Ever felt walloped by the end of a day? Beaten down? Totally discouraged, down, disheartened, depressed, icky, yucky, defeated, etc.? I sure did one day. And I had a strong sense it wasn’t just because of a long somewhat challenging day not to mention week. No, I sensed it was something more than that.
The Holy Spirit had something to say about this.
“He [the devil] made headway today because you allowed him to,” I sensed the Holy Spirit speak to my heart.
How so? I had allowed the devil to convince me to spend most of my day caught up in sadness, worry, hurt, grief, and issues one in particular I was seriously upset about. My thoughts had been on hard stuff. I had been meditating on myself and how I felt and what I faced instead of on God, the Bible, His will, and how I could be of love and service to Him and others. I had felt so overwhelmed emotionally I could barely pray. I had not cried out to God as I should have. I had wallowed in the pigpen of self. An inevitable downward spiral. Until I had exhausted myself beyond measure.
The Holy Spirit had simply brought to light that the devil had made headway – i.e. accomplished a good deal – in tempting me to get my focus off the Lord BECAUSE I HAD ALLOWED HIM TO DO SO.
I could have chosen to cry out to God and meditate on the Bible and reach out to Jesus followers and worked hard to fix my focus on Jesus. I had not. I could have yielded myself to God and rested in Him. I could have chosen to abide in the love of Jesus. I had not. It was as though I had been on a massive battlefield all by myself. I had gone through much of the day apart from the Lord.
God by the power of His Holy Spirit who lives in His followers through the truth of the Bible and through the help and support of other followers and in any way He so chooses gives us all we need to not allow the devil to make headway in our lives.
We need simply cry out to God and abide in Him and humbly follow Him in full surrender and obedience to Him as He leads us forward in victory!
We can choose to allow the devil to make headway in our lives – or not.
We can submit ourselves to the devil and his temptations – or submit ourselves to God and draw near to Him!
Oh, let us cry out to God! Let us submit ourselves to God! Let us draw near to God! Let us celebrate victory in the Lord! AMEN!
Please be encouraged reading the following Bible verses!
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8 NKJV
“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalms 61:2 NKJV
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4 NKJV
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 NKJV
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJV
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV