The Devil Is Real

The devil is real.  Spiritual battles are constantly happening all around us.  Are you ready to fight and be victorious with God?

The full reality of the devil is a recent realization in my life.  I've always known about the evil that Satan is capable of, but did you know how personal his attacks can be?  He revels in twisting the Truth, sneaking doubts into your blessings, making your nerves seem more important than your excitement and joy and hope.  When something good happens, something that's leading people to see even a small glimpse of God's coming glory, the devil tends to be waiting in the corner, ready to pounce.  And do you know why?  Because he has nothing to lose.  He already lost everything when he turned away from God.  All he has is personal gain and revenge and an insatiable desire to be the object of our worship.

God is so much bigger than vengeful plots, so much more than an earthly king!  God didn't have personal gain in mind when He loved us, when He created us, when He gave us freedom, when He died for us, when He humbles Himself in that amazing gift of life we call the Eucharist.  He can't gain anything that would make Him better - He's already God, the Uncreated One.  But He has something to lose:  us.

Don't let the devil take you away from God.  Remember the One who loves you through it all.  Remember who you are and Whose you are.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a worship night at fellow youth minister's house, where we sung our praises to God.  As he played the guitar, his 2 year old son played his own instrument, a ukelele.  All that kid wanted was to be himself, modeling his own behavior after that of his dad and making his dad proud of what he was doing.  It came so naturally to him!  His dad would strum louder, and he'd strum louder.  His dad would keep time with his foot, and he'd stomp his own foot.  His dad used a pick, so he used a pick.  Could he play the ukelele?  No.  Could he tune his ukelele like his dad tuned the guitar?  Not at all.  Could he sing all the words or understand them?  Nope.  But was his dad proud of him, this child who is slowly becoming the person he was created to be?  Absolutely!

This summer, I'm reminded of two things.  One, God has already won the war between good and evil - it's not all up to me.  And two, all God wants for us is to be ourselves, modeled after the One who created us, learning to desire unending life with Him.  How can we possibly remember this in the midst of everything, within all the pain and stress and desperation?  We have to look to Him, so that "through it all my eyes are on You."  He is bigger, He has conquered, He has dominion over everything, so much so that "the waves and wind still know His name."  If the waves of the ocean can be calmed with God's voice, if the wind that brushes the mountain can destroy it with one Word, who am I, one of His prized creations, to do anything BUT let go and trust in Him?

Let's stop being afraid to tell the world of God's glory.  Let's stop using the excuses that the devil puts on our minds, the ones that make us nervous or doubt ourselves or think that God doesn't love us or that God requires too much of us, as reasons why we aren't the ones who are supposed to be shouting the proclamation of the Kingdom from the mountains.  The Kingdom of God is at hand!  The victor has already won!  Let's spread that Truth in it's fullness to the masses - "that He is God!"  Don't keep it to yourself, don't gloss over it and settle for less than the full Truth, and don't get discouraged when each battle you enter into doesn't turn out the way you intended.  Just keep playing your ukelele, keep shouting from the mountains, keep your eyes on God.  Through it all.  Through it ALL.

Pray for your friends, pray for your enemies, and don't lose sight of the victory that's already been won.

Quotes are from 2 songs:  "It Is Well" by Bethel Music and "All the Poor & Powerless" by All Sons & Daughters.