Living the Battle

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Somehow it's easy to forget. We're in a battle, and we have an enemy. God did huge things in me and in our ministry over spring break - it shouldn't surprise me that Satan is threatened by that. Yesterday, Bryce shared some thoughts with us from 1 Peter on this very thing. He gave us an analogy that so fits where I'm at: We think of ourselves as walking around a mall. We get hit with shrapnel, and we're surprised and confused; it doesn't make sense that I would be wounded outside of the Gap. But the truth is, we're in the middle of a battlefield, not at a mall. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." (4:12) You expect that you're going to be hit with shrapnel on a battlefield, so you take precautions against it. You put on armor.

I've been hit by a few things the past couple of days, and it has caught me off-guard. I hate that I was unprepared for the attack. But, I rejoice that God's got my back. Satan's schemes may have caught me off-guard, but he failed miserably in his objective. Instead of drawing me away from God, I have been driven toward Him. Instead of denouncing God, I find myself moved to praise Him. I know that in this battle, God will be victorious. Still, the battle isn't yet over, and sometimes I find that the devil is gaining ground in my heart. Yet, I can confidently say, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26) Take that, Satan!