Chink in my Armor

"One day Samson went to Gaza,

where he saw a prostitute.

He went in to spend the night with her.

The people of Gaza were told,

'Samson is here!'

So they surrounded the place

and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate.

They made no move during the night,

saying, 'At dawn we'll kill him.'"

Judges 16:1-2

Samson, like all humans, had many flaws.  One was his weakness for women.  As he succumbed to temptation one day, failing to detect the trap into which he was stepping, he sought out a prostitute.  In so doing, he made himself vulnerable to his enemies who were bent on his destruction.

I, too, have an Enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  His whole mission is to take away the peace that rules my heart through Christ Jesus, to damage my relationship with the Lord so I cease to live the abundant, purposeful life, and to wipe out the confidence I have in the God who will never let me down.

When I give in to the sin which lures me, I open myself up to attack from the Enemy, making myself vulnerable to his schemes (1 Peter 5:8, Genesis 4:6-7).  Even though Satan has no hold on me, I give him a foothold when I yield to the sin that seems so attractive to my flesh (Ephesians 4:27). Then, there is much that I lose.

Peace

As I sat by the river watching the slow-moving water, I could feel the stresses of life melt away.  Birds sang praises to their Maker, lifting up their voices in sweet harmony.  A cooling breeze gently set the trees to swaying, adding to the composition that delighted my senses.  Dappled light painted a beautiful design at my feet as the sunlight filtered through the leaves above my head. This place delivered a sense of peace to my soul.

While its nice to sit and enjoy such a serene setting, its not always possible to take time out of each day to do so. Thankfully, surrendering to the Lord delivers the same effect. When I let go of my desire to work out all the details of my life, fretting over how I will solve all my problems, peace floods my heart (Philippians 4:6-7).

Similarly, knowing that the blood of Jesus has covered all my sins, making me right with God, sets my mind at ease (Romans 5:1). I don't have to be perfect to enjoy the presence of my Father who loves me perfectly (Hebrews 4:16)! Guilt is not an issue when I know the depth of His love (1 John 4:16-18). 

Unfortunately for me, this peace is often fleeting even though it is mine to keep. Satan knows how to push my buttons, drawing me into a state of worry or planting seeds of doubt about the security of my salvation. Once the thought is there, I easily glom onto it, letting the destructive thought pattern take me where it wants to go.  Soon the calm I once enjoyed is gone, leaving behind nothing but trouble.

If I want to protect the peace that comes from trusting in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I must not give Satan a foothold by giving into temptation.

Purpose

From the time she was a little girl she knew what she wanted to do with her life.  From that point on, everything she did was with that goal in mind.  Nothing could distract her from her God-given purpose.  

Each believer has a specific purpose; a job for which they were created (Ephesians 2:10). When I seek God's will for my life, He reveals that focus that He meant for me, giving me a reason to drive forward each day (Jeremiah 29:11-13). As I accept His calling, everything suddenly begins to make sense.  Suffering is allowed into my life as part of the training necessary to prepare me for His use. I accept the bad along with the good, knowing that it all works together for my good and helps to propel me toward the purpose for which God has made me (Romans 8:28).

When I open myself up to the attacks of my enemy, however, this focus and drive is one of his targets. He aims to kill the plan God has for me, doing whatever he can to divert my attention away from it so I suddenly feel there is no reason for me to live. Or, he throws a wrench in the works with the hope that I will give up and forget about the good God has planned for my life.  

Instead of living with an aim and a purpose, then, I begin to wander aimlessly, going after one pursuit followed by another.  When one goal begins to lose its luster, I move onto another, never settling in for the long haul.  My life takes on the characteristics of an aimless wanderer instead of as a purposeful athlete training for an important competition (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  Satan has killed my God-given purpose.

Thankfully, my calling is not gone, but I've only been fooled into thinking there is no reason for my pitiful life. Jesus, however, can restore that purpose as I keep my eyes on Him. Staying focused on Him enables me to run my race with purpose as I let go of all that distracts me from that single objective (Hebrews 12:1-2).

If I want to retain the sense of purpose I've been given as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, I must not give Satan a foothold by giving into temptation.

Faith

Each day was a carbon-copy of the one before.  Pain ruled her life, limiting her ability to care for herself.  She felt as helpless as a newborn baby.  Was this what God meant for her life?  Did He even care about her suffering?  She began to wonder if God even existed.  And if He did, why didn't He do something to help her?

Pain and suffering has a way of destroying faith.  Where once I believed God was capable of anything and I had full confidence in His goodness, sovereignty and power, misery and agony can wipe out that belief.

While God can use hard times like this to grow my faith and proving it as authentic, Satan's goal is to destroy my belief in God as my Helper and Source of comfort (James 1:2-4, Job 1:9-11).  If I begin to question God's goodness, wondering if He really has my best interest at heart, Satan thinks he's won the battle. What he (and I as I'm swept along by his lies) fails to realize , however, is the power of Christ that is within me, giving me the upper hand in this war (1 John 4:4). 

