How small a foothold does the devil need to convince you to settle? It could be as easy as a well-intentioned excuse like, “I don’t want to be late for church, why don't I just skip it this one time?” Or, "Even though this song is a bit too graphic, it's still ok to listen to for fun." Or, "I don't need to project my beliefs out to the world in order to know that I believe them." It's those statements that force us, little by little, into submission. We slowly become settled into the world.
We love to imagine how God is orchestrating everything, where He is in all our actions and thoughts. And even though we should never entertain his power, we do well to be cautioned about what the devil has his hands in. He doesn't need but a tiny foothold, small opening in a door, a bit of insecurity to make you into exactly what he wants you to be. And that is to be turned from your Lord.
I've heard it said that God speaks in subtleties. Well, so does the enemy. He is so subtle that we misinterpret who is whispering those excuses in our ear, mistakenly thinking it's our "subconscious" self. Don't fool yourself; it's the enemy.
This is no petty business. We’re talking about the value of our eternal soul here and the price is very, very high. This is a battle and the enemy is ready to fight.
But you know what? So is Our Lord. And so can we be, too. We can fight subtly and boldly. Put that 'Jesus is Lord' sticker on your car. (If I had a car, my sticker would simply say, "Repent!" and I would affix one inside on the dashboard as well.) Take the opportunity to respond to a pagan remark with Biblical truth. For example, no, you don't know what she means when she claims certain traits because she's a Gemini, because that's star- and false-god worship, and undermines the authority of Our Creator. Easy as pie.
On the flipside, Christians, we must be bolder. We must cleave from the world. A friend said to me on Wednesday, "There's nothing in the Bible that says Christians are supposed to be nice! We're to be Godly and holy, but nice ain't in there once!" I say this to myself even more than to you, that you must not back down from the truth you know. This may mean you lose friends, respect of coworkers, even family. Soon you may find yourself alone with the Lord. Congratulations, now you're getting somewhere.
Settle into the Word.
3 comments:
Good one! Needed to hear that for my interactions this coming week.
The "what sign are you" type conversations are always a great open door!
How was your visit? Didn't Nic come for the weekend?
yes, Nic came for the weekend and we had a nice night of sushi and faux-documentary watching! A sunday drive in the new car, listened to some hip hop... i forgot what my life could be like compared to what it is right now (in a word, blah). Thanks for the comment... i am particularly happy with this blog.
It is for fear of the Lord that we obey Him and keep His commandments. Those who don't believe that God is real have no reason to fear - satan has won them over in his deception and their fate is sealed. I sincerely believe that most people, even many Christians do not have a healthy fear of the Lord. I also believe this is why there is so much self-centeredness, especially in this country. Thank God that He has given us some understanding of His infiniteness and power - the power at least to judge us and our future. Pray that we as Christians fear the Lord and keep His many commandments that we act according to His will so that His purpose is fulfilled. I pray that the Holy Spirit makes my heart more aware of thoughts that lead to actions that grieve Him. I am very aware when my will presides against His will. When will I learn? Teach me today Lord to follow you and be a light in a dark world. Victoria, thanks for your inspiring thoughts - we as Christians need to build each other up, pray for one another and establish ourselves against the enemy. I pray for you and for Nic and thank God for you - I simply need to tell you that more often.
Don
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