Our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord

James 1:13
"Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He himself tempt anyone."

When pastor Thomas spoke about sin not being just 'what we do, but who we do it to', this is a verse that comes to mind. I feel like I play a sort of juggling act with God, trying to balance my understanding of Him as humble and innocent of all wrongdoing, but at the same time beyond a shadow of my comprehending His absolute power. It can be difficult to balance the idea of someone as powerful and at the same time subservient, but that is because this world doesn't work in that way. Very rarely do people in power show meekness and humility, which is why it can be hard for us to imagine.

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived my beloved brethren."

We all know that the energy can neither be created or destroyed, but it is entirely different when we think about that concept applied to sin: it always has to come from somewhere, and our thoughts is how it starts. Just like Samson did, we become bold in our thinking, and believe a single thought to be harmless, not realizing the 'slippery slope' we have embarked upon (thanks be to Angeline for explaining the term to me!). The only difference between this and thermodynamics is that sin can, and has been destroyed! Our continued repentance ensures that sin will be as white as snow, by the glory of Christ's mercy. Whenever I feel like sinful thoughts are pressing down on me, or I feel I'm losing my patience, I am staying focused on the image of Christ. This helped me a lot yesterday when I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine. Although he is a great guy I have known since I was a little kid, he could talk your ear down to a nubbin, and it can try my patience I'm sorry to say! But as I concentrated with all my strenght on Him, I became calmer and was even able to bring the conversation toward God, instead of about just things like magic (which he loves, and I share little of the same fondness!). It is my prayer that we all see that focusing on Jesus is something we always have access to, at any time, and can deliver us from the most trying circumstances if we really believe it.