Clearwater Beach took my breath away!!!I can't deny that I love the beach, but of all beach front properties, the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort is the very best--move over, Hawaii (this includes the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hilton Waikoloa Village, Royal Lahaina Resort, Sheraton Waikiki, and Turtle Bay Resort)!!! I've never looked at pictures over and over again...not this much!
Emerald blue waters, sugar-white sand, beautiful birds of all sorts, playful dolphins, a nice, crisp gulf breeze at night, a rejuvenating sunrise, a soothing sunset...and the abundance of water sports, need I say more?! The drive alone was captivating! I must say, we had the
most fun feeding the birds from our balcony (they like chips, too)! I find the birds in Clearwater friendlier than the ones in Seattle! :)Overall, it was a great getaway! I got up at 6:30AM Friday morning, and spent some quiet time with the Lord while appreciating the view of the Gulf of Mexico and Pier 60 from both sides of the balcony. Our Creator is so great and masterfully creative! He simply spoke without lifting a finger, and look at the world He created! I'm so thankful He didn't just give us the "minimum-necessary" as a means to survive; He has given us so much more to enjoy. Truly, I can say:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." Psalm 19:1
I also enjoyed Friday night with my cousins. While they live only 3 minutes away from my hotel, they decided to just crash in. I'm glad I eventually allowed them to disturb my peace and tranquility. We enjoyed walking on the sand to burn off all the food we ate (seriously), then just sitting back and rel
axing while enjoying the breeze, watching the waves and my boys playing in the sand.The simple things in life are far better than what the world has to offer, especially on a Friday night! Yet, we must be very careful: Satan has a way of making the things of this world seem so much more enticing, so much more tempting. Scripture warns:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8
The Bible uses a very good analogy. God knows that I learn much quicker using symbols, pictures, and direct observation, so He gave me another analogy: fishing. As I pondered this thought, I realized that Satan, too, knows about the basic principles of fishing.
I've always wanted to go fishing (or at least, catch just one big fish). Upon arriving at my cousin's condo, I went straight to the dock, grabbed a fishing pole, and to the best of my ability (and limited attention span), waited for some fish to bite. Not long after, my eyes had gotten fixated on some other "big fish"--I saw a group of dolphins goin' a-fishin'--so I immediately jumped in the boat and went after the "big fish"! We had so much fun! This was way better than SeaWorld!
By day's end, it was time to calculate the results: my 6-year-old son had caught 19, and as for me...well, 0. I didn't even meet my minimum requirement of "just one". So my son knows how to fish and so do the pelicans and dolphins. What about me? I reassured myself by saying the same thing I'd tell my children: "You can always do better next time."
I was then asked: "Did you use the right bait?"
I thought to myself: "What bait??? Bait is bait and fish are fish. What's the difference?"
"In order to catch the right fish, you've got to use the right bait."
Satan sure knows this principle well! In hindsight, I can now see how he cunningly devised and packaged my temptations in such a way that would make me bite easily. It doesn't matter if he always used the same tricks or "fishing techniques", he just knew exactly which bait to use and when and where to find me!
As Christians, we must be aware that while we are out fishing for souls, the Devil is also out on a serious mission to fish us out big time!
If we say "No" to temptation, we are promised that we will receive the Crown of Life; this is one of the five crowns Scripture mentions that a believer may receive for serving Christ. While studying the book of James in Bible College last semester, we discussed the 10 Steps to Victory in Spiritual Warfare:
1) You humble yourself before God in order to receive His grace. God will give us victory if we humble ourselves, but He will literally fight against us if we are proud. James (4:6)
2) You submit to God. (James 4:7a)
3) You resist the devil and he flees from you. (James 4:7b)
4) You draw near to God and He draws near to you. (James 4:8a)
5) You cleanse your actions ("hands"). (James 4:8b)
6) You purify your attitudes ("heart"). (James 4:8d)
A pure heart is one that loves God, one that is not doubleminded.
7) You mourn over your sin and humble yourself before God again (to check the pride which we are tempted with as we begin to experience victories). (James 4:9-10)
8) You refuse to speak evil or judge another because your realization of your own sinfulness makes this impossible. (James 4:11-12)
9) You live in daily submission to and dependence upon God recognizing your own mortality and God's eternal sovereignty. (James 4:13-16)
10) You do what you know is right to do. (James 4:17)
I guess the trip to Clearwater gave a different twist on the lesson about fishing: a valuable lesson about learning how to catch fish while being careful about not getting caught yourself!
So, what comes after a lesson? A test. An opportunity. Whatever this may be, I pray that I would be able to pass it victoriously and give God the glory.
