Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I’ll follow, though I’m worn.
May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart’s testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.
Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.
Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go –
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.
By Keith & Kristyn Getty, modern hymn writers,
contemporary Christian worship
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
Here’s what Satan wants from us.
This is Satan’s Strategy
Keep you busy with non-essentials
Tempt you to overspend and go into debt
Make you work long hours to maintain empty lifestyles
Discourage you from spending family time, for when homes disintegrate there is no refuge from work
Overstimulate your minds with television and computer, so you cannot hear God speaking to you
Fill your coffee tables with newspapers and magazines, so you have no time to read the Bible
Put glamorous models on TV and magazine covers to keep you focused on outward appearances, that way you’ll be dissatisfied with yourself and your mate
Flood your mailboxes with sweepstakes and promotions, get rich schemes, keep you chasing material things
Make sure couples are too exhausted for physical intimacy, that way they’ll be tempted to look elsewhere
Emphasize santa and the easter bunny that way you are diverted from the real meaning of Easter
Involve them in good causes so they won’t have time for eternal causes
Make you self sufficient, keep you working in your own strength so you will never know the joy of God’s Power working through you
That is one hefty list. Satan is a prowler and we need to lock him out of our thoughts and habits and guard our attitudes, because if we don’t he’ll take hold of us. We need to be aware of his schemes and resist him. Yes, kick him to the curb…flick him off your shoulder.
We are overworked, overstressed, and spiritually undernourished. Our culture promotes “bigger and better” and subtly challenges us to keep up. Satan loves to keep us running in circles trying to beat the clock. If he can distract us, he can minimize our usefulness to the Kingdom of God. When I start to think “I wish there were two of me”, then I know I’m too busy and need to wait on the Lord to get my priorities back on track.
The Bible says that busyness leads to doubt and a spiritual disconnection from God. In Psalm 46:10 there is a direct link between being still and knowing that God truly is God. If we are too busy for God, our stillness before the Lord will vanish, along with our peace.
But wait, there is
GOOD NEWS!
This is what God gives to us and wants for us.
Jesus is standing at your heart’s door, asking to come in. Remember there is no door handle on the outside of the door. You must open it from the inside, to allow Jesus entry. But, also remember that He is the door to life now and eternally.
John 10:9-11, Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they (You and Me) may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Which He did, on the cross.
1 Peter 1:3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
God gives us a hope. A hope for a life worth living and a hope for a life ever after.
It’s God given.
Unlike Satan who wants to take our hope away.
God gives us a hope that is resurrection certified. This is our hope that we too will be resurrected up just like Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we too have a hope that we will be resurrected after we die here on earth or if we are not dead, that our hope will be that we will be raptured when Jesus calls us up.
With Satan when we die, we are truly dead.
God gives us a hope of an inheritance, a glorious inheritance.
We may be dirt poor here on earth, but if we are God’s children and we live a life in Christ, we will see an inheritance unlike the richest person on earth will ever have.
With Satan we will have nothing but anguish forever.
John 10:28, Jesus said “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
With the hope that is Christ and in Christ we are ready to face eternity. Jesus and only Jesus is our salvation. Our hope in Christ gives us that certainty that one day we will be with Him in heaven for always. AMEN! Are you ready?
No matter the circumstances, He remains by our side and while we may feel pressed, stretched, and at our breaking point, He will never allow us to be crushed.
Is there any area of your life that gives Satan an open door or tempt or trouble you? Take a firm stance with Jesus in your corner and you will have the strength and will, to tell Satan to skidaddle!
If you want that peace and hope in your life, here’s a prayer asking Jesus into your life, where He will never leave.
