"Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectations." -Ps 5:2-3 (NIV)
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I admit I have made some bad decisions, trusted the wrong people, and have made some bad choices, thus the realization that I’m not perfect … a front that I have had to relinquish which has truly humbled me. And through this humbling process, I also have seen where God has always been there in ways that simply amazes me.
The other morning I was out on my front porch and the thought crossed my mind; If God can’t help me then Satan wins. Yeah, this thought is a bit strange. On the other hand, it does have some merit. It also allowed me to reflect on the story of Job.
Satan bargained with God and in turn He permitted Satan to bring whatever he willed against Job in order to test his faith in Him. The only thing Satan wasn’t allowed to do, take Job’s life. As a result, Job lost everything. Yet, through it all, Job stood firm and faithful to His God. Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant. Job lost all his earthly possessions, family, status, and suffered a horrendous illness … Boils. And though he questioned God, not once did Job stray from his faith … he remained faithful and the end results proved that God won.
Satan knows that I am an imperfect creation. He knows what buttons to push to cause me to step outside what I know to be right and wrong. Satan knows more about me than I sometimes do, but not quite. Nonetheless, he will do whatever it takes to use my imperfections, idiosyncrasies, and habits, etc., to poke holes in my faith in God, even doubt Him to the point of turning away from Him. Sadly, more times than not, Satan has caused me to stumble and miserably fail.
Thank goodness, I have a God that loves me just the way I am. God knows every intimate detail about me … my imperfections, idiosyncrasies and habits are clearly known to Him. God knows that my human existence is a frail one … that I will stumble and fail miserably. Yet, when I come to Christ just as I am, I have His assurance that He is always there to scoop me up, hold me close to His heart, and above all, forgive me.
Yes, right now it appears that Satan is winning. He’s standing right beside me telling God I’m a lost cause and not worthy of divine intervention. Satan is doing all in his power to discourage me, causing me to feel powerless and hopeless. I feel this battle raging, trying desperately to bring doubt and fear into my daily life in order to distance me from Christ. And with each passing day it feels a though the battle intensifies to where my entire being is consumed with anxious pain.
Yes, if God can’t help me, then Satan wins. Thankfully, God knows this. Meanwhile, with all that I am, I wait and trust in Him, because I know God has my back. He has proven this through all my years. Therefore, I know that my best interest will be in God’s wonderful time to prove to Satan that though he may think I’m unworthy and has won, in actuality, quite the opposite.
Yes, at this time I am going through some rough times and in many ways it’s difficult for me to see light at the end of the tunnel. Not knowing what will happen from day to day is perplexingly unsettling to deal with. No matter how I try and resolve my situation the doors of opportunity have closed at every turn. Needless to say, it has been an emotional roller coaster. On the other hand, this experience has been a blessing as well. It has broken me and brought me to my knees, seeking God’s mercy and guidance. And along the way, I have felt His presence, thus I know God has my back and will lead me to where He wants me to be.
There is no doubt in my mind that God is a wonderful and loving God. And though I may stray from His side and at times fail miserably, I know that I have God’s assurance, that as long as I trust in Him, He will, not only forgive me, but see me through difficult times. Because in God’s great scheme of things He will do whatever He can to prove to me that Satan will not win, and to this I must faithfully trust in God as I focus my attention solely on Christ who is my only salvation.
The other morning I was out on my front porch and the thought crossed my mind; If God can’t help me then Satan wins. Yeah, this thought is a bit strange. On the other hand, it does have some merit. It also allowed me to reflect on the story of Job.
Satan bargained with God and in turn He permitted Satan to bring whatever he willed against Job in order to test his faith in Him. The only thing Satan wasn’t allowed to do, take Job’s life. As a result, Job lost everything. Yet, through it all, Job stood firm and faithful to His God. Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant. Job lost all his earthly possessions, family, status, and suffered a horrendous illness … Boils. And though he questioned God, not once did Job stray from his faith … he remained faithful and the end results proved that God won.
Satan knows that I am an imperfect creation. He knows what buttons to push to cause me to step outside what I know to be right and wrong. Satan knows more about me than I sometimes do, but not quite. Nonetheless, he will do whatever it takes to use my imperfections, idiosyncrasies, and habits, etc., to poke holes in my faith in God, even doubt Him to the point of turning away from Him. Sadly, more times than not, Satan has caused me to stumble and miserably fail.
Thank goodness, I have a God that loves me just the way I am. God knows every intimate detail about me … my imperfections, idiosyncrasies and habits are clearly known to Him. God knows that my human existence is a frail one … that I will stumble and fail miserably. Yet, when I come to Christ just as I am, I have His assurance that He is always there to scoop me up, hold me close to His heart, and above all, forgive me.
Yes, right now it appears that Satan is winning. He’s standing right beside me telling God I’m a lost cause and not worthy of divine intervention. Satan is doing all in his power to discourage me, causing me to feel powerless and hopeless. I feel this battle raging, trying desperately to bring doubt and fear into my daily life in order to distance me from Christ. And with each passing day it feels a though the battle intensifies to where my entire being is consumed with anxious pain.
Yes, if God can’t help me, then Satan wins. Thankfully, God knows this. Meanwhile, with all that I am, I wait and trust in Him, because I know God has my back. He has proven this through all my years. Therefore, I know that my best interest will be in God’s wonderful time to prove to Satan that though he may think I’m unworthy and has won, in actuality, quite the opposite.
Yes, at this time I am going through some rough times and in many ways it’s difficult for me to see light at the end of the tunnel. Not knowing what will happen from day to day is perplexingly unsettling to deal with. No matter how I try and resolve my situation the doors of opportunity have closed at every turn. Needless to say, it has been an emotional roller coaster. On the other hand, this experience has been a blessing as well. It has broken me and brought me to my knees, seeking God’s mercy and guidance. And along the way, I have felt His presence, thus I know God has my back and will lead me to where He wants me to be.
There is no doubt in my mind that God is a wonderful and loving God. And though I may stray from His side and at times fail miserably, I know that I have God’s assurance, that as long as I trust in Him, He will, not only forgive me, but see me through difficult times. Because in God’s great scheme of things He will do whatever He can to prove to me that Satan will not win, and to this I must faithfully trust in God as I focus my attention solely on Christ who is my only salvation.
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