I have been given armor to protect me from the schemes of my enemy.  One of these pieces of protective gear is a shield to ward off the flaming arrows of the devil.  This important safeguard is made up of my faith (Ephesians 6:16). If Satan can destroy my shield, he thinks he's won the battle.

Instead of giving into the temptation that my enemy puts in my path, then, I must act as a soldier and quickly raise up my shield, using it to safeguard against what seduces me away from the path of righteousness.  

When hard times come my way, instead of focusing on the suffering,  I must remember my position as a soldier in a war and refresh my memory of all the good that will come from standing firm in my faith (Romans 5:3-5).

When trouble enters into my life, in the place of blaming God for what is unbearable for me, I can hold fast to the truth that I have been presented with a great opportunity to taste the compassion God has for me as I allow Him to give me comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). 

When I'm faced with the impossible, I must not let down my guard, strengthening my firm stance with the truth that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

If I want to stand firm in the faith I have in Jesus Christ, I must not give Satan a foothold by giving into temptation.

I often forget how vulnerable to attack I am and simply live in a way that pleases me.  When I follow my own flesh, I open myself up to the work of my enemy.  If I want to remain firm in my walk with the Lord, then, it is important that I guard against Satan's schemes.  Taking the way out when temptations come will allow me to retain the peace that guards my heart and mind, protect the purpose God has for my life, and to keep my faith in Him who is able to do more than I could ever imagine.  In these ways, I can avoid developing a chink in my armor.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stand firm in my faith, keeping aware of my enemy who is constantly on the prowl.

When do I live as if I have no enemy, assuming I am safe from attack?

How do I easily give in to temptation, making myself vulnerable?    


Originally published on March 28, 2014  

Dichotomy

"Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, LORD,

and all your commands are true."

Psalm 119:150-151

Gossip.  Destructive agendas.  Selfish living.  Desperate crimes.  Evil plots.  Terrorist attacks.  Power plays.  Government takeovers.  Military regimes.  Twisted religions.  It's hard to live in such a cold, cruel world.  While here, it's easy to become just as destructive, selfish, desperate, evil and twisted.  After all, it comes quite naturally to my flesh.  As I run toward Jesus, sticking close by His side, I look around me and become discouraged as I stand firm in His teachings.  How can I carry on?

As I live as a foreigner in a strange land that is not my home, I can draw strength as I remind myself of a few truths (Hebrews 13:14).

Evil.  I have an enemy and his mission is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  It is his work to take away the peace I have in Christ, to eradicate all traces of God's love that wants to flow through me into a world in need, to extinguish the light of Jesus that flickers a message of hope to the darkness around me.  

Satan attempts to accomplish his objective through various tactics, schemes and sneaky plans.  While giving in to his around-the-clock attacks, it's easy to believe his filthy lies, buying into his message that all is lost, that I'm no good, that evil is winning and there is no hope for the world.  

If, however, I remember his power is limited by a God who is sovereign over all things and that he has no authority over me or any other follower of Christ, I can resist his attempts and watch him flee (James 4:7).  With such a God as this on my side, who can stand against me (Romans 8:31)?  Who can thwart His good plan?  Who can defeat His righteous and redemptive design for all of mankind?  Not one, not even the evil one who seems to have so much pull in this dark world.

I can draw strength from the fact that God is greater than Satan and his minions.

Far.  It's easy to wonder how the lost could live such self-destructive ways, especially when their mess spills into the lives of others who are vulnerable and defenseless.  I can feel discouraged when I witness the suffering inflicted upon the helpless by their fellow man.  I want to shake some sense into those stuck in a pattern of abuse as they ruin the lives of many like some kind of Tasmanian devil.  

Then God reminds me that they are far from His law.  They can no more do what is right than I can apart from the grace of God that flows through me due to my faith in Christ.  Without this grace, I'd be just as destructive, messy and abusive. In one way or another, I'm just like the worst of the worst.  We all need Jesus to save us from our own sinful selves.

I can draw strength from the fact that those who do evil acts and rise up against God's own operate in another stratosphere from God and His ways.  They can't help but do what they do (2 Timothy 2:26).

Near.  Many religions worship gods who are unknown and far away.  Little is understood about these deities and their followers pin their hope on what they believe these idols of stone and wood can deliver.  Unfortunately, they never really see any evidence of their impotent capabilities.  They are but a dim apparition in the far-off horizon.

In contrast, God is near.  The more I get to know Him, the bigger He becomes until He takes up the whole scope of my eyesight.  If I seek Him with everything that is in me, I will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).  He is just that willing to be known.

I can draw strength from the fact that God is very near to me and wants to be intimately sought after and understood, becoming a Guide upon whom I can count and introducing a faithfulness that can be trusted.

