“Take care lest your heart be deceived…” (Deuteronomy 11:16)

It was a beautiful day and quite warm for the month of April, so my husband and I decided to go fishing.  We eagerly rowed the boat toward the far end of the lake, dropped anchor, and out came the can of plump, red earthworms.  We baited our hooks and cast them into the water.  Then, we waited quietly for some unsuspecting fish to be lured into our trap.  It didn’t take long until we were reeling them in right and left.  We caught 18 fish that afternoon.

Afterwards, I kept thinking about those fish and how easily they were deceived by our wiggling red worms.  On the surface these worms looked like an easy catch, a free meal just handed to them on a silver platter.  But inside these tasty morsels lurked a deadly fate.  Some of the fish swallowed the bait — hook, line, and sinker.  Others were just barely snagged through the mouth.  Then there were those, much to our frustration, that escaped from the hook at the last minute.  And there was one fish that fell for the bait more than once.  Even after experiencing the piercing hook and being tossed back into the water, he came back for more!

It seems that many of my experiences in life have spiritual parallels, and this one spoke volumes to me.  We are so much like those fish.  Satan dangles his enticing worms in front of us, and we fall for them.  Sometimes we swallow the whole lie.  Other times we are only partially snared by his deceptions.  There are moments when we escape from his clutches at the last minute. And then there are times when we keep coming back for more, even after we’ve already suffered from the results of his previous trap.

We can be lured in so easily by the cunning tactics that the enemy uses.  The Bible tells us “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.” (Eph. 4:22) This is much easier said than done, isn’t it?  Often, it seems that what Satan offers is better than what God offers.  He is so good at camouflaging his deceptions, making them look like that which satisfies — but they are still just worms.  I fall for his bait time and again in my own life.  For example, I struggle with a shoe fetish.  He will dangle shoes in front of me, enticing me with the lie that a new pair will make me happy.  And they do…  for about a day!   When will I learn that my true satisfaction is found, not in shoe shopping, but in spending time in God’s Word or in sharing Christ with others?

Satan’s illusions are very powerful.  He is so good at distorting the truth that we can often have trouble recognizing right from wrong. We can grow so comfortable feasting on worms that we just ignore the delicious banquet that God has prepared for us.  How many worms will we eat before we discover that these tempting delights are full of danger?  They deceive us, we are captured, and then we are pulled into the enemy’s clutches for destruction. How many lies will we swallow before we begin to feast on God’s truth?   There are no deadly hooks in that which He offers — only wholesome, soul-satisfying food.

Those fish we caught that day were lucky — we let them go.  They have another chance.  Hopefully, they are wiser now.  God offers us another chance. May we be wiser in recognizing the enemy’s traps.   May we eat from the delectable feast that God has so graciously spread for us and swim right by those wiggling, red worms!

Deceitful desires… forever they lie,
Convincing us that they satisfy.
So strong and deceptive these constant illusions,
That they often lead to moral confusion.
We justify sin as being okay,
Or maybe permissible…at least for today.

When will we see?  When will we learn?
It’s only for God that our hearts truly yearn.
How many substitutes will we embrace,
Until we find joy in our Savior’s grace?
For He alone makes our souls to fly.
Yes, Christ alone can satisfy!

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way. Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded, and still.

This song is a beautiful prayer of submission to the Lord.  I have sung these words many times in my life, but when it comes to putting them into practice, I seem to have a great deal of trouble.  Waiting, yielded, and still are hardly the words I would use to describe myself.  You see, I am what you might call an impatient lump of clay.  As soon as the molding process becomes painful… I tend to run away.  Do you remember the old quote: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going?”  Well, I get going all right… right off the potter’s wheel!

I would like to have more perseverance, but like the Israelites, I find myself wanting to go back to Egypt when the trials of life surround me.  This thing of trusting God and following the cloud from day to day can be quite challenging.  Sure, if I press on, I’ll come to the Promised Land, but the journey is just too long and too difficult.  Thanks anyway, God, but I’ll take the leeks and onions of Egypt, if you please.  I’d rather have the comfortable life… even though is it a place of bondage.

