The Subtlety of the Enemy

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.-2 Corinthians 11:14

When you think of attacks from the enemy of our souls, Satan, what do think of? How about the obvious stuff, like all negativity, violence, slander, etc.? I do, but I also know that, he has weapons that he uses that are far more damaging than the "obvious" of evil schemes.

 One word can sum it up perfectly: subtlety. The devil loves to disguise himself as something, good, alluring, innocent, harmless , even “holy” just so that you will take the bait, like a fish on a hook, getting ready to be fried on the fiery grill! You never see it coming, like a slippery, slimy snake, like a lion getting ready to pounce on and devour his prey!

 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.-1 Peter 5:8-9

 He can weasel himself into what you perceive as “good intentions.” He’s in that “thing” you call an “escape.” He can steal your attention and time away from God by alluring you with the internet, television, or even reading a passion novel instead of the Word of God. Perhaps you took that job, ignoring that little voice inside that said, “Don’t do it, it isn’t right and you know it,” but you took anyway, thinking there is nothing else out there, and it makes good money, and it is supporting you and your family. But, it is stealing in some way, or demeaning in character. Perhaps you are always doing for everyone, you are a “yes” person, but are exhausted and barely have time for God to pray and spend time with Him, because you are always doing things for other people. You feel used, abused, and don’t even see why. Or, he’s the voice that says, “It’s only one hit, that’s it, you got this.” He loves to influence us, to go into the places we should not go, and question and seek after, that which we should  not ponder. He's been doing it from the beginning and he's only gotten more cunning at his craft.

 In our finite vision, we do not see very clearly apart from God. These things “seem” like a good idea that the time, but as we all know, things aren’t always what they seem. Being wise in our own eyes is dangerous, at best. God warns us about this: 

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.-Proverbs 3:7

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.-Isaiah 5:21

We need the Holy Spirit’s illumination of what lurks in the darkness, the hidden things, to bring those things into the light, to expose them, so that they cannot consume us, so that they cannot destroy us. His Word IS that LIGHT: 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.-Psalm 119:105

 Having the right balance in our lives is important too.  We can’t be leaving God our “leftovers.” He deserves the best of us, of our time, of our lives.

My personal experience on a really low-down dirty level with the enemy was in a so-called “Christian” relationship, where the person didn’t live for God at all. It was a snare that got me good. And I kept trying to not to be “judgmental” and would just try to say to myself, “He’s in his own walk with God, it’ll get better.” And by this, I fell flat on my face! It disturbed my fellowship with God, and caused many other issues. Ultimately, I ended it, but I paid the consequences for not listening to God in the VERY BEGINNING. Instead, I rationalized and that is dangerous.

 We are to use good judgment and pay attention to anything that is in opposition to the things of God and His character. But the only way you can do that is if you are in His Word, knowing the truth and knowing who He is. His truth will set you free IF you believe it, and apply it to your life.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free ...-John 8:31-32
 By doing what He says, you will be able to discern the voice of God from the voice of the enemy. Otherwise, you will fall for his lines, every time, hook…line…and sinker. This is usually where you are saying to yourself and your friends and family: “Where did I go wrong?” "Why does the same thing keep happening to me?” “When will my misery end!?”  Because you are in mass confusion, and do not know where to turn, or what to do. But God is not the Author of confusion;

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.-1 Corinthians 14:33

How do we enter into His peace? How do we really obtain that peace of mind so many of us long for and need? ….

Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.-Philippians 4:6-7

In order to maintain peace and order in your life, guarding against the enemy’s subtleties you need to pray to God, and be obedient. Through obedience to God, we are protected from the enemy. Every sin has a negative consequence no matter how “innocent” it may look.

 The enemies list of scams and weapontry are so vast, I can't even list them all here. The good thing is, you just have to know and do what is right by God, and those weapons formed against you, will not prosper.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
and every tongue which rises against you in judgment
you shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and their righteousness is from me,”
Says the Lord.-Isaiah 54:17

Be alert! Be watchful! Be discerning, for the times are evil and they are only getting more evil.  The more you know in the Lord, the more equipped and victorious you will be and will be able to unveil the murderer (the devil) behind the mask called “subtlety” and you will not be fooled.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.-Ephesians 5:8-17

 

Women's Struggle with Self-Image

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.-Proverbs 31:30

My sisters who struggle with self-image and self-worth, I believe the Lord has a word for you.  

