One important factor in how we go through life is our attitudes. The way we think, whether positively or negatively will have a very big affect upon what happens to us during this course of a lifetime. It determines where we will spend eternity. As followers of Christ, it's no secret that Satan has set out to destoy our walk into the kingdom of heaven. Just as he was persuasive enough to bring one third of God's angels with him when he fell from heaven to roam this earth as a lion seeking to devour his innocent prey. His mission is to lie so that he may kill, steal and destroy our souls. His intent is just as strong today. He is determined to round up as many of us here on earth as he can so that we will follow him to his final resting place, in the lake of fire otherwise known as hell. "His tail swept (across the sky) and dragged down 1/3 of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth." Rev. 12:4 (Amplified) It's just like Satan to set himself up in front of one who is about to be delivered and set free. Once we are delivered he becomes even angrier and tries harder to devour us. Jesus said he is the father of lies. Remember how it all started in the garden when he suduced Eve and lied to her about that darned ol' apple? He is crafty and good at what he does. But, God is mightier in power and we already know how the story ends! Satan loses. He works on us through lies which come from all different kinds of sources. He instills fears and doubts in us which naturally lead to negative thinking. He knows this kind of mind set will cause us to fall away from our heavenly Father. When we have these fears and doubts we can't hear God properly. Also in fear and doubt, God can't hear us either. This fear and doubt will cancel out the ability to hear from the Holy Spirit. Instead we hear another voice that condones our sinning and we accept it. This promotes our own demise as we make the wrong decisions in going ahead of God. As a result our wrong choices will always bring about guilt, sadness, pain, great emptiness. In other words we have created for ourselves a hell right here on earth! The sad thing is that this is when we look for God to help us. Remember, God doesn't have to finish anything that He didn't start. But, as God is a good God, He will lift us up from condemnation when we honestly come to Him and accept His Son Jesus Christ. He knows as humans we are vulnerable to this attack and that is why He gives us the minds of Christ to fight back when we become saved. This new way of thinking allows us to see that glass as half full. Our attitudes become positive ones and then God can start moving in our lives. As a result, no matter how hard Satan tries to offset this way of thinking, we will experience a life of heaven here on earth. This is not to say it will all be a pleasant journey. Jesus told us that we would be persecuted in His name. Satan uses other people, circumstances, situations, whatever he can take hold of to try and lie to us. But as we grow and mature in Christ, we can stand up to this liar, this thief, this murderer because God will sustain all our needs. He promises to give us the grace to keep going through whatever is thrown at us. God created us in His image. This is not so much a physical image but a spiritual one. God is Spirit and His attributes are love, peace, joy, contentment, faithfullness and patience. This is the image He wants us to have. When we attain these attributes, we can't help but be happy no matter what comes our way. God promises to never leave us nor forsake us. What a comfort this is. We become children of God, through adoption and are then heirs to a royal priesthood (1 Pt. 2:9) God sets us above and apart from the rest of the world as we know it. He sanctifies us, which means He calls us His own and Satan can't claim us. He also justifies us which is to say it's "Just as if" we had never sinned. We are now covered in the holy blood of Jesus who died to save us. In becoming stronger in who we are in Christ, we can then learn to discern when what we hear is from God or not. One good rule of thumb is if you feel an urgency to do something, it's probably a lie. God is patient and He wants us to wait on Him. Now if it's an urgent call to prayer, then it's from God. Don't jump on anything without first seeking God and getting confirmation. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God in all it's righteousness and all else will be given you." Matt. 6:33 (Amplified) Another sure fire way to fight this enemy is to constantly give God praise and glory because where there is praise, Satan can't stay. And when we do come under attack, it's important to know about the full armor of God in which to fight back. You can find all these in Ephes. 6:10-20. All but the sword are weapons of defense, but the sword which is God's Word is offense. You can use God's Word to demand the enemy to get behind thee. He has to bow down in the name of Jesus and the best thing to remember is that we were given that power and authority by Jesus Himself. We can stand up strong and straight in attack and say, "Satan...I am NOT impressed!" The way we choose to handle temptations makes all the difference in the world. Yes, life can be what you make of it, and to be able to laugh in the face of adversity will always bring about the right consequences. Ask yourself, are you willing to allow Satan to steal your joy or will you stand on God's promises? It's up to you. God knows the end from the beginning, so we can trust Him with everything in between. If you are stressed out, uncertain and confused, then know that this is not from God as He doesn't author confusion in anyone's life. He can give to you a life of contentment when you invite Christ to lead you. Give it to Him, that's what He died for. Don't let it be in vain. |
