The evil one has been at his craft for millennia, and he’s not stopping yet. He’s busy wreaking havoc on God’s creation, especially the humans.
I believe he attacks people because he can’t attack God. He wants to hurt God and does that by hurting those creatures God made with the free will to love Him.
Satan uses his well-honed wiles to distract and destroy people so that they choose to worship someone or something other than God.
That is especially true for those who have chosen to accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus. If this enemy of God can stop those who would choose God over anything from being vocal about their relationship with the Creator, he has won a victory. He can prevent others from choosing God.
If he can lead believers into choosing to follow sin or self instead of obedience to Christ, he proves to unbelievers that the relationship with Christ is not worth the bother.
We don’t want that to happen, yet the crafty thing gets in our minds and lives and there we are, captive again.
Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Thessaloniki to let them know that God knew the stuff they were facing and was completely trustworthy to do something about it. He wasn’t going to just lift them from the scene. He wanted them to be salt and light in that dark place. He would, however, strengthen them by setting them on the firm foundation which is Jesus Christ. He would also guard them from the evil one.
When we remain noonday-shadow close to the Savior, we have His protection from the evil one. When we wander away, we walk away from His protection and leave ourselves vulnerable to the wiles of the wicked enemy.
It’s a choice we must make. If we want this protection, this strength to walk in His calling, we must draw near to God and resist the enemy.
Today is the day to move beyond believing IN God and begin to believe God. He is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.
Ready? Let’s do this!
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
A little extra…
Too often, we think that we can just do things on our own, believing it’s all good. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing and, and it’s okay… Until it’s not. If it’s not God’s choice for us – James says to know the right thing to do and not do it is sin. So if there’s something that we know that God has told us to do, and we’re not doing it, we’re creating a separation between us and God, not from his love. His love is still ours. Nothing separates us from that, but his presence is a different matter. Remember, he talked several times in the Old Testament about he would turn his face from Israel because of their sin? We don’t want to be there y’all. We don’t.
But think about this: Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, Provider, Sustainer of life knows you and knows what you’re going through.
He will put you on this firm foundation. This firm faith foundation. This foundation does not shake, it does not change. It is not fallible, and it won’t go away. This firm foundation is the Savior Jesus Christ. That firm foundation is something you can build on, when you know your calling. When you are working toward that calling, you know that the enemy is going to come after you. Well, God knows that before you do. And he has set you on that firm foundation, and now he’s guarding you.
Does that mean that the enemy won’t throw thoughts at you? Probably not. But it does mean that you have this guard, Almighty God, guarding your heart, your mind everything, so that the enemy cannot make progress in you. Like in Ephesians, when Paul wrote about holding up the shield of faith, the fiery darts hit it. They’re still going to come, but they have no effect. And that’s where we want to get, y’all. We want to grow to the point that the attacks of the enemy have no effect. The only way to do that is to trust in God, to seek Him, to be obedient to Him, to get in that position where we are noonday shadow close to him, hearing his voice, walking in his steps, doing what he tells us to do. You can do that. I know you can. Of course you can. I believe in you. But better than that, Almighty God believes in you. And he is for you. He cheers you on he sings over you. He calls you his friend, Believer. He calls you his friend.
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