ temptation, as recorded in Luke 4. Consider these verses (1-2, 13-14):

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil …. When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.  And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit …”

Sometimes, I think we forget that Jesus wasn’t tempted with just the specific temptations recorded in the gospels. Those three trials were the culmination of over a month of hellish whispers. He was tempted continuously for forty days – Satan tried everything, the above passage notes. And in Hebrews 4:15, it affirms that Jesus was “tempted in all things.”

But the Holy Spirit brackets the temptation – Jesus was led by the Spirit into this time of testing, and he was filled with the Spirit upon his successful completion of it. And I paused to consider: does God often, or perhaps even always, allow this period of extreme temptation prior to launching a new ministry?

It does make sense. Temptation is a test – not of the mind, but of the heart. It reveals our answers to questions such as:

  • Do I trust God even when life seems to be falling apart?
  • Will I obey God even when nobody is watching?
  • Am I engaging in this ministry for fame and fortune, or for grace and goodness?
  • Do I have the determination to persevere through difficulties?
  • What or who am I relying on to see me through life?

If you are trying to launch a new ministry, don’t be surprised if you experience delay, doubt, temptation, trial, despair … in fact, a spiritual desert. I know what the wasteland looks like. I know it seems endless, and that you’re hungry for God, thirsty for his Spirit, longing for the touch of Jesus.

The Spirit of God may have led you to this very place, and done so for a very distinct purpose. Trust him. Persevere. Purge your life of sin. Pray without ceasing. Rely entirely upon God and his Word. When you are led out into the place of ministry, it will be “in the power of the Spirit.”

 

© 2009 Paula Marolewski

www.SinkYourRoots.com

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Faith and Hope

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By Paula Marolewski, August 13, 2009 11:04 am

Hebrews 11:1 is the classic definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

I like that link between faith and hope. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” Faith is forward looking. Faith knows that there’s a future, and that it’s a great future.

That forward-lookingness is based, however, on a Person. It’s based on God. We don’t believe things will all work out because we have good karma. We don’t believe everything will be fine because the world is actually maya, an illusion, and so who cares anyway? We don’t believe because we think man is on a steady course of moral progress.

No. We believe and have hope in the future because WE BELIEVE THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL. We believe that God is the Sovereign of the Universe. We believe that he’s good. That he’s loving. That he’s powerful.

Our faith is based on nothing less than the person of God himself.

That’s comforting to me. My faith isn’t based on me. Or on other people. Or on the church. All those things can fail. In fact, when my faith itself is rocky, I can have hope – because God is the Solid Rock. He is my foundation. He is the one who keeps me secure. My security and future and hope are in his hands – and he has wonderfully strong hands. They bear the scars to prove it. 

 

© 2009 Paula Marolewski, www.SinkYourRoots.com

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