Thursday, March 24, 2011

Ready For Battle

"Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground." - Ephesians 6:10-13

Besides God, do you know who else knows what you want and what you need? The devil knows. The second you start turning over to God and putting things in His hands, this enemy comes to try to take it all away from you. As a matter of fact, a surefire way of knowing you're on the right track and about to receive amazing blessings from God is that the devil comes along and throws a wrench in everything. Paul writes in Ephesians that the devil has tactics planned against you and this is very true. One of the first things he does is take away your peace. Things won't go as planned. People will start causing you drama and conflicts. Again, as Paul writes, your battle isn't with the people that bring you conflict, it's with the enemy using them to take away your peace. When your peace goes, you become anxious. When you become anxious you pray less because you're too worried to concentrate on God and trusting Him. You start planning things yourself and trying to figure out on your own how you're going to resolve the situation, and before you know it, the devil won. You're where he wants you to be… stressed, anxious, without God.

If this is a battle then we must get ready for war and seriously combat the enemy with our faith and with the power of Jesus Christ, who is always victorious! Do not let the devil in your mind for even a second to bring you down. Stand firm, for whoever calls on God's Name is saved by Him. If you're being attacked by his tactics, it's because he sees all the blessings God is sending your way and he wants to take that away from you. He wants to see you stuck, scared, full of resentment, and depressed, and unless you stand firm in Jesus, he'll do a number on you and leave you completely defenseless before you even realize it. But as scripture says, we are more than conquerors for we have Jesus on our side to defend us and lift us up over all the obstacles, struggles, persecutions, illnesses, and conflicts that are sent our way!

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, I am struggling but I will not let the enemy take away my peace nor my trust in You. You are my stronghold and only You have the final say over anything and everything in my life. Give me strength and keep me strong. Bring me out of this, Lord so that I may praise You and tell of Your glory in my life. In Your Name we pray, amen.


Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
www.lettinggodslightshine.com

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