By James Washington
Every now and then I tend to focus on good and evil and its impact on my life. In doing so, the devil inevitably comes up. I have difficulty in coming to grips with the fact that Satan wants me as a trophy and God wants me as an eternal testament to His love. I just can’t see myself in such a high stakes game of life and death. The battle I’m in is one in which the only weapon I have is my faith. The difficulty is at any given moment, Satan will attack. He is relentless and at times, a lot of times, my guard is just not up. On my best days there are distinct moments when focusing on the Word of God is impossible, unlikely or just plain hard. When this occurs, it is obvious to me that this is when the devil is at the top of his game. You see that’s what I mean when I say I don’t realize how important of a trophy I am for Satan. When I’m conscious and thinking correctly, I understand Satan wants to embarrass, humiliate and like a scorned lover, hurt the Lord. What better way to do this than to steal something, degrade something, ruin something that the devil knows the Lord loves, i. e., me. In your case that would be you.
It’s hard for me to think of myself as being that important. It’s hard to consider myself the pivotal piece in an eternal game of spiritual chess. So I guess without knowing it, I am vulnerable. Like a child who unknowingly wanders off into a swamp, he or she has no idea of the dangers lurking there. Injury and death are but steps away. That’s how I feel sometimes. I know I’m in trouble. I know I’m lost. I know if I’m not vigilant and consistent, the devil will take me out and celebrate at the wake. Therefore, like a weekend athlete, I know I must train. I know I must be prepared. I know the game is out there. But sometimes I just don’t want to work that hard. I just want to be left alone. Can you see how that frame of mind can get you killed? Can you see how that rather mundane thought can spell trouble?
The bible is full of references to those who would be seduced, abducted, tricked and persecuted for not being true to the Word of God. God Himself expresses frustration at times about those who would willingly forget, or unwillingly choose not to remember who He is and who they belong to. The consequences can be catastrophic. So what’s the answer when you’re just not feeling it? Get into the Word. What’s the solution to being lost in this world? Get into the Word. What’s the defense for Satan’s temptations? Get into the Word and form an offense of testimony. I guess this is a good time to suggest to you that my dilemma on this when I find myself out of sync, is to simply realize that I am, well, out of sync. The answer is to be deliberate in the effort to find my way home. You know when you’re determined, you can’t be distracted. There are some qualities that we all possess that arm us for this fight. Recognition, understanding, desire and discipline come to mind.
Together, focused on the Word, they guarantee victory for God and humiliation for the devil. Sometimes is just takes the will to fight, and the understanding that the war is over. We win. If you don’t believe me, juts ask Jesus. Better yet. Just ask the devil.
May God bless and keep you always.
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