Nikki's Story

I want to introduce you to Nikki and tell you his true story. Nikki is a green and yellow parakeet who has led quite an adventurous life. He was chilling with the sparrows, going wherever they went, doing whatever they did, eating whatever they ate. He was an independent parakeet. He was taking care of himself. He didn't know that his life was in danger from predators every single day. He didn't know that winter was soon to come and if he remained with the sparrows he would soon be dead. 

One day he was enticed by some millet inside the safety of a cage. On that day he had a choice, continue eating what the sparrows were eating or try the millet. He chose the millet. He entered the cage, tried the millet and discovered that it was good, so good, in fact, that he no longer desired the food the sparrows ate.

He got to know the person who provided this millet and discovered that because he chose to eat the millet she had saved his life. Over time and much more millet he got to know her better and now she has become his best friend.

Answer Key

• The sparrows symbolize unbelievers and going along with the crowd.
• The sparrow food is whatever the world calls fun (drinking, drugs, parties, the bar scene, pornography, promiscuity, etc.) .
• Winter symbolizes the end times and the return of Jesus.
• The millet symbolizes God' word (the Bible)
• The safe cage symbolizes the church.
• The best friend symbolizes Jesus. 

STOP!!

Before reading on, please do me a favor; after reading through the answer key, go back up to the beginning and re-read Nikki's story. Then return here to continue reading. 

This is the true story of a parakeet that hung around my back yard bird feeder with the sparrows for most of this past summer. In the fall I was finally able to capture him and not a moment too soon. He would have surely died in the cold outdoors. My son wanted to name him Nikki which is short for Nicholas Cage since he's in a cage, I know, funny guy. 

Please don't misunderstand the cage symbolizing the church, I'm not saying the church is a cage, I'm referring to the cage as a place where you can feel safe. If you find a church where it's members are actively operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit you will feel welcome, loved and safe. 

I hope you enjoyed my analogy and God bless you richly. 

Tired of the struggle? Want to find peace and feel complete? Read on!

I watched a video last week that really touched my heart. I felt the need to talk about it after which I will share the link. First, I have to say how blessed I feel to live in Canada. We can go out and buy a Bible with so many different translations to choose from. Many local churches will even give you a Bible if you can't afford one or simply don't have one. We can also download a Bible app to our smart phones or tablets or access the Bible online. We are free to buy it, to read it and to talk about it. We have free access to God's Word yet at the same time we have so much excess available to us that we end up keeping ourselves too busy for the one thing that will truly make us happy. We have TV, internet, computers, laptops, sports (both watching and playing), cell phones, tablets, video games, movies, DVDs, CDs, MP3s, music, shopping, etc. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying any of these things are wrong. However, if any of these things are done in excess to the point of usurping your regular responsibilities or alienating your friends and family, then it's a problem.

It is all about relationships. We were created, first and foremost, to have a relationship with Jesus and I'm not talking about a casual "yea I've heard of Him" or "yea I believe in Him" and that's as far as it goes. I am talking about pursuing a deep, personal friendship with Jesus - one where you know Him personally, you trust him completely and you talk to him about anything and everything - because you are well aware of how much He loves you and because you have actually experienced that love, now you want to serve Him wholeheartedly as an expression of your deep love and appreciation of Him. That is the kind of relationship I'm talking about and anyone can have that, you can have that. It's like any other friendship, the more time you spend together the closer you become.

In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said:

Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'

Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is anyone we come into contact with. Notice how Jesus said "love your neighbor as you love yourself." There are plenty of people who don't love themselves so they can't properly love others. Maybe they never grew up having a nurturing, loving parent or parents. There are so many different reasons. Maybe you know exactly what I'm talking about. If we grow up not being or feeling loved we will have a hard time receiving love, love from others and the love of our Father God because somewhere deep inside of our heart we don't fell like we deserve to be loved.

Her comes the good part. When we receive Jesus, God's son, as our Savior He comes to live inside of our heart in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then begins working on our hearts, healing our pain, mending our brokenness, filling that emptiness, exposing damaging lies we have believed about ourselves, revealing the truth about us and the way Father God feels about us and filling us up with His love.

If we don't feel we deserve to be loved we will have a hard time receiving love from God or anyone else. If we don't feel loved it is impossible to fulfill the second command "love your neighbor as you love yourself." If you don't love yourself how can you love anyone else? You can't give away what you don't have.

