"Scat! Get off my heels!"

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet never sinned" (Heb 4:15).

Growing up, we were never allowed to make mention of the d-word. D as in the D-e-v-i-l. See, even now as an adult I can't "say" that word. >:0) Okay, in all seriousness though, because we weren't able to speak of the devil, I knew nothing of what the devil could actually do to me, or others for that matter. I can remember the first time I heard a sermon preached on how the devil could and is using and hurting us. What a slap in the face to a girl who grew up in a bubble never realizing that the devil could ever touch or hurt me so as long as I never mentioned his name out loud. Yes, I was extremely naive. I still am to a certain extent. I have a lot of growing yet to do.

My point is that as a follower of God, who is now an adult, I realize when the devil is using someone, without them knowing of course, to say or do things to hurt me or someone else. Getting angry isn't a sin, but lashing out in anger is not only a sin, but it's an invitation for the devil to grab a foothold into your life. It gives him an opening into your life; a place to hold on to and hang around for a while. I truly believe that the only reason why anyone would say or do something hurtful, and/or harmful to another living being is because that person is being used by the devil. If you read that verse above, carefully, you will see that Jesus, too, was tested and tempted by the devil. The devil exists and he is relentless in his attempts to tempt us in every way at taking our focus away from God, away from our mission, away from our vocation and from our dignity. Jesus knows what we're going through and has taught us the way to overcome these temptations, by imitating Him and His responses. Of course, as we are only human, there is no possible way for us to perfectly imitate Him, however, trying to have a heart like Jesus helps us to kick the devil off of our heels and keep our focus on what we're truly here for. Pray for those who hurt you. Pray for your enemies. Pray for a forgiving heart.
Pray for the self allowance at keeping your focus on God when faced with the adversary.

Relishing in His goodness...