In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef alerts us to the tempting thoughts that can come upon us in intense trials.
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[00:00:00] You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way
[00:00:07] Overcoming Temptation During Trials by Dr. Michael Youssef Paul was deeply concerned for the Thessalonians
[00:00:17] and so long to see them that he sacrificed the valued presence of Timothy to check in on them saying,
[00:00:24] in 1 Thessalonians 3.1, so when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.
[00:00:35] Why was Paul worried about the Thessalonian Church? He understood Satan's schemes, he knew that Satan would tempt the believers in their time of suffering to fall away from the faith,
[00:00:45] and he had a good cause to be worried because Satan has used this form of attack again and again down through history.
[00:00:53] I have witnessed this form of Satan attack with my own eyes. Believers, when going through a time of intense trial or tempted by Satan to think,
[00:01:02] God doesn't love me, or God has abandoned me. God is not hearing my prayers. God does not care about my sufferings.
[00:01:11] Our relationship with God can become cold and distant when our thoughts go in that direction.
[00:01:17] We don't abandon the faith, but just go through the motions of being Christians. We no longer see God as a loving father.
[00:01:24] Instead we see him as distant and remote, perhaps even as an abusive parent.
[00:01:30] We won't lose our salvation, but we will lose our joy and our confidence in the Lord.
[00:01:35] We'll lose our trust in his promises. We'll lose the peace of mind that only God can give.
[00:01:41] We'll lose the sense of warm fellowship with God.
[00:01:45] If you're going through a painful trial, I want you to know that God loves you. He hears your prayers and answers them,
[00:01:53] even though you may not see the answer right now with your physical eyes.
[00:01:58] Don't let Satan have this victory over you. Keep trusting God with your eyes of faith.
[00:02:05] Let's pray together. Lord help us to trust you.
[00:02:10] Grannis, your eternal vision. Remembering that our hope is in you. May your gospel, your powerful love for us, protect us from the temptation to doubt your care.
[00:02:22] We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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[00:02:34] My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yussa. To learn more, visit LTW.org today.