“Jesus said to him, ‘Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve’. Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” Matthew 4: 10-11 (NASB) How many times have we been tempted to do something we know in our hearts is not right? Tempted to eat that big Mrs. Field’s cookie when we are on a diet? Tempted to gossip about someone behind their back? Tempted to judge ourselves unfairly for what we are or are not doing as mothers? Greed, gluttony, lust, envy, anger, pride, and sloth are temptations that bombard us every day. These “Seven Deadly Sins” are the roots of all sin and evil in our world. In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, “Temptation in the Desert”, the devil attempts to lure Jesus into committing nearly every one of these deadly sins. But Jesus’ response each time Satan tries to tempt Him is simple. He tells Satan “Get away!” Then he calls upon His Almighty Father saying “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve.” Immediately, upon denying Satan and trusting fully in the Lord, the devil left Jesus and angels appeared to minister and protect Him. How powerful is that! Our God is so much greater and so much stronger than anything the enemy brings. Through His faith filled actions, Jesus teaches us that when the enemy attacks, we simply need to tell him to “Get away Satan!” and trust that our Almighty God, Abba Father, All Powerful King will protect and save us. At this week’s Mom’s Group meeting, we had a powerful discussion on Jesus’ temptation in the desert and how it relates to our battles as mothers, warding off Satan in our lives and the lives of our families. Sin, temptation, and evil are constantly and cunningly lurking around us, and we must be prepared, protected, and ready to defeat them. 2 Peter 5:9 tells us “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” God is calling us to “stay alert!” He tells us to pick up our shields and put on our full armor of protection which is the word of God. He calls us to be united with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, calling out in one accord “Get away Satan!” As a group this week, we agreed that we would call these words out loud whenever the enemy tries to create fear, ignite anger, steal joy, stir up jealousy, bombard us with lies, or simply “prowl” around us. Think how powerful it would be if every mother, every father, every child, every person called out in unity “Get away Satan!” Ephesians 6: 13-20 (NIV) reminds us, “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.” Lord God, equip us with Your armor and give us the courage to fight the good fight in your Holy Name. Amen. For meditation: Take a quiet moment in prayer, reflecting on the areas of your life where you feel tempted to act or think in a way that is sinful. Lay these temptations at the foot of Jesus’ cross and call out faithfully and loudly “Get away Satan!” Then, repeat this prayer over and over until you have it memorized “The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve!” For the children: Print out the coloring page titled “The Armor of God”(click HERE). As a family activity, color and decorate the “Armor of God” and discuss with your children how God is always there to protect them. Place your family’s “Armor of God” somewhere in your home where you will all see it often. Then, listen as a family and sing out together the powerful words of the song “Armor of God” (Click HERE) Written by Amy Connelly for the Mom's Group at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church
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January 2015
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