Shadowboxer

You made me a shadowboxer, baby
I wanna be ready for what you do
I been swinging all around me
cause I dont know when youre gonna make your move
--Fiona Apple

I talked to my friend Cori for an extended period of time tonight. I love talking to that girl. She's such a soul sister. The Lord constantly has us on the same page, teaching us the same things. It's almost as if we're reading eachothers mind. I guess that's a taste of what the Bible meant when it says the believers were of one mind...haha.

Anyways, we were talking about how Satan is (in the words of my friend John) such a bastard. How we seem to be tempted most when we're on the right track. It's like, why when we feel so close to the Lord do we suddenly end up so far?

I've been praying for a renewed love for the Bible, and (solely inspired by my quest into Judaism to understand Christianity), I've been reading thru Matthew. It's the gospel that constantly points out Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. I was reading Chapter 4 which is when Satan tempts Jesus. MAN, that jerk is crafty! He uses 3 different tactics to cause Jesus to stumble, all of which are thwarted. First, he tells Jesus to satisfy His hunger (Jesus was fasting for 40 days...my friend Seth can barely make it 24 hours). This is Satan trying to distract Jesus from His devotion. Fasting is a form of prayer that really causes us to rely on the Lord and focus on Him. So satisfying that hunger, although legitament, was a way to distract Jesus's focus, possibly in preparing for His ministry.

2nd, Satan uses SCRIPTURE to tempt Jesus to test God. This is a tricky one. It's when we take Scripture out of context to justify our actions. "The Lord promises angels will catch you, so jump!" Never rely on Satan's interpretation of Scripture. This is why we need to pray continually that the Holy Spirit would reveal to us the meaning of the Bible, because otherwise, we might totally misinterpret it, and jump, and then die. Morbid...I know.

Finally, He promises Jesus all the world's kingdoms if He will bow to him. What's so amazing about this verse is that Jesus IS King of these kingdoms. The Bible says that Jesus was raised to the right hand of the Father and was given power over everything. Satan, knowing this was Jesus' destiny, does 2 things: He offers immediate gratification and also redirect who will receive glory. Jesus would recieve the world once His purpose on earth was completed, and God would be honored. Satan "promises" to give it to him AT THAT MOMENT in return for worship. Man, I'd say if anything, this is the tactic that gets me the most.

I wonder about myself in these verses. Do I want God's plan on my time? Immediately? Do I use Scripture as my justification or basis of my actions? There's a thin line. Do I allow Satan or myself to distract me from worshipping the Lord and doing His will?

Fiona Apple has a song called "Shadowboxer" which I have now dedicated to Satan. We constantly have to be on guard, not just anticipating his attact or temptation, but ready with a defense (or heck, offense). And only by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit can we defeat him. Jesus fought Satan with Scripture, nothing else. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Take that, bastard.