Words of Consolation

Are You Tempted?
We are in the field of battle — our enemies are numerous and mighty.
The man who trusts to himself or to his circumstances is a stranger to
his own heart, and knows not the foes by whom he is surrounded. The
wisest Christian walks closest with his Lord, and fears to be left alone
for a single moment. He says with David, "The Lord is my strength and
shield." His faith lays hold on God's arm — and until that arm fails, he is
safe. The Lord is to His people what they require, and all that they
require. He comes between them and danger, and thus they escape the
fiery darts of the devil. May the Lord preserve us from the wiles of
Satan, the snares of the world, and the deceitfulness of our own hearts!
Let this be our daily prayer, "Uphold my steps in Your paths — that my
footsteps may not slip!" Psalm 17:5. "Hold me up, and I shall be safe!"
Psalm 119:117
"Martin Luther was once strongly tempted by Satan. He heard Satan
saying to him, 'You are a great sinner, and you will be lost.'
'Stop, stop,' said he, 'one thing at a time; I am a great sinner, it is true,
though you have no right to tell me of it. I confess it; what next?'
'Therefore you will be lost,' he again said.
'That is not good reasoning,' said Martin Luther; 'it is true I am a great
sinner, but it is written, Jesus Christ came to save sinners; therefore I
shall be saved. Now go your way!'
So Satan was defeated with his own sword, and he went away mourning
because he could not cast down a poor soul by calling him a sinner.
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