All which I took from thee, I did’st but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in my arms.

– Francis Thompson

It is so hard for My children to understand My dealings in their lives. If you knew My heart, and how much I love you, you would trust Me with your dearest treasures. I can take care of them far better than you can. Everything you love, all that is dear to your heart, is safe with Me.

If your little child grabs hold of a sharp knife, or something that could harm or even kill him, wouldn’t you take it from him? Only when he is older would you trust him with dangerous weapons, and then only after you have carefully admonished him and taught him how dangerous they are. I warned Peter, “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

What treasure are you hanging on to? Have you prayed about whether or not that thing which you love is for your good? It could be a “golden apple” that the devil is using to distract you so that you will lose the race! When Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat” (Genesis 3:6).

The deceiver will certainly make sin look attractive. He will make all kinds of false promises to you. He will tell you lies which you will believe because that is what you want. The serpent promised Eve that if she would eat the forbidden fruit she would be a goddess (“ye shall be as gods”). She believed him because she wanted to believe him.

Even today, people who are in false cults will use the Holy Scriptures to prove they are teaching the truth. In every heart there is a secret desire to be All Powerful. This comes from My enemy. Remember, he was cast out of Heaven because He wanted to be God. He said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14).

Don’t let Satan deceive you and rob from you your dearest treasure, Eternal Life! Put your treasures, your desires, your longings, your strong will, your very life, and your loved ones in My hands. Trust Me! I love you, and know what is best for you.

If you love something, set it free;
If it comes back to you, it is yours.
If it doesn’t — it never was!

He Sent Me Back to Tell You by Gwen Shaw
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