There is no doubt that it can be hard to live in a world that seems to bent on destruction.  As I see the pain and suffering all around me, I can take heart by the fact that evil is limited and losing, the people caught up in wicked schemes are far from God and His ways, and God Himself is very near.  The dichotomy of evil and good cannot be denied.  Thankfully, when I choose God through faith in Christ, I am on the winning side (John 16:33)!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to realize that evil men are far from You and Your ways.

How do I live a defeated life, forgetting that Jesus died to give me victory over sin and death?

When do I give up, thinking my failures pigeonhole me as a failure instead of realizing Jesus died to make me a victor?

Laugh in the Face of Fear!

"The LORD is my light and my salvation--

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life--

of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Alzheimer's and dementia threatens to develop.  Cancer looms.  Heart disease strikes all around.  Strokes render loved ones helpless.  Governments topple.  Wars break out.  Terrorists attack.  Unrest continues.  Anger provokes violence.  Injustice rises.  

There is much to fear in this world.  Because of who God is, however, I can laugh in it's face!

Light.  The darkness pressed in around me, palpable in it's completeness.  My eyes strained to pick up some kind of image, but none was to be seen.  The blackness in the cave was absolute, and I had rarely felt such fear.  What if we can't find our way back out?  Will we be doomed to die down here under the earth?  Then the tour guide ended my panic with the flick of a switch and light again flooded the cavern.

Light in the darkness brings comfort and security, especially when you're almost a mile under the earth in a deep cave.  While I rejoiced when the light turned back on during that tour, the beam of a few 100-watt bulbs cannot compare to the Light that comes from the Lord.  

When my life seems filled with evil and gloom, Jesus delivers hope for something better.  When everything is swirling in a whirlwind of confusion and I don't know what to do, Jesus stands firm in the storm, giving strong guidance and grounding me in truth.  When the unknown lurks like a terrifying monster in my future, Jesus is already there, completely aware and in control of all that is to come.

While it is easy to fear all that I face, I need not be afraid for Jesus is the Light of the world (John 1:4-5).

Salvation.  She couldn't help herself.  The bottom of the pool was suddenly out of her reach and she realized she was in over her head.  She began to panic as her feet no longer felt the hard, welcoming surface.  Suddenly, a strong arm reached in, pulling her back to the shallows.  The girl was saved by an alert swimmer.

In the same way that this youngster could not save herself, I am incapable of getting myself out of the deadly bind to which my sin has fated me.  I am doomed to die as punishment for all the ways I've failed (Romans 6:23).  Suddenly, a Lifesaver reaches in and plucks me from my destiny of death, giving me a chance at life eternal.  Jesus died so that I could live (John 3:16).

Even more, Jesus rescues me from a shallow existence devoid of meaning and purpose (John 10:10).  I'm told I am nothing more than an accident, a mistake who happened to land here in this place and time.  Then Jesus enlightens me to the truth: I was made on purpose for a purpose by a God of purpose (Ephesians 2:10).  Significance is born.

As if that weren't enough, He did more.  My flesh desires nothing more than to live for me, meet my own needs and desires, and run after what will please myself.  Then Jesus gives me a power I never knew before and a transformation takes place.  As I'm molded into a new creature, the old things fade away as new desires form.  Sin is no longer the ruler of my life as a new King takes His throne (Romans 6:14).

While it is easy to fear what seems inevitable, Jesus rescues me from such a dismal certainty.

Stronghold.  I could see no way out.  There was danger all around yet no path on which to escape.  I was trapped, surrounded by the enemy.  As I realized by fate in this cyber war, I accepted death as the soldiers descended upon me.  My turn was up as I let someone else play the game. 

While life is not like a video game, there are situations when I may feel just as hopeless.  The Enemy of my soul is out to get me, giving me grief every time I turn around.  Yet Jesus has given me the upper hand at the mention of His name.  I am not without defense, being outfitted with a mighty Sword as I wield the weapon of God's Word boldly, dealing deadly blows as I submit to the Truth (Ephesians 6:17).

Other times the evil all around me seems to close in like a deadly wave of attacks.  It looks like the darkness is winning, ready to overtake all the good and overwhelm what is left of the noble and virtuous.  But Jesus has overcome, claiming victory in the battle of good versus evil (John 16:33).

Then comes temptation, rising up when I least expect it, crushing any pretense I have of self-control.  But Jesus offers a way out, and I gratefully escape from the heavy pull of sin (1 Corinthians 10:13).

While it is easy to fear what seems inevitable, Jesus has conquered every danger in my life, standing as a stronghold that cannot be penetrated.

Yes, danger is lurking around every corner, giving me many reasons to fear as I live this life.  But Jesus offers relief from such distress, shedding Light, offering salvation, and serving as a stronghold of victory.  Because of Jesus, I can laugh in the face of fear! 

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to accept all that He is offering me through Jesus Christ.

When do I attempt to give myself a meaningful life when Jesus has already died to deliver such bounty?

How am I walking in darkness because the Light seems out of my reach?