The Bible study, You Are Loved, that is being hosted this summer by Good Morning Girls has given me so much to think about, give thanks for, and write about, except that I have not had the time to write! This fine Friday afternoon, on the heels of a pontoon boat ride on the lake at the local state park, with all the kids resting upstairs and a short urgent-to-do list, time has offered herself to me for writing. Hurrah!
Now the trouble is deciding a topic out of the knotted yarn ball that is the thoughts in my head. We'll see how on track I can stay! I will begin by sharing with you this week's topic: our rival who wants to destroy us.
The memory verse for the week was
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| Another translation beings, Be alert and self-controlled ... |
I have it hanging on the wall in our kitchen and one afternoon Elizabeth, my ten year old, said to me, "Mommy, that verse is a little scary." She's right, if we look at the enemy and not at Christ. I was so thankful to be able to share with her that memorizing that verse this week was not meant to scare us, but to remind us to take seriously the fact that the devil is our enemy and he wants to distract, derail, and destroy us. Couched in a Bible study about God's love, Peter's words serve as a warning but not a scare tactic. He reminds us that we need to be aware that not all the voices that we hear in our head are true and good; our enemy will consistently endeavor to keep the people of God from pursuing Him.
As the Word reminds us, nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, and no one can snatch Jesus' sheep out of His hand. The Word also testifies that Jesus has overcome the world, believers have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God, and that ultimately the accuser will be hurled down.
Do you hear the accusations ringing between your ears all day? You are not enough. You will never measure up. You are a failure. You are so stupid. You don't belong; if people only knew.
Do you remember there is an enemy, an active adversary, prowling around looking for someone to devour and he's probably the one fanning the flames of these untrue accusations?
Then, do you remember there is a Lover of your soul, a Good Shepherd, and a Holy Spirit, who have adopted you into their family and kingdom? And your identity in them means you are enough, measuring up is a thing of the past, and you do belong, all thanks to the work of Christ?
Do you remember these realities?
If you do, then are you exercising your right as a daughter or son of the King of kings to claim your place in his family when the volume of the enemy's accusations is rising in your heart and the bass is thumping in your mind? Are you saying to him, "Excuse me, sir, but the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. You are sin and death, once I belonged to you, but I do no longer. So, get outta here!"?
You can exercise that right and you should!
The voices do not define you. They suck the life out of you and leave you to die.
The Lord does define you. He breathes life into you and leaves you to thrive.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
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