Thank God He sent His Son Jesus to intercede for us. In Mark 10:27 (The Message) Jesus was telling the disciples how difficult it was for man to get into the Kingdom of God and his disciples asked who has any chance at all. He responded by saying:

Jesus was blunt: "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it."

Have you ever seen that movie "Jerry Maguire" with Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger? Once Tom realizes what he had with Renee he returns to her and says "you complete me." We were all created with a God-shaped hole inside of our hearts that is reserved only for God and we will never feel complete without Him. We often try to fill that hole in our hearts with other stuff like drugs, sex, alcohol, pornography, etc., but it never lasts. When you allow Jesus into your heart and life and you begin working with the Holy Spirit, you will finally become complete and full of love, so full of love it will just naturally flow onto anyone (neighbor) who crosses your path. The only relationship that can truly complete us is a relationship with Jesus.

You can begin pursuing a relationship with Jesus right now. Pick up your Bible which is the Word of God and start reading it, I recommend starting in the book of John. If you are new to reading the Bible I recommend starting with a (New Living Translation).

John 1:1 (NLT) says:

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:14 (NLT) says:

"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son."

So Jesus is the Word of God and he was with God before anything was ever created. Jesus (the Word) became flesh and lived among us. God is a three-part God consisting of God - Jesus - Holy Spirit. The Word is the Bible which explains why we would get to know Jesus if we read it. The Word of God is our most valuable treasure on this earth and so many people don't even realize it. So many countries don't have the same freedom we have and you will see in the following video how valuable the Word of God is to those who know what it contains.



It really humbled me and made me realize how lucky I am. If any of my blog posts have touched your heart I want to hear about it. Please leave a comment on the blog post that touched your heart.

Satan injects negative thoughts but God provides the Ultimate Weapon!

Have you ever spent time playing the PAC-MAN game when you were a kid? When I was much younger I spent many hours playing that game and I can't forget Ms. PAC-MAN as well. I remember running around gobbling up pac-dots and running away from those dang ghosts who always seemed to be just a little bit faster. I would grit my teeth and hope to make it to a power pellet with all 4 ghosts hot on my trail. Of course that only lasted for a short time and then they were back again and hot on my trail. If I remember correctly, Pinky was the ghost who usually caused me the most grief. Here is a picture of the game:

PAC-MAN kind of reminds me of myself and what I used to be like. I used to gobble up all of the garbage lies that satan fed to me. I never knew all those negative thoughts that I allowed to have free reign in my mind were actually being fed to me by satan and his army of fallen angels. Thoughts like, "nobody loves you. Things will never change. You're an accident. You don't belong here. You're damaged goods. Nobody cares what you have to say. Your life will never get any better." All of these thoughts were like those pac-dots in the PAC-MAN game and I gobbled them up as my own thoughts (it was my truth, my reality). Of course satan also uses  people to spit forth mean, nasty, hurtful words and like a snake injects venom into its victim we often receive those words as truth.

When I started reading my Bible I discovered that all of those negative thoughts were lies. This is what it says about satan in John 8:44 (NLT)

 ". . . he has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

The Bible actually calls satan the father of lies. There is no truth found in him. When you receive Jesus as your personal savior the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you to lead and guide you through this life and that  includes leading you to wisdom and truth. If you take the time to read God's word the Holy Spirit will be able to reveal God's truth to you and set you free from those lies you have been believing about yourself for so long. The bible says in John 8:32 (NLT)

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

That is exactly what receiving Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and reading the Bible did for me, it set me free. The Bible also says, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."

I have learned that God actually loves me exactly the way I am. I learned that even though my parents never planned me He did and that He has good plans for me. Jeremiah 1:5 (NCV) and Psalm 139:13 (NLT):

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work." "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb."

Now I don't just sit back and take it. I no longer gobble up every lie (pac-dot thought) that pops up, I fight back. When the devil tries to feed me more of his garbage lies I open my mouth and speak God's truth and it defeats him every time. Now, when he tries to tell me, "your life will never change" I fight back by throwing scripture back at him and say, "God has good plans for me" as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) and Philippians 4:13 (AM)

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency)."

