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My husband and I recently returned from a vacation in Colorado. Our friends invited us to spend a week with them skiing in the Rocky Mountains and we gladly accepted. Praise God for Grandparents who watched our children!
Our ski pass enabled us to ski at various resorts in the area. On our third day of skiing we traveled to the Keystone Resort. A few minutes before 3:00 pm Chris and I decided to take the Outpost Gondola over to the North Peak. We had not skied this mountain yet and we were looking forward to something new. The gondola attendant reminded us that the North Peak is a blue/black trail only. We were advised the gondola closes at 3:00 pm. We would have no other choice but the ski back. No problem we thought.
To our surprise, only one slope was open. All the other slopes on the North Peak were closed, due to poor visibility. The gondola was close and we had no choice but to ski down. I’ve been skiing since I was a teenager and yet I prefer to stay on the green (easy) or blue (more difficult) trails. I have never skied a black diamond trail (most difficult) nor, do I have any desire to ski outside my comfort zone.
My palms felt damp inside my insulated gloves. I gripped the ski poles and began to sweat nervously. “You go first.” I said to my husband. I watched as Chris pushed off with his snowboard down a slope looked more like a cliff. I was scared. “Nice and easy” I told myself. I slowly descended the mountain, carving back and forth in the powdered snow. Fear and intimidation flooded my mind. I had to remove those thoughts as I descended from 12,000 feet. I began to sing a song to Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength…and courage even on this slope at Keystone.”
Once at the base of the mountain we looked at the trail map to discover we’d been ambushed! Literally! The slope we had skied was a black diamond slope called Ambush! I could not believe it! Nervous exhilaration raced through me as I realized what a great accomplishment this was for me (and without falling)! Had I known the only slope open on this mountain was a black diamond I would have never attempted it. Fear and intimidation would have held me back.
The next morning I tip toed to the living room for my coffee date with God. Would you believe that the condo actually had a red chair! The current Bible study is titled No Other Gods by Kelly Minter, and the topic for this week: Lies, Fear, Intimidation, and Deception. The relevance is not lost on me. The evil one likes to use these tactics to keep us from reaching our greater purpose. I think his favorite tactic is deception and Timothy agrees. In his letter, 1 Timothy 2:13-14, Timothy refers to Eve as “the woman who was deceived.” Here is how Kelly describes deception on page 62 of No Other Gods:
Deception is very, well…deceiving. Michael Wells of Abiding Life Ministries says one of the most profound things; ‘Satan will tell us what’s true, but he never tells us the truth.’ Let that sink in for a moment. If you’re currently struggling with your finances, you might think something along these lines… I don’t have enough money to pay my bills this month; I’m going to lose everything. It might be true that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills, but the truth is that God will take care of your every need (see Matthew 6:25-30).Satan will tell us what's true, but he never tells us the truth.-Michael Wells Click To Tweet
The evil one wants to ambush our thoughts and fill our minds with deception, fear, lies and intimidation. Don’t fall for his trap. It will hold you back from God’s greater purpose for your life. Keep your mind filled with truth, God’s truth.
“The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV)
This article originally posted on www.RedChairMoments.com
*Scripture is ESV from Bible Gateway.
*Images courtesy of author and Pixabay.
© 2013 April Dawn White, All rights reserved
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