The Tools of Satan- Part 3 of 3: Fear/Anxiety

The Future: Fear/Anxiety

Phobophobia: The fear of phobias/being afraid.

It is absolutely amazing what and how many things we can be afraid of.
When Satan isn't getting much of anywhere with condemning or tempting us, I believe he begins to prey on the “what ifs...”. In fact, the fear of what might happen can become so severe that we miss the blessings and opportunities God has for us. That is exactly what Satan is hoping for- Missed glory for God.

The Cure: Faith

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 These are all future things. We are to just believe it. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” He had been telling them not to worry, “...you of little faith” (v.30). This is much easier said than done, I know, but it is the only thing to be done. You don't want to be afraid? You don't want to be overly anxious? Just have faith: Trust completely in God to work all things for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)

Are you still worried or fearful about things? It's OK to pray to God and ask Him to increase your faith. Pray with me today from Mark 9:24 and Luke 17:5 “Immediately the father of the boy cried out, 'I do believe! Help my unbelief.'” and “The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith'”

The Tools of Satan- Part 2 of 3: Temptation

The Present: Temptation

There is always something we are being tempted to do. Whether it be a snide remark, a slap of the face, an extended “look” at the opposite sex, or putting off your quiet time for some down time, the Devil knows what we seem to fall for the most. Don't give him less credit than he deserves either. One of his toadies has been watching you and knows your weaknesses. He will use what he knows of you to tempt you best. This is one area that we will have to battle till the day we die because the present is always here. It moves with time.

The Cure: Power

Admit it. Temptation is too big for us. If left to our own devises, we would fall for it all the time, but, we have the power of God within us through the Holy Spirit. Why try to lean on our own strength when we can lean on the power of the Creator? Claim it! 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.” The thing about that is we have to make a conscious decision to take that which is offered to us. It's like living in a house with electricity. The power is there and available, but you first have to plug something in, and then you have to turn it on. When your night comes, don't keep running into the walls and furniture, turn on the light!

What are some of the areas in which you are most frequently tempted? Do you know and recognize them? If not, ask the Lord to show them to you so you can be ready the next time to fight back.
What Scriptures do you have to help combat them when you are weak? If you don't know any, find some today.

The Tools of Satan- Part 1 of 3: Condemnation

I heard my pastor the other day say that Satan has only two tools he can use against us: Condemnation and Temptation. While I certainly agree with these, I thought of one more our adversary uses. Fear/Anxiety. While these three things can seem monumental, we usually give Satan too much credit. We tend to think of him as the opposite of God or Jesus. C. S. Lewis said it best, that in reality, “Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael.” (C. S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian) Satan is not omnipotent- All powerful; omniscient- All knowing; or omnipresent- In all places at the same time. God has all of these traits and Satan none. The Devil must therefore resort to using tricks, or tools, and I want to focus on how he uses these to try and mock God.

Romans 8:28 tells us “that all things work together for the good of those who love God.” (emphasis mine) God can use our past, present, and future to work for good, so Satan has his three tools to try and combat these. But praise God, He has given us the weapons with which we can stand and defend ourselves.

Our Past: Condemnation

Any little thing we have ever done, our adversary loves to keep shoving in our face. We are constantly reminded of how we have failed in every area of our lives; How a person as messed up as us, who has committed as many sins as we, can never be truly useful to God. He wants nothing more than for us to live as defeated Christians who daily feel the weight of past sins.

The Cure: Grace

Yep. He's right. I HAVE messed up. I HAVE sinned greatly, but you know what's so amazing about our God? David says it beautifully in Psalm 32: 1-2, 5 “How happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How happy is the man the Lord does not charge with sin, and in whose spirit is no deceit!... Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You took away the guilt of my sin.” We've been forgiven! Grace has been given to us. Why keep dwelling on something God forgot as ours? Gratefully hold firm to the grace He has extended. Don't wrap His gift in the stench of our past- display it with joy!

Ask the Lord today to reveal any areas in your life in which you live as though defeated. Then put them behind you for good.
If there are none, praise God for the amazing gift of His grace which is so evident in your life!

Frustrated

Last night I wrote a blog and found a video clip online using my phone that I wanted to post with it. I knew I was going to be very busy this morning and wouldn't have much time to work on the blog, so I was happy that I could get it done early. I planned to post it quickly when I got to church this morning before Bible study.

Well, when I got here (running late of course) I couldn't find the video online anymore. I searched and searched, but it wasn't anywhere. So much for having it done early. I figured I could try again after the study was over and then post it. Well, I have it on my phone, but CAN NOT find it again on my computer. I was getting so frustrated that I started to get cranky. Real cranky.

Then I started thinking about King David. He had a good idea and even prepared for it, but was never able to see it to completion. What was it? The temple of God. 1 Chronicles 28-29 show how he had prepared for it a good part of his life, but never saw any of it built.

There are many different reasons that our plans go astray. The point is not to let it consume and/or frustrate us to no end. We are to say, "If the Lord wills..." it will happen. (James 4:15) Let's not let our plans get in the way of our goals. I almost didn't post anything today because I couldn't get up here just what I had planned and wanted. Let's strive to do what we can and then let God work out the details. I hope to be able to share it with you later. I really liked it. Guess it just wasn't the right time.

Ironically the title of the video was, "I Am So Happy"!
Funny God, funny....