That last scripture has brought me through a lot of tough situations (spiritual battles). I used to carry it around in my purse and pull it out whenever I needed it. Now I carry it around in my heart and mind. You would not believe how much this discovery has changed my life. It actually says in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NCV)

"We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy's strong places..."

I also like the way the Amplified Translation says that same scripture:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not physical (weapons of flesh and blood), but they are might before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,"

God has placed us in this world, but He has not left us without weapons. God's word is a powerful weapon. Prayer and Worship are powerful weapons. We are in a (spiritual) battle everyday and it takes place in our thought life. The enemy's strong places or "strongholds" as the Amplified version words it are those repetitive negative thoughts we have that play over and over in our minds like a broken record.

If you receive Jesus as your Savior and if you start to read the Bible your life is going to change in amazing ways. God's word will come alive. You will begin feeding your spirit the truth and it will take root inside your heart. It will begin to expose the lies that you have been believing for so long, perhaps all your life. Reading the Bible is like PAC-MAN eating those power pellets giving you the ability to defeat the enemy (satan and his lies). When PAC-MAN eats that power pellet those ghosts that were on his heels do a 180 degree turn and head for the hills. When you feel bombarded by those negative thoughts which are like the ghosts in PAC-MAN you just have to open your mouth and quote a scripture of truth and they will do a 180 degree turn and run in the opposite direction. You also need to know that one time will not be the end of it. They will  come back and try again just like the ghosts always come back to chase you in PAC-MAN. However, it does get easier.

What Satan Intended for Harm God Used for Good

I thought my days of being bullied would end when I graduated from high school, but apparently that was not the case. Through my years of life experience, I have learned that spiritual warfare is alive and well on planet earth. I define spiritual warfare as God's angels coming to the aid (through speaking God's Word and prayer) of God's children (believers) as satan and his fallen angels attempt to destroy our lives.  

Ephesians 6:11-13 (NLT)

Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

I like the way the Message translation words it. It says:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (The Message)

God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Satan and his demons watch and study us very closely. They know what pushes our buttons. They know what hurts us the most and they will use people and circumstances to attack us.

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

I read a book called “The 5 Love Languages" by Gary Chapman." In it I learned that everyone has their own love language and they use that love language to communicate their love to the people in their lives. The problem with that is, unless the other person has the exact same love language it will not be received as love. 

Finding out someone else’s love language gives you the ability to communicate your love to the people in your life in their love language so they will be able to receive it. At the end of the book there is a test you can do to find out what your love language is. There will sometimes be 1 that is dominant and sometimes there are 2 or 3 that are very close which would mean that you have more than 1 love language (you are bilingual). Once you read the book you can often figure out what other people’s love languages are if you hang around them long enough. 

The 5 love languages are:

1.   Touch

2.   Acts of Service

3.   Gifts

4.   Quality Time

5.   Words of Affirmation

Here is a link to the website where you can take the quiz if you are interested. 

http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

When I did my love language test, Quality Time was at the top at 10 points with Words of Affirmation right behind at 9 points. The rest were much lower (5,3,5).

When you receive the exact opposite of your love language, it hurts even more than usual because it's your love language. For example, if your love language is touch and your spouse (or parents) never hug you or put their arms around you, it hurts a lot, but if your love language is gifts and your spouse (or parents) shower you with gifts, you aren’t going to care as much that they don't hug you.

So quality time and words of affirmation are my love languages. Words of affirmation are kind words that make you feel good about yourself, compliments. When I receive the opposite of my love language (words of affirmation), for example, if someone calls me names, belittles my existence or threatens me, then it hurts me twice as much because it is one of my love languages.

With that being said, satan and his demons began attacking me with the opposite of words of affirmation through some bullies in high school. After graduation they used the same amo through a relationship I was in with a guy, then through a really bad boss, then through my niece and just in May 2012 through my tenant. I was renting out my basement suite to a guy.

He was late paying his rent for May so I put a reminder notice on his door. When he came home and found the notice he became very angry. He knocked on my door and when I opened it I could tell by reading his body language that he was really angry before he ever spoke a word. He proceeded to raise his voice as he hurled insults, belittled my existence, made up lies and threatened me. It was clear to me he had no intention of paying his rent. I tried to remain calm at least outwardly while inside I just wanted to curl up into the fetal position and hide. 

