I get daily devotionals in my email box from Fellowship Church and Ed Young. It helps me to get into the bible on a daily basis when I read the verse he discusses for the day. Here’s the verse that came in.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

This is such a wonderful reminder to us all! We all go through times when we are tempted by something or maybe that temptation has already grabbed you and you are trying to get out. That skinny little avatar I have? That’s not nearly me at all! I’ve been tempted through my weight loss by candy bars, potato chips, fried chicken, French fries, pizza…you name it. There is so much food that I have given up to make my life better and healthier. I can’t exercise much with a bum knee that probably needs fluid drained, and  God knows that I am tempted to skip exercise every day. He knows that Satan tempts me by placing a dozen fast food joints within a mile of my house and work that I pass by daily. My libido? Not where it should be by a long shot now a days. Are you surprised by that? And as I am making my way toward premenopause and my hormones are changing and my body is sagging in places I least expected them to, and I get scared by dense tissue that has appeared on a mammogram….all of these things tempt me to try to take care of them my own way.

Jesus is able to sympathize with us though. No, he didn’t experience everything that we did while he was in human form on this earth, but he was tempted by things that we go through….lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride….I bet there were some very beautiful girls and women is his time…when he was a teen, he had to go through puberty like the rest of us. During his ministry, he traveled to the homes of sinners to minister to them. I am sure he saw and heard many things, but still he was left sinless. So he didn’t watch a pornographic movie, but I am sure he did see prostitutes on his travels. Knowing he was the Christ, he could have had every opportunity to brag about it, but did you ever notice this….in the Bible, he refers to himself as the son of man. I am sure he could have swelled with pride and screamed on the rooftops, “I am the Son of God!”,but he humbled himself enough to put himself on our level.

Now, dear ones, He sits on the throne of grace. He looks down on us and wants to help us with our problems and afflictions. There is only one problem…He’s waiting for us to come to Him and ask for His help. If we bring our temptations to Him, there is grace and forgiveness. Help in our time of need.

I mentioned earlier that for the  first time ever, I had a spot on my mammogram back in 2009.   I have a story to share about that. Was I scared? Yes. Very much so. All my previous mammograms had been perfect. When I went for my annual exam this year though, I had a wake up call. My doctor spent a little bit more time in one area of one of my breasts, but didn’t say anything. I scheduled my mammogram as usual, had it done, and was called back to have another one done and a sonogram. At my second appointment at the diagnostic center, each step I had to take, I took it to the throne of grace. I told God that whatever this was, if it was something or if it was nothing, I knew that he knew about it already. I relinquished control of it to Him. I told him that I trusted Him and I prayed that He would help me not to doubt His will if it were something to be more concerned about. It was one of the few times that I could audibly hear His response. The song “Be Still and Know That He is God” sang through my head the whole time I was there. Through the mammogram, through the sonogram, while waiting on the radiologist, it just sang through my head. Dear ones, I don’t know all the words to that song, but every word of it was singing through my head. I couldn’t sing that song to you right at this minute. I still don’t know it. But I looked it up. Every word was there that day. God wanted me to be still, listen to Him, and to trust Him. He was in control. I did. I was pleased to find out I only had dense breast tissue in that breast and it was nothing more. I cried while getting dressed, thanking God for His grace and mercy. I let go and let Jesus take the wheel. He got me right where I needed to be.

Jesus is there for you in your time of need. Will you approach the throne of grace with your needs? There is no condemnation at the throne of grace. Jesus is waiting there with open arms. He is there for you. Cast all your cares on Him. He cares for you.