devotions thoughts

So a couple days ago the reading was on 2 Cor 11:14-15. It talked about how Satan often goes around like "an angle of light". He loves to accuse us and as Tabletalk says,

"In like manner, the Devil likes to remind us of our sin, to tell us the Father cannot possibly love us because we always serve Him with mixed motives. This work is very hard to distinguish from the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of our wickedness and makes us feel the pain of offending God as well as the terrible sense that we are absent from His presence. Yet the Holy Spirit always wounds us so that He may bring healing and restoration with the Father. Satan's work of accusation only keeps us away from God and paralyzes us with the horror of sin, preventing us from serving the Lord and others." (May 27)

I was thinking (and it was also talking about) how God often tests us to bring us closer to him, how he often puts us through the fire to bring us out stronger. I think about how frustrated I often get at things that go on, trials I face, the client who just seems to only want to make me angry, the driver who of course "purposely" cut me off or is driving slow. I think about how little things make me angry so fast and how if I could just step back for a min and say it is a trial I would come out of it with less anger, less regrets and having triumphed over Satan.

I think it is so easy to get caught up in every moment and to not think clearly through what is going on and why. For instance it is a whole lot easier for me to see when I am not driving that that driver is not trying to purposely drive slow or cut me off but when I am behind the wheel and late I cannot really see that well. I can't remember if I talked about this before but my boss and I were talking about how when we are late or have done something stupid we often blame others because we are so angry with ourselves and do not know what to do with it. For instance, when I leave the house 10 min late for work and then get angry people are not going fast enough or the lights keep turning red I tend to take it out on others when in fact if I had gotten up on time or hadn't stopped to read that email or had made my lunch the night before I would have left on time.

Anyways getting back on subject I guess I just hadn't really read those verses in the light that Satan often for a Christian will come across as an "angel" trying to "convict" us w/o grace or make us feel guilty for not being a good enough spouse/mother/father or I think even tries to get us so wrapped up in a good cause that we forget our responsibilities and to take care of our family. I think about how often churches or families have fallen apart b/c someone is too involved in a cause. I think that is just as sinful as not being involved in any causes. Conviction and causes are good when we are reminded of God's grace and that if we confess our sins and try again he is faithful and will forgive us...