The same feelings of fear I used to have while being bullied in high school, in a past relationship, etc., returned. Near the end of the conversation I could not take it anymore. Unfortunately, in a moment of weakness I stooped to his level and hurled some of my own insults back. Of course, none of mine were nearly as nasty as his, but still I was disappointed in myself for not responding in more of a Christian way. It was clearly another attack from satan using the exact same amo. 

Matthew 5:43-47 (The Message)

 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

My point is, we are all only human and we will never behave perfectly at all times, but if you have the Holy Spirit living inside your heart then He begins to change you little by little. The old me (before I came to know and love Jesus) would have responded a lot worse.

None of us can behave better for any length of time without God, BUT with Jesus by our side and with the help of the Holy Spirit we will begin to change as we surrender our will and plan for Gods.

So the next time you behave in a way that you regret, I don’t want you to beat yourself up about it. Apologize to the person and bring it to God, repent (means you're sorry and you have no intention of repeating the same action). If you haven’t yet invited Jesus into your heart then do so and ask Him to help you. He will. If you want help inviting Jesus into your heart and life just ask and I would be happy to help. 

Now for the best part of the story, immediately after this horrendous conversation my aunt shows up at my door. She tells me that she was on her way home when she heard God telling her, “Go check on Rowena, Go check on Rowena.” I was so glad she heard God and obeyed because I REALLY needed someone to talk to at that moment. 

When she told me that God told her to check on me I cried because I knew at that moment that God saw the whole ugly event take place. He saw someone picking on His girl (that would be me) and He sent reinforcements to help me when I needed it the most. In THAT moment I tangibly FELT how much God loves me and it felt so amazing I can't even put it into words. J 

Satan came at me with the same attack that he has hit me with through other people many times before; one that he knows leaves me shakin’ in my boots. But it totally backfired on satan because God took what satan intended to hurt me and He turned it into something good.

Genesis 50:20

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…

Now, instead of thinking about how horribly unfair I was treated and getting upset and mad, anytime I think about it I can’t help but smile because all I can think about is how God used that situation to show me how much He loves me. J

God's love is so pure (limitless, immense); it is so much greater and far more powerful than any love you will ever find or experience here on earth. God does not play favorites and He loves you just as much as He loves me. He is waiting with open arms for you to turn towards him and run into his welcoming arms. Only you can make that choice; no one can make it for you.  

The Perfect Sunny Spot

Ephesians 1:4,5 (NLT)

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.

In the above scriptures God, through Paul, is telling us that He actually set us apart and choose us to be His very own before He ever created the world. God knew man would sin and fall away from His original good plan for us. He knew that and had already planned a way for us to be able to return to His family through His son Jesus before Adam ever set foot on this Earth. Isn't that good news? He adopted us as His very own and made special, loving plans for each and every one of us. Plans that only we can fulfill in our lifetime. People that only we can reach out to and touch with His love. Of course, the choice is always up to us. We can choose to follow His good plan for our lives and put our Creator first or we can choose to follow after our flesh and do what we think we want and need to be happy.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I used to think I knew what I want and needed in my life in order to be happy and I didn't think it included God. I followed my own plans for my life for many years. It never brought me happiness. Sure, maybe I was happy once in awhile for a fleeting moment but never truly happy. I had no peace. I always ended up disappointed and heartbroken. Since I have given my life over to God and let Him take control, I have peace and a joy that isn't only fleeting.

When I spend time with God in His Word, I love to sit in the sun. If it is warm outside, I find a nice sunny spot, usually on my outdoor swing, and I read God's love letter (the Bible). If it is winter, I find a place inside my house where the sun is shining in and I read God's Word there. For me, feeling the warm sun on my face and hair as I read His Word is like feeling the warmth of his unconditional love which is pouring down on me from heaven above. It reminds me of the last part of a scripture:

Revelation 1:16 (AMP)

His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

You and I are His chosen holy people He called. It is up to us to answer that call.

Dear Heaveny Father, flood the eyes of my heart with your revealing light so that I may know and understand how rich and glorious my inheritance is with you. Thank you God for making a way for me to be a part of Your family again.

Why was Jesus tempted after being baptized?

