The Struggle is Real
"The enemy is attacking me!" is a phrase that is tossed around far to easily within the body of Christ. I am sure you have heard it before, even uttered the words yourself! I am certain that I have. Well let me just say the Struggle is Real! There is a very real enemy that exists within our world.
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) tells us to, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT) tells us, "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
and Colossians 2:13-15 tells it to us like this, "You were dead in your sin because your sinful nature had not yet been cut away. Then God made you alive again, he forgave all of our sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us by taking them away and nailing them to the cross. In this way he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross!
The bible makes it very clear that there is an enemy in an unseen world, a spiritual realm that we are not privy to here on earth! We are to stay alert and to watch out and remember that the battles that we wage truly are not with one another, not between flesh and blood, but that there is an unseen world behind the battles that we face in the flesh! The prospect of such a war can be daunting!
However, I love the promise we find in Colossians 2:13-15! The Word tells us a little secret, the enemy has been disarmed, he has been defeated! Christ defeated him on the cross! How? By cancelling the record of every charge the enemy wanted to bring against us! You see his death on the cross gave us a gift, a new life in Christ! All we have to do is accept this free gift and then the enemy will truly hold no power over us.
If the enemy has been defeated and disarmed and there truly is no weapon against us that shall prosper, then how is it that we, as Christians, walk around feeling so defeated? Why do so many of us feel like we fall short and some how still have to earn our salvation? Why do we refuse to forgive? Why do we hold anger in our hearts? What causes us to believe that the troubles of this life are more than we can handle? What is it that allows us to walk as if we belong to this world instead of to a great and mighty King?
Let's take a moment to understand the enemy, he wasted no time in being cast out of heaven with 1/3 of heaven's angels because of a little old thing called PRIDE! He was not content to worship God. He wanted to be God! Next, Christ actually followed through, giving his life for you and I on the cross. Satan was humiliated, because this one act rendered him disarmed and defeated! Defeat doesn't sit well with someone who is full of pride now does it? The enemy is salty! He couldn't keep Christ from the cross, and so he devised a way to try and keep the body of Christ from being effective in the one purpose and plan that God had for his church from the beginning.
Ephesians 3:9-12 let's us in on that plan...
"God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Not only did Christ desire to be in relation with us, but he was showing off when he made you and I! He loves us dearly and the enemy hates that! So the bible warns us to stay alert and be aware! But let me let you in on a little secret...he has been disarmed! He doesn't have a lot to work with in his tool box against God's children!
John 8:44b, fills us in on the character of the enemy, "... He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." He is a liar! There is no truth that can be found in him! He knows that he can craftily use his lies to stop Christ's church in their tracks, and so the battles continue. Think about the lies that you have bought into? Maybe it is a lie of not being good enough, not being equipped. Maybe he convinces you to become so consumed with mistruths that you become so distracted you forget about your worth in the body of Christ! Maybe he has used hurt and heartache in your life to cause bitterness take root in your heart? What is it that the enemy has been holding you captive with?
Oh, how the struggle is real but the war has already been won! Christ has been victorious and the enemy only needs to be quieted by what is true! So the next time you hear, "I'm not worthy", you shout out, "Christ makes me worthy!". The next time you here, "I can't", cry out, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!". The next time you feel unloved, shout out, "For God so loved the world!!" The next time you feel alone, shout out, "I belong to the family of God! I am a daughter of the King!" Lies cannot reside where truth is found! Stand your ground and you will be more than a conquer! Don't let the enemy weave his way into your heart and mind with things that are not true sweet one! You have victory because Christ is the victor!
Until we meet again...
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) tells us to, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NLT) tells us, "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
and Colossians 2:13-15 tells it to us like this, "You were dead in your sin because your sinful nature had not yet been cut away. Then God made you alive again, he forgave all of our sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us by taking them away and nailing them to the cross. In this way he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross!
The bible makes it very clear that there is an enemy in an unseen world, a spiritual realm that we are not privy to here on earth! We are to stay alert and to watch out and remember that the battles that we wage truly are not with one another, not between flesh and blood, but that there is an unseen world behind the battles that we face in the flesh! The prospect of such a war can be daunting!
However, I love the promise we find in Colossians 2:13-15! The Word tells us a little secret, the enemy has been disarmed, he has been defeated! Christ defeated him on the cross! How? By cancelling the record of every charge the enemy wanted to bring against us! You see his death on the cross gave us a gift, a new life in Christ! All we have to do is accept this free gift and then the enemy will truly hold no power over us.
If the enemy has been defeated and disarmed and there truly is no weapon against us that shall prosper, then how is it that we, as Christians, walk around feeling so defeated? Why do so many of us feel like we fall short and some how still have to earn our salvation? Why do we refuse to forgive? Why do we hold anger in our hearts? What causes us to believe that the troubles of this life are more than we can handle? What is it that allows us to walk as if we belong to this world instead of to a great and mighty King?
Let's take a moment to understand the enemy, he wasted no time in being cast out of heaven with 1/3 of heaven's angels because of a little old thing called PRIDE! He was not content to worship God. He wanted to be God! Next, Christ actually followed through, giving his life for you and I on the cross. Satan was humiliated, because this one act rendered him disarmed and defeated! Defeat doesn't sit well with someone who is full of pride now does it? The enemy is salty! He couldn't keep Christ from the cross, and so he devised a way to try and keep the body of Christ from being effective in the one purpose and plan that God had for his church from the beginning.
Ephesians 3:9-12 let's us in on that plan...
"God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord."
Not only did Christ desire to be in relation with us, but he was showing off when he made you and I! He loves us dearly and the enemy hates that! So the bible warns us to stay alert and be aware! But let me let you in on a little secret...he has been disarmed! He doesn't have a lot to work with in his tool box against God's children!
John 8:44b, fills us in on the character of the enemy, "... He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." He is a liar! There is no truth that can be found in him! He knows that he can craftily use his lies to stop Christ's church in their tracks, and so the battles continue. Think about the lies that you have bought into? Maybe it is a lie of not being good enough, not being equipped. Maybe he convinces you to become so consumed with mistruths that you become so distracted you forget about your worth in the body of Christ! Maybe he has used hurt and heartache in your life to cause bitterness take root in your heart? What is it that the enemy has been holding you captive with?
Oh, how the struggle is real but the war has already been won! Christ has been victorious and the enemy only needs to be quieted by what is true! So the next time you hear, "I'm not worthy", you shout out, "Christ makes me worthy!". The next time you here, "I can't", cry out, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!". The next time you feel unloved, shout out, "For God so loved the world!!" The next time you feel alone, shout out, "I belong to the family of God! I am a daughter of the King!" Lies cannot reside where truth is found! Stand your ground and you will be more than a conquer! Don't let the enemy weave his way into your heart and mind with things that are not true sweet one! You have victory because Christ is the victor!
Until we meet again...
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