The enemy....

Sorry! I know, I know, I've messed up your daily routine....I didn't write yesterday...I apologize ;-)


So last night I went to church again!!! I LOVE church...I absolutely can't get enough of it. It's like every time I hear about a service (no matter where it is) I just can't resist. I've gone to church 3 days in a row now, and I'm sad because I haven't heard of a service for tonight! Maybe my roommates will be up to a little "creative worhsip".....

Yesterday I went back to the church that I went to the first Sunday I was here. At the time, I had said that the sermon was pretty confusing, and more like milk....not the solid food that I NEED. Well, I went back yesterday and LOVED it! The worship was incredible....it brought me to my knees....and the sermon was exactly what I needed to hear.

The pastor was preaching on the devil....yes, I just acknowledged him...he's real, he's powerful....and he hates us.

The basic idea of the sermon was this:

Satan doesn't care if you go to church...he doesn't care if you have christian friends...he doesn't care if you love Jesus....as long as you don't do any of those things with your whole heart. He wants us to be mediocre, because he knows he is stronger then a mediocre Christian. What he's afraid of, is when you and I, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become strong, secure, passionate Christians. When we start making a difference in the lives of others....that's when Satan starts to fear us. So what does he do when he sees us beginning to be effective? He tries to get us to be too busy for our prayer times, too tired for church, too stressed to smile at the people passing us on the street....he tries to make us focus on ANYTHING but Jesus.

The scriptures he talked about were SO helpful, I think I'll commit them to memory:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11

This scripture is really powerful, because it puts Satan into perspective. Yes, he's powerful, yes, he's dangerous, yes, he's a roaring lion.....but we have Jesus! His promise is that after we have suffered for a little while, he WILL restore us...make us strong...firm and steadfast. Can I get an amen? So yes, what I'm struggling with is real, I'm in a real fight against a real power...but the Lord promises to restore me and make me even stronger because of it. Isn't that awesome?!?!

Here's the other one:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

I love this one because it's a step by step guide of what to do when Satan is attacking you. This is my little interpretation of that scripture:

#1 Submit. This HAS to be the first step, because if you try to fight Satan on your own, you'll be knocked flat...you have to submit the battle (and everything that caused it) to God.

#2 Resist. This is so key! We have to resist, we can't just let ourselves be trampled on. We must stand and fight. Yes, it's hard and it hurts sometimes....but the Lord promises that Satan will flee.

#3 Draw near. This so, so, so important! If you spend all your time fighting, and no time being refreshed in the presence of the Lord, you'll get tired, and you'll lose the battle.

#4 Repent. You're going to make mistakes in this process...so be sure to confess those to the Lord. Also make sure to confess anything that's making it easier for Satan to have a foot hold in your life.

#5 Pain. Battle is hard, and painful...it's okay to have battle wounds.

#6 Humility. When you win...or even while you're still fighting, remember it is not you, but the Lord who has the victory. Don't allow yourself to be taken down by pride (a very clever and favorite tactic of the enemy). Humble yourself....and He will lift you up.

Praise Jesus! He has the victory yesterday, today and forever!

-Julie