December 12, 2007

Matthew 4:1-11

Have you ever wondered why Jesus, after being baptized by John, was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil? Notice that the devil does not even begin tempting Jesus until he has been without food for 40 days and 40 nights? That would make Jesus a very hungry man.

I believe that is very similar to the temptations we face today. The devil waits until we are in a desperately hungry place in our hearts, whether we are feeling extremely lonely, extremely angry, extremely rejected or hurt. Whatever it is in our circumstances, you can pretty much guarantee that the devil will notice our weak and vulnerable position and take full advantage of it by bringing something extremely tempting into our line of sight or train of thought.

When the devil begins tempting Jesus, he tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread so he can eat since he is so hungry. Jesus responds by quoting from the Word of God (out loud), "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Notice how Jesus uses the Word of God against the devil's schemes. The bible says,(NIV) Ephesians 6:11,12,

"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

The quote he responded with is so true. I like the way my sons bible phrases it:

"People need more than bread for their life, they must feed on every word of God."

In order for us to be able to resist the devil as Jesus did, we need to be very familiar with the Word of God. How do we do this? By reading His Word daily, by setting aside quiet time each day to read His Word. Many of you are saying, "I am just too busy to have time to read the bible." If Jesus were standing in front of you right now asking you to spend time with him each day, would you still be too busy? Your priorities will be clear in the way you choose to spend your time, and yes it is a choice. If you have troubles understanding the bible when you read it, then perhaps consider buying a different translation that will make it easier for you to understand. The New Living Translation is my sons bible and it is written in very easy to understand, modern English. Also, pray and ask the Lord to help you understand what you are about to read.

Once you begin to read His Word daily, you will begin to notice that He will speak to you very clearly through his Word. Some days you will read a verse or several verses that are exactly what you needed to hear at that very moment. Other days you will be reading His Word and you will be feeling conviction over something you now know you have to make right.

When you first start setting aside some time to read His word, it may feel like a chore. Do it anyway! After awhile, I promise you, you will begin to look forward to that quiet time you spend with God in His Word. You will begin to crave it, need it.

When the devil comes a knocking to tempt you (and he will) whilst you are in your "desert", you will be equipped. (NIV) Ephesians 6:13-18 says,

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."

Don't be fooled into believing that the devil does not tempt people like that these days. The devil and his army are still very active. Three times the devil tempted Jesus in that desert and three times Jesus responded by quoting scripture. After the third time, the devil left. I feel like I also need to point out in Luke 4:13, which says,

"When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came." The devil won't just try to tempt you one, two or three times. He will take advantage of every opportunity he can find. Not to worry though, keep reading and you will find out why you need only to be alert rather than worried.

The scripture says in (NIV) James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

That is exactly what he did with Jesus in the desert and that is exactly what he will do with you if you use the full armor of God. I can tell you from my own personal experience right now, my desert is called "loneliness." I grew up needing affirmation and attention from my father, but not getting it, which led me to the devil's cheap alternative. That was by getting attention from boys. I became a boy crazy teenage girl. I then married a man who also did not give me the affirmation and attention I so badly craved. Then my husband left me and I was all alone.

Until that point in my life, I always looked to a man to provide me with my value, my self-worth, my reason for living, my joy, etc. If I was not in love with Jesus now and if I was not allowing Him to fill up my need for love, self-worth and value, then I would most certainly be resorting back to my old way of life, which was getting attention from a man.

This "desert of loneliness" has been teaching me how to lean on God in a much more personal way. It has taught me to run to him with all of my needs. And you know what, he meets all of them. There is still, of course, the desire to have a companion to share my life with. I believe when I make it through this desert of "loneliness" and learn the lessons that God wants me to learn, he will provide me with a suitable companion. As any loving father is, he will be sure that this suitable companion will meet his standards and have his blessing.

In the meantime, and I am speaking from personal experience here, the devil is busy trying to tempt me. He knows my weakness is "loneliness." He knows how I used to fill up that need and he is constantly scheming up ways to provide his cheap alternative in the form of inappropriate male temptation. I run to Jesus, and I run to his Word and He helps me. I put on the full armor of God and the devil flees from me.

I believe Jesus was tempted in the desert for two main reasons:

1. So Jesus would show us how to resist the devil's temptations.
   
2. So Jesus would understand what temptation feels like so he would better understand our struggle.