You’re A Force To Be Reckoned With

We have an Enemy who prowls the earth looking for ways to destroy us.

He wants to kill our hope…

unravel our marriages…

take out our kids…

ruin our ministries…

confuse our vision…

deplete our energy…

distort our dreams…

But while the Enemy is in hot pursuit of our lives… God offers hope.

We’re told countless times in the Bible that He is our shelter. He’s our comforter.  He will provide for us.  He will prosper us.  He will never leave us.

So you know what that means?

We don’t have to fear the Enemy.

Now I am not suggesting we carry on a conversation with, seek him out or provoke him, but when the Enemy comes at us… we don’t need to fear him.

• His plans are not particularly clever.
• The Lord will expose the Enemy’s lies.
• God offers us wisdom and discernment.
  
• We can call down the Kingdom for reinforcements. 

Because of the strength, insight, wisdom and power I receive through Jesus Christ as my Savior, I am dangerous to the Enemy.

You are, too.

There is no reason to fear him.  Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

When we speak God’s goodness in our lives… when we offer hope to others… when we pray for God’s intervention… when we choose to forgive… when we allow God to heal our brokenness… then Enemy has no option but to flee.

We deal him a mighty blow.

As a matter of fact, when we wake up in the morning and our feet hit the floor, the Enemy should shudder and say, “Dang, they’re awake!”

He can knock us down… but we get back up. 

He can mess with our plans… but we regroup. 

He can challenge our faith… but we’ll remain steadfast.

So when he works over time to mess with our lives, let’s respond in victory.

• Praise God louder and more radically.
• Expose the Enemy’s hidden tactics and lies.
• Face hardships with grace and forgiveness.
• See the cup as half full rather than the other way around.
• Trust God completely and fully.

When we maintain an eternal perspective even when life throws a curve ball, it foils the Enemy’s plans.

He loses.

“In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up.  We’re persecuted, but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured, but we’re not killed.”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Darkness and Light simply cannot exist together.

We may sometimes find ourselves at the end of our rope, but never at the end of our hope.

So instead of allowing the Enemy to take you out of the game…

Trust God for restoration when your marriage is struggling.

Trust God for provision when you can’t pay your bills.

Trust God for direction when your overwhelmed with life.

Because as a Christ-follower, you are a force to be reckoned with.

♥

REALITY CHECK:  Don’t give the Enemy more power than he actually has.  In the end… he loses.

†††

©2012 careyscotttalks.com

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When The Enemy Brings It… We Bring It, Too

Because God created me with a warrior’s heart and mentality, I am so ready for battle I can taste it.

I don’t say that pridefully.  I say it honestly.

Because of the strength, insight, wisdom and power I receive through Jesus Christ as my Savior, I do not fear the Enemy.   As a matter of fact, it gives me great pleasure to expose him and his tactics.

My hope is that when I wake up in the morning and my feet hit the floor, he shudders and says, “Dang, she’s awake!”

He can knock me down, but I get back up.  He can mess with my plans, but I regroup.  He can challenge my faith, but I remain steadfast.

I’ve decided that when he brings it… I’m bringing it, too.

When he works over time to mess with my life, I want to make it as difficult as possible for him to find any enjoyment or victory.

• I want to praise God louder and more radical
• I want to expose the Enemy’s hidden tactics and lies
• I want to face the hardships with grace and forgiveness
• I want to see the cup as half full rather than the other way around
• I want to trust God completely and fully

And when I maintain an eternal perspective even when life throws a curve ball, it foils the Enemy’s plans.  He loses.

You see… as Christ-followers, we are a force to be reckoned with.

Yes, I mean you, too.

But I wonder:  Are you living your life that way?

Rather than allowing disappointment, anger, sadness, bitterness or hatred to overshadow your situation, do you see it for what it really is?  While you might be overwhelmed and fearful at times, do you eventually find God in the details?

There is no doubt that we are the strongest when we keep our eyes fixed on Him.  It looks like this…

• When your marriage seems hopeless, you trust God for restoration.
• When you can’t pay your bills, you trust God for provision.
• When your hopes and dreams seem unattainable, you trust God for direction.

Sisters, we can trust that since God calls us to fight the good fight, He will make sure we are able to withstand the battle and rise victorious.

Our job is to press into Him when we begin to feel weary, losing our hope and focus.  You see, God promises to always be with us… and because of that, we can stand against the Enemy.

“In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up.  We’re persecuted, but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured, but we’re not killed.”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

In a nutshell:  We may be at the end of our rope, but not the end of our hope.

Amen?

Listen, as long as we are breathing air on planet earth, Satan is going to “bring it.”  He knows his time is limited and so his plan is to turn up the heat as often as possible, hoping that we’ll let our circumstances overtake us… and we’ll just give up.

Not a chance.

I… so… love… the… battlefield.

Let’s resolve that when the Enemy brings it, we bring it, too.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

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