Sometimes By Renshi Anne Radke March 4, 1999 (Inspired by the reading of Luke 4)

"Sometimes you are led to a place where you can be tested. When you are low and hungry for affection, security or whatever things you desire. It seems for all intent and purposes to be hungry for affection, security, accomplish your goals, etc. But like eating, when abused, they can make you have some serious problems and even when received sometimes are not filling. Material possessions or dependency on others cannot give you the courage, strength or peace you need to live your life to the fullest. God knows exactly what you need and when you need it-that's why we do not live by bread alone or the things we hunger for but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So it is OK to eat but not to gluttony. The nourishment of the spirit is a relationship between you and your higher power. Sometimes we have visions and dreams that are attached with a price tag. Committed to something or someone that pulls you spiritually away from God is wrong. God has a plan-stick to the plan. Satan may project it is God's plan but he only shows us what parts he wants us to see. There are basic guidelines to God's plan. One of them is peace is knowing. A sense of all is under control by a higher power. Never get out of balance. Losing your footing can cause a great fall. Sometimes the thing that is standing in our way-must be put behind us to do God's will. Sometimes we need to trust that when we put the obstacle behind us or situation, that everything will be OK. Be confident in once you take the initiative to put your fear behind you that you have everything you need to do what you need to do or get through what you need to go through. Sometimes what appears to be an act of courage or assumption of "well, I messed up or got hurt-God will fix it." He gives us wisdom to know what to choose. He gives us the holy spirit to teach us which choices to make. He gave us a free will to choose. Never assume you can run in front of every car that goes by or jump from a cliff and you won't get hurt. If you choose to do so, consequences will have to be paid. You can be sure he has his angels watching over us and helping us when we really need it. Sometimes Satan comes in our life when we are spiritually weak because that is his advantage. He often comes in the form of what we want or desire and twist the truth to fit his puposes to ultimately destroy our peace of mind through hunger, fear, greed, power and doubt. But he knows as well as we do, that he can only hang around for so long and must depart. He will come again but with every battle we grow stronger for the next attack. How do we know? Because God is in us and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world-always.