Let’s take a moment to remember and learn from the story of Esau.  Esau traded his inheritance and his father’s blessing for a single meal. Who in his right mind would have given up God’s blessing on his life in exchange for a bowl of stew?  The answer to this question is that I would and I have. Every day of my life I do the very same thing that Esau did! The Message says: “Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite" (Heb 12:16). I make Esau-choices every day of my life. I choose to satisfy my selfishness by holding on to grudges instead of forgiving. I avoid people who need a friend because I don’t have the time or energy to deal with them.  I choose to satisfy my greed by spending my days and my thoughts in the pursuit of things.  Like Esau, the voices that lure me away from Jesus are the subtle voices that whisper for me to satisfy my short-term appetite instead.  “Come on, you’ve worked hard—you deserve it," the voices say.  “Pamper yourself—what can it hurt?" they whisper.  These “little" choices don’t seem of major importance at the time, but if we really think about it, what is a lifetime if not a long series of small choices? My prayer is that when each choice is placed before me, I would remember Esau and make choices that show God that I want the peace and eternal blessings that come through obedience more than I want the short term satisfaction of the things that this world has to offer. This choice is now before each one of us, and I believe that when Day 41 comes, we will all be tempted to make the same choice as Esau.  Let’s be prepared and go into day 41 knowing that, just as the devil came to Jesus after his 40 days of fasting in the desert, the devil will come to each one of us and place before us a temptation.  It will be different for each one of us, but it will come.  Last year, at midnight on Day 40, the devil tempted me as I was faced with a decision.  The temptation was to worry and to put my hope in money instead of God.  For a frightening moment of decision, I wavered.  I remember sending up a panic prayer in the midst of my wavering and I remember exactly what it was: “God, help me!  Nothing matters but You."  At that precise moment, my heart was filled with peace.  Let’s prepare for Day 41 and onward by being aware that temptation will come, and it will come often. I know that I passed that test on Day 41, but as I look back, it was a subtler temptation to be lazy and undisciplined that I succumbed to.  Let us be watchful of “Esau choices" that will be put before each of us in many different forms over the coming weeks and months. And let’s take Paul’s advice: “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (I Cor 15:58). 

Prayer: 

 Lord, help us to remember what to devote ourselves to. Help us not to allow our old patterns to seep back into our lives.

In faith: 

 Continue to pray for your hopeless cases.  Go back and reread God’s promises so that you will not be tempted to give up!