God As My Guide

March 18, 2017

Day 77: The best Advice Comes From A Great Teacher:
"Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me."
—Psalm 21:11

The focus of Anderson's lesson today is on teachers, whether they be parents, doctors, classroom teachers, or most importantly "our Creator." He says we need "someone who has gone before us and has the knowledge to show us the right path to take." Because we can be taken in by faulty advertising, health and diet fads that ultimately don't work or are not as good as they claim, and other such things, we need strong, reliable people in our lives to help guide us in our decision making, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. Anderson states that, "There are many diversions that can lead us away from God and a healthy way of living. Satan is a deceiver, and he tries to attack us from all angles. But God knows the right path for us to take, and he loves us enough to guide us. When we trust him to lead us, he will not lead us astray, and he will protect us from our enemies."

All of that is fine and good, but the part about Satan being a deceiver must be a trigger for me. I didn't realize it was until I read it. Satan was such a prevalent subject in my former church. Even if he wasn't mentioned, he was always in the background. Just lurking. Anything that was not in line with God was attributed to Satan. Statements like, "Oh, Satan was really doggin' me today," or "Satan was right there, tempting me to... but I..."  I just don't think that way anymore, nor do I want to. I'd rather just take responsibility for my thoughts and actions. It's not to say that I don't believe in Satan. I have had several experiences that will never let me forget that evil is a true entity. I just don't want to give him that kind of power over me. If I consistently consider Satan and how he may be tempting me, distracting me, and leading me astray, I am essentially giving him power to rule my thoughts and control my life. Rather than focusing on Satan and the ways he can trip me up and lead me down the wrong path, I'd rather focus on God and how He is teaching me and guiding me.