In his book, The Roots of Endurance, John Piper says that many Christians today are “emotionally fragile quitters.”  And I believe he is absolutely right.  How easily we quit on our marriages, our jobs, our friendships, our churches, etc.  We walk away from situations when they become challenging or painful.  Even though we have the living God inside us, ready to carry us through any trial we may face, we simply give up.

I am reminded of the prophet, Elijah.  Although I would not say that he was one to give up easily, he did have a moment of weakness.  In I Kings 19, we find him running away because he is afraid of Jezebel’s threats.  Never mind the fact that God had already used him mightily to fulfill His purposes, protecting him through many treacherous experiences… Elijah had had enough.  His faith in God had been exhausted.  He wanted off the Potter’s wheel.  In verse 4, we see him sitting under a broom tree saying, “It is enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Can you relate?  I certainly can.  Now I know that my problems don’t compare to those of Elijah… I have not had someone threatening to kill me, but I have had some major trials in my life.  And many times, I have sat under the oak tree in my front yard and said to God, “It is enough now, O Lord.”

We all struggle in the area of endurance, don’t we?  Our flesh wants the pain to be over… now!  If only we could see the end result, perhaps we would yield more readily to the Master’s touch.  If God would just give us a picture of the finished product, then perhaps we wouldn’t be such “emotionally fragile quitters.”  But in His wisdom, the Potter has chosen not to unveil the beauty of His pottery until His appointed time.  Oh may we find comfort in the thought that God does have a plan and a purpose for our trials.  Not one moment of our suffering is ever wasted.

Mercifully, God has given us His Word, His wonderful promises to cling to through the storms.  For instance, He says “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)  And in 2 Tim. 2:12, we see that “if we endure, we will also reign with Him.” What strength I have found in holding to these promises.  Time and time again, I am drawn back to the Potter’s wheel through the Word of God.  I can trustfully lay my life into the hands of a God who only wants “good things” for me.  And by His grace, I can endure the shaping and the molding process, painful as it may be.

We have a Savior who knows what it is to persevere.  He endured the cross, and why?  It was “for the joy set before Him.” (Heb. 12:2)  Jesus not only had in mind the joy of glorifying His Father, but also the joy of making us His own treasured possessions.  Jesus suffered unimaginable pain because of His great love for us.  Do we dare endure the molding of the Potter’s hand for Him?  Oh that we will press on, so that His glory will be revealed through us.  May God cause us to be faithful lumps of clay, yielded to His hand, and molded into vessels fit for the Master’s use.

The Potter sat down at his wheel one day,
To mold and shape a small lump of clay.
The process had only just begun,
When the clay jumped up and started to run.
“Wait!” cried the Potter, “I’m not done with you.”
“Not I,” said the clay, “it’s over — I’m through.
I know that you have my best interest at heart,
But to yield to your hand doesn’t seem very smart.
The shaping and molding is painful for me,
So please go away and just let me be!”
“Dear clay,” said the Potter, in a kind-hearted voice,
“If you’ll only endure, you’ll have cause to rejoice.
I know you’re unhappy the way that you are,
You can’t go through life, an unfinished jar.
Just trust me; allow me to do my duty,
And soon you’ll become a thing of great beauty.
Though pressure and pain may be part of the deal,
You’ll see that it’s worth your time on the wheel!”

Do you need a reason to smile today?  Is life weighing you down?  Well, I have a sure remedy for your doldrums… just ponder the glorious truth that your Creator, Almighty God, has loved you with an everlasting love!  This life is but a breath, and then you’ll be with Him for all eternity.  Because Jesus took the punishment for your sins, you are free to enjoy the Father’s presence forever.  Where would you be without Jesus? (Now, there’s a thought that could really weigh you down!)  Because of Christ, the trials on this earth are all the hell you will ever know.  Are you smiling yet?  Are you seeing the big picture?  May the joy of your salvation overshadow all of today’s heartaches, and may you become so heavenly-minded that you know earthly good!

]]> http://mysoulsdelight.com/rhythms-for-the-soul/welcome/feed/ 0 http://mysoulsdelight.com/about-me/about-me/ http://mysoulsdelight.com/about-me/about-me/#comments Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:30:15 +0000 admin http://mysoulsdelight.com/?p=23 Amy Clawson, writer, poet, and women’s event speaker…

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