I want to mount up and soar above every circumstance and situation with the wings of Eagles. The tempter came to Jesus Christ, and he comes to you and me too. (Matthew 4:1-3) He wants to steal, kill, and destroy our hope. (John 10:10) But if we trust in the Lord we can rise above temptation with eagles’ wings. (Isaiah 40:31)

No matter what is
Your situation
Work hard to reject
Every temptation.
Listen to the word
Of God in your heart.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

To rise above your temptations continually receive and absorb the word of God in the power of the Spirit of God. (1 Thessalonians 2:13) Train and discipline yourself to continually hope in God by learning to see things from His perspective instead of from your own.

How you behave in any temptation is like being in a canoe. You can paddle your life toward hope or let it drift into despair.

Saturate your thinking with hope in God. He will strengthen and sustain you in every situation.

Tough situations try to trounce on your thinking and turn it away from trust and hope in God. Don’t let them do that!

Every situation in your life has a positive purpose. (Romans 8:28) Ask God what that purpose is and how He is using it for your good. The life of Joseph in the Bible who was sold into slavery by his brothers illustrates that. (Genesis chapters 37-50) Before you react to a situation seek God’s perspective. Refuse to allow any situation to steal your hope.

You can’t always control your situation, but you can control the way you think about it. Look for a little bit of light in the darkness. (2 Corinthians 4:6) Learn how to find something good–even if it is tiny–in every situation.

When you can’t change a situation, change how you perceive it. Ask God to let you see things from His point of view instead of from yours. Ask Him how He sees. “People look the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:17) Listen humbly and attentively and He will show you. Make up your mind to persistently rely hopefully on the Lord in whatever situation you are in. (Philippians 4:11)

Situations come and go but the most important situation of all is how your heart is situated with God. Don’t just assume all is well. Your self-perception might be a great deception. Always pay close attention to God’s still small voice that speaks inside of you.

The best way to hear God’s voice is to listen inside your heart and then check what you hear with the Bible. The Holy Spirit won’t contradict the Scriptures.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
(Psalm 139:23-24 NKJ)

Humanity seems to be in transition from superficial intelligence that ignores the deeper meaning of life to artificial intelligence that lets machines define the meaning of life. Instead of either, listen to God’s inner voice and His supernatural intelligence. Sermon-hearing is easily left behind, but God’s voice will follow you everywhere.

It’s not a man’s strong voice from a pulpit that you need to hear. It’s the still small voice of God speaking in your heart. (1 Kings 19:12-13) The sound of a sermon is soon forgotten but when God sounds His voice in your soul it’s something you can’t forget!