The List of Titles

I have always thought of life situations in the form of titles. It's just how I tend to think. Perhaps because it gives me a brief summery of what something is about or a chance to use a little irony in an otherwise heavy situation. All I know is that I love a good title.

About two years ago, as I started listening to the things God was teaching me, the titles for each lesson would pop to mind. There were so many good lessons and allusions, I decided to write them down in order to remember what God was teaching me. I started a list on the back of a door with a very brief summary so that I would not forget the nuances of what they were. “Great!” I thought. “Now what?” They were really good reminders to me, but for some reason I was desperate to share them with others. I had no idea what to do with them though.

So the list sat there growing slowly. There were times I was so frustrated, that when a title/lesson came to mind I didn't bother writing it down. Other times I was so determined to make something of them I would start trying to write a study or lesson about each subject, but they never seemed to go anywhere. I finally came to a place where I just left the list alone. I added one or two more, but had no aspirations for them. They were there for me. Good enough.

This morning as I sat down to write a blog, nothing came to mind. I thought about grabbing my Bible and reading till something hit me, but that just didn't seem to be right today. So I started praying for the Lord to help me come up with something. I asked Him to guide me. Teach me. Show me what He wanted me to learn, and what He wanted to me write. As I prayed, a thought popped into my mind: The list. I immediately got up and looked it over. They were perfect little lessons for blogs! Undeveloped, but there... waiting to come to light! I was so excited, and yet sad. How many times, had I not written down what I heard. Are they lost? Other titles I wrote didn't have enough explanation for me to remember what they were fully about. As I set there telling the Lord I was sorry for not obeying fully, He comforted me. The list is there. No, not completely. But it's there. I didn't fully fail. Take heart.

Isn't it amazing how He knows our paths so well, that He gives us the means and tools before we even know why or how to use them? God says in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” (GW) He knows how to get us ready for a task. Just be willing and ready.

Do you have a “list”? Perhaps it is something written, a class you felt lead to take, or a skill learned that you were sure the Lord wanted, but you haven't used. Don't forget it. The Lord may be waiting for the right time. He is pleased with the faith you had to get this far.

So, as days come when I am not sure what to write, I will be happily going to storerooms the Lord had prepared for me and bring out something well seasoned.

Searching for Donkeys

Have you ever noticed that God seems to do His most amazing works in your life when you least expect it?

While reading 1 Samuel 9 last night, I tried to imagine myself in Saul's sandals. His father had a donkey that had wandered away, so Saul and a servant had been sent to search for it. Three days had passed and they couldn't find the donkey anywhere. Saul was ready to head home, realizing his father would start to worry about them going missing instead, when the servant told him that a respected man of God was in the city they were next to. They figured they had one silver coin left to give as an offering so that this seer could tell them in which direction to find the donkey. Long story short, they don't even recognize Samuel, the man of God, who tells them before they say a word about it, not to worry about the donkey and to come to a special banquet with him. Samuel then proceeds to seat Saul at the highest position of the table and place the choice portion of meat in front of him. Samuel tells Saul, so that all can hear, that this piece was specifically reserved for him to eat before all the people at this solemn event.

Can't you hear Saul now? “Excuse me, what?!? I was just looking for a donkey! I'm sorry you must be mistaken, I'm from a small clan within the Benjaminites. You know, the smallest tribe?” I can just imagine the confusion on his face as these important men stared at him while Samuel made those grand proclamations. If he had know about Candid Camera, he would have sworn he was being filmed.

I started thinking, how many times am I so obsessed with “looking for my donkey” that I leave the banquet? God doesn't work in the way we expect Him to. God says to us in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways... For as heaven is higher than earth, So My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” We need to keep our eyes open to what God is placing before us. Not why or how. Why do we often want to tell God no thank you because whatever it is just doesn't make sense?

Let's not worry about the donkey. God got him home too.

Don't Wish. Do.

Every once in a while my husband will ask, “I wonder were Spence is?”

Spence is an old friend of his from high school that he use to call his twin brother because they were both born on the same day in the same hospital. After graduation they lost touch with each other like we usually do, but for some reason Kevin has always been concerned about Spence. For years, Kevin would ask about him to people, but no one seemed to have heard from him. Unfortunately, Kevin had to miss his 10 year reunion (10 years ago...) and so was not able to ask about him there.

A little over a week ago he decided to try once again to look up Spence online, hoping to find anything about where he might be. This time he did find something: Recently posted pictures of a memorial to Spence. Kevin discovered that he had passed away even before their first reunion. It really hit him hard. Not only because he was so young when he died, but because he doesn't think Spence knew the Lord Jesus Christ. Since finding out he has chided himself because he knew there were many opportunities he had to share the Gospel with him, but never did.
I just found out today that a classmate of mine has also died. I didn't know him that well, but I do know I never shared the Gospel with him or any others of my almost 400 person graduating class. I then started thinking about the people I have known since graduating. With how many of them have I shared? Very few. In fact, it has only been in the last few years that I have begun to do so. Why?

I have no good answer. A lot of excuses, but not a lot of reason.

Start sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those around you today. Don't put it off. You may not have the time to wait. Hebrews 4:1, says, “Therefore, while the promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear so that none of you should miss it.” Later in verse 7 it says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” The promise remains today. There is no guarantee of tomorrow for everyone. I don't want to have to wish I had said something anymore. I'm going to just do it.

Kevin still asks, but with a pain in both of our hearts at the new meaning, “I wonder were Spence is?”