In a world full of constant change and desire for more, people are only finding worth on the surface. With the way women especially are exploited in the media, there are expectations of others that just are not realistic for the masses. Hollywood is most guilty of this. They have plastic surgeons, personal trainers, chefs or personal dieticians they can afford this lifestyle because they primarily rely on their “looks” to survive. They have no "roots" to keep them strong and unmoveable, because the emphasis is on the shallow.

The world has become so hyper-visual that so much is being rejected and overlooked. We feel exhausted and anxious because we try to live up to these expectations but we can’t. So we begin to be self-critical, loathing ourselves, wallowing in misery. This is not the way God wants us to be. Our perspective has been clouded and so we need to come to the throne of God in prayer seeking HIS perspective of WHO we are and how we appear to Him.

God says we are His “precious jewels,” 

And they shall be mine, said the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.-Malachi 3:17 

Our vision of ourselves is poor… 

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.-1 Corinthians 13:12

BUT, GOD is doing something so AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL to us on the inside!!! He is giving us a spiritual “make-over!”

But we all see the glory of THE LORD JEHOVAH with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, and we are changed into the image from glory to glory, as from THE LORD JEHOVAH, THE SPIRIT.-2 Corinthians 3:18
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.-Romans 8:29

His beauty and glory, as we walk closer and closer with Him, will begin to ooze out of this temporary shell we call the “flesh.” People will encounter GOD without even recognizing what is happening. They’ll look at you and may not know why. They’ll be attracted to your spirit, because of Christ. God wants to show you so much and reveal so much to you about your purpose and Him. He wants you to be rooted and secure in Him. Self-acceptance is one of THE hardest things to overcome. We may be aliens in this world, but we are still in this body and we have to deal with things breaking down, scarring, and de-beautifying. As we grow older, it’s inevitable. But we cannot put our confidence in the flesh! That is why so many are so despairing…nothing temporary can hold us up, but instead will have us crashing down…

For we are the circumcision, those who serve God in The Spirit, and we glory in Yeshua The Messiah, and we do not trust upon the flesh-Philippians 3:3

            “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”-Matthew 7:24-27

I’m not saying don’t take proper care of your bodies, rather I’m saying, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Don’t feel inferior next to someone who is beautiful. Appreciate the beauty, but don’t let it undermine yours. We have to be careful to not hyper-focus on ourselves, but to direct our focus on our King and His will for our lives. Remember what happened to Peter when he began to sink? He doubted and he took his focus off of Jesus. When you keep the focus on Christ, you will see yourself from His eyes and accept yourself as He accepts you. The world is a blinder, a stumbling block, and so we need to guard ourselves against all of its devices and all it is offering. Don’t watch programs that focus on image, don’t look at pictures that focus on image, don’t listen to songs that focus on image. You are a CHILD OF GOD NOT of the world! Take that in. Let it marinate. Believe it. You struggle, because you are in the “old man” mind-set.” You are no longer apart of this world. You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). That old mind-set will always trip you up, because it is in conflict with your new nature.

What a great privilege and honor to be a princess of the KING of kings! Remember, the enemy always speaks to the flesh. God is Spirit and He speaks to our spirits, because that is where the source of all of our thinking and being generates from. If you are miserable, something has malfunctioned between you and the Father. Whenever you begin to feel bad about yourself, look to the Creator of you. Read His Word. Hide it in your heart. I don’t care if you have to recite it in the mirror a 1,000,000 times, about whom you are in Christ and that you are beautiful and of much value. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind! (Romans 12:2) Stop marinating on the lies and negativity and start speaking and thinking about the TRUTH of GOD’s Word.  

Let Him heal you. Work on yourself and take time for you and the Lord. Don’t look to a man for validation because remember…

For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.-1 John 2:16

Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.-Proverbs 27:20

People of the world have so much doubt that they are like the waves of the sea being tossed to and fro...

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.-James 1:6I don't know about you, but I do not want to place any confidence in someone like that. I'd be all sick from that commotion on the inside and instability! Man in and of himself (including women) can not be entrusted with our image. It doesn't belong in the hands of fallible man, but in the hands of the "Potter" the infallible God. It's no wonder some of us actually look and feel as though we've been "ship-wrecked" from the inside out! Who we ridin' with anyway? I'm just sayin'! ;-)

Ok ladies, to sum it all up, two things to remember to live by, that will help you remain on the right track:

Who does GOD say I am? 

What does GOD say I should do? 

Jesus paid a heavy price for you. He sees you as invaluable. That is all that matters. Like-minded/spirited individuals know the same. If God says I am beautiful and valuable in His sight, well then, who am I to argue with that!? ;-)  May you come to the full-knowledge and acceptance of who you are in Christ. God bless.

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