Sin comes to us, taps us on the shoulder or tugs at our shirttail and whispers in our ear: “You deserve better than what God has provided. He’s holding out on you. You deserve to feel good about yourself. I’ll affirm you in a way no one else can. Why live in misery any longer? Come to me. I’ll give you a sense of power you’ve never known before. I’ll expand your influence. I’ll fill your heart with a sense of accomplishment. I’ll nourish your soul. You’ve never had a physical rush like the one I’ve got in store for you. Obeying God is boring. It’s a pain. He’s always telling you to do stuff that’s difficult and burdensome and inconvenient or ordering you to forsake the few things that really bring you happiness. Come on. You’ve only got one life. Obedience is ugly. My way is fun. My way feels good.”
— Sam Storms (b. 1951), Theologe, Pastor und Autor
Related Bible passage: GEN.3.1
Topics: Temptation & Struggle, Meaning & Identity
Occasions: For Reflection
Sam Storms
Der US-amerikanische Theologe und Pastor Sam Storms (* 1951) lehrte unter anderem am Wheaton College und wirkte über Jahrzehnte im pastoralen Dienst in Oklahoma und Missouri. Er gilt als prominenter Vertreter eines reformierten Charismatismus und geriet sowohl wegen seiner Auffassung zur Fortdauer übernatürlicher Gaben als auch wegen seiner langjährigen Nähe zur charismatischen Bewegung um Kansas City in die Kritik. Bibellesern bietet er eine Auslegungsperspektive, die eine calvinistische Gnadenlehre mit dem praktischen Ausüben neutestamentlicher Geistesgaben exegetisch verbinden möchte.
All quotes by Sam Storms (269)
The devil is a better theologian than any of us, and he is still a devil.
A.W. Tozer
Discipline is choosing what you want most over what you want now.
Craig Groeschel
Martin Luther
Fyodor Dostoevsky
And Satan trembles when he sees, the weakest saint upon his knees.
William Cowper
Our old man is crucified, but he is long at dying.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Dante Alighieri
Gilbert Keith Chesterton