I want to give a word of encouragement to my fellow Christians out there. I have noticed that there are a lot of us who are going through periods of discouragement, distractions, and other such things right now. I want to remind you that everyday we are dealing with more than what we see here at face value. There is literally a spiritual world all around us, and in this spiritual realm we have an adversary and his minions. They do not want us to succeed. The more we are out there doing God's work, the more we can expect to have obstacles thrown onto our paths.
Ephesians 6:11-13 (KJV) tells us...
11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
If you are following the path that God wants you to be on, then you can be certain the devil will be trying to derail you at every turn you make. Maybe for example, you have people coming into your life trying to tempt you back into old habits. Maybe you have a spirit of division causing trouble between you and your loved ones. Sometimes it can even be something as simple as the phone ringing, or a visitor coming, just as you are getting ready to sit down to read your Bible or pray.
The devil is sneaky, and he is conniving. It is his goal to get us down and to keep us down. He does not want us spreading the word of God. He does not want us praying and praising the Lord. He does not want us to follow the will of God for our lives. He wants nothing more than to bring us down. He wants to make us fall. He wants to keep us preoccupied with things of this world, little things that do not even matter. He wants us to forget what we need to be focused on. He wants us to fall from our faith. He wants us to be too discouraged, embarrassed, or complacent to share our faith with those around us. He does not want us telling people about Jesus, and the mercy and grace that He offers us. Most of all, he wants to bring as many people down with him as he can possibly manage.
In 1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) it says...
8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Do not let yourselves become distracted. Do not let yourselves become discouraged. When you are experiencing these troubles, or any kind of trouble, seek God all the more. You know you are on the right track when you have obstacles coming into your life like that. We were told this in advance, that it is not supposed to be easy. If things are easy, and you are going through life smooth sailing without a problem in the world, and you consider yourself a Christian, you may want to stop and consider your life. Consider what you are doing, because something is wrong. If it is easy then we are not being seen as a threat to the enemy (Satan), and if we are not being seen as a threat, then we are certainly not doing something right.
Do not let your circumstances get you down. Any time that you have obstacles or any difficulties in life, use these occasions to lean even more on the Lord, not away from Him. He will see you through. This is something He has promised. Remember, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.
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