Why is it that when I decide I'm going to do something I feel God calling me to do, the pace of my life becomes a snowball heading on a downward spiral, gaining speed, picking up everything in its wake and looking straight ahead at the length of the decent knowing the bottom of the hill is a million miles away?
Why is it that when I want to do what He's directing me to do, it's like everyone around me wants a piece of me, as if I were important?
I guess it just goes to prove that no matter what my role is in this life - no matter how insignificant I feel I am in the eyes of God - when He wants me to do something for Him, there is someone else who doesn't want me to; someone who's watching me from hiding. He takes notice of my forward motion, and he uses everything at his disposal to hinder me.
It amazes me that sometimes Satan's plans are so elaborate around me. His traps are well set and well-disguised. He uses my everyday 'stuff' to do whatever he can so that when I start to take a step forward for Christ, he trips me up, and I expend all of my energy trying to sidestep him. Other times, I have to back-peddle in hopes of getting a running start, so I can break through his red-rover defense.
I'm not alone in this battle against Satan. No, he pretty much uses all of us, pitting our agenda's against one another and bringing total confusion and disorder wherever he can. He's not the least bit prejudice about who he uses to throw everyone else off balance. Anyone will do - family, friends - it just doesn't matter because in his own sick, perverted way, he loves us (or so he pretends). He wants us to be with him always. You know that old saying, "Misery loves company." Well, Satan's the most miserable company you could ever find yourself with. I imagine he gets a big charge out of leading people to hell.
What we fail to remember is that when we're in the heat of battle trying to plow our way through Satan's obstacles, we need to remember we have a God who is greater than our enemy. The challenge we face isn't really a battle against Satan. God didn't ask us to fight him. God asks us only to stand against him. But that's why we fail. Standing goes against our grain. It goes against our way of life - to persevere, to resolve, to do it all ourselves and on our own. The challenge is our own stubborn, "I can do this alone" attitude that hinders us from being under the shelter of God's wing.
I'm not so sure that Satan actually has the ability to put all these obstacles in our way as much as I am convinced that he more or less just uses our own momentum to nudge us towards whatever can be used to push us off-track. I think lots of times he sits back and watches the show as we resemble the Three Stooges, bumping into one another, knocking each other over and continuing to take baby steps when we could be running our race, full speed ahead.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
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My Strength & My Shield / psm28:7
Non-FictionThis is my stuff from God. Sometimes He lofts it right into my lap. Other times, I have to fall flat on my face in order to understand what he’s trying to share with me. For some reason, both ways work, and I'm always the one who gains from it. I us...
