The devil always targets the people, places, and things God is going to use most. I firmly believe this truth.
We usually face the most opposition whenever God is working most powerfully in our lives. There are so many things Jesus does behind the scenes of our lives daily. Is your biggest dream coming to life? What doors is God opening and closing for you? What about your new friendship that is bringing Jesus glory? Satan is ticked off because he realizes the Power that lives within you.
Instead of being filled with holy confidence, are you struggling with insecure thoughts? I have battled these struggles too, my friend.
My Abba is bringing so many of my dreams to life. He is fulfilling my hungering desires. I forever want the peace, protection, passion, purity, and provision that comes from Christ alone. He is on our side and is fighting for us always. There isn’t a day that Jesus doesn’t walk with us. Are we walking with Him daily?
You are leaking over, my brother or sister. Do you even realize how influential your life is? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep pushing through the hard days. Your faith is contagious.
God used Hebrews 12:1-2 to fill me back up with Himself this afternoon. Let’s read it together. “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Around this verse in my Bible, I wrote little notes to explain each phrase.
-Your life doesn’t just affect you. Your life is an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12 NIV says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
The enemy wants to get rid of you sharing the Gospel. He wants to discourage, destroy, and devastate you using doubt. Satan wants you and I to live in fear and insecurities. He doesn’t want us to experience God’s abundance. The devil knows you pray big prayers that point to your massive God! Your life reflects Jesus, and that ticks Satan off. With Jesus, we experience fullness and joy. We must be on guard and always prepared for the fiery darts the enemy is throwing at us. Satan has been defeated by Jesus. Therefore, we don’t have to be afraid of him.
-Step out of the traps you are standing in.
-If you are going to run, run with everything you have.
-The race you’re running isn’t behind you. Your race lies before you. Keep taking each good step God blesses you with.
I am learning that I never have to fear an unexpected season of life. My Daddy always has a good next step for me to take. He is a God of immeasurably more. God never gives me less than His best for my life.
I am hanging onto Jesus and seeking Him for peace and discomfort in making decisions. God’s peace is one of my favorite things to experience.
I have been blessed with one of the sweetest friendships of my life this school year. I’m realizing that doing life with other believers truly refines us. Although friendships and relationships can sometimes seem messy, they reveal the true parts of who we are. Is Jesus our Core? Without Him, we are like nasty bags of trash on the inside. We can try to stay perfectly wrapped on the outside, but those layers will quickly fall off.
Do you want to hear something cool? Vulnerability leads to connectivity. Let Jesus use this season or friendship in your life to refine you. As you experience pressures and fires you have never felt before, trust that God is shaping you into exactly who He has made you to be. Jesus rids us of ourselves so that we can be fully filled with Him.
Don’t let Satan keep you from the blessings God is trying to bestow upon you.
-The Source and Perfecter of our faith is Jesus. We aren’t our own sources of faith. We can’t fill a source that isn’t us. We must simply place ourselves under the tap of God’s big well of faith. He is our Perfecter. Our load to be perfect isn’t carried by us. We are not perfect, and Jesus knows that. He loves us anyway. God is the One Who perfects us and makes us complete.
“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12:1-2
-In the most excruciating pain, Jesus knew He had joy that lay before Him. In our most trying times, we must not forget the joy that lies before us.
Our conversations, motives, actions, and intentions matter. I have been deeply longing to purely reflect Jesus in all of my ways. Instead of focusing on our mistakes and inabilities, I challenge us to look to Jesus and speak Truth over our minds. We don’t have time to waste. The opportunities we are given daily are valuable. Let’s be intentional with our friendships, school years, family members, and church services.
Ask God to destroy the doubt in your life. Don’t leave any doors cracked for the enemy to slide in. We can’t be naive to his tactics. We must be aware of the constant battle that is going on for our time, attention, and affections. Our God is greater, my friend! He has defeated Satan and stands victorious forever!
Undeniably His 