Will your grace run out if I let you down?
Cause all I know is how to run.
Will you call me child when I tell you lies?
Cause all I know is how to cry.
I'm a sinner if it's not one thing it's another.
Caught up in words tangled in lies.
You are the Savior and you take brokenness aside,
and make it beautiful.
Beautiful
(All Sons & Daughters)
I close my eyes as I hear these lyrics flow through the radio. How much my heart needs these words to touch my soul, remind me of His grace, and keep moving forward. In all of my day to day "living for Him", I tend to grow naive to the blatant truth that my soul wrestles against the schemes of the devil. Someone whose only purpose is to kill, steal, and destroy. An ancient creature here since creation and using the same tricks. Just yesterday I found myself caught in the devil's age old schemes...killing my joy. Caught up in words tangled in lies...
Many times I feel that we...mere humans...enjoy bringing God down to a level that we can comprehend. A one dimensional God that is all amazing at one thing. Whether that one thing is that he is a God of love, or justice, or peace, or whatever...we cling to that ONE thing and forget that he is more. So much more. I myself have fallen down a similar way of thought when I am enjoying a particular characteristic. Lately I have been soaking up how God is like a father, since being a parent causes me to see an instant parallel. Yet when choosing to stop in my tracks and open my mind, I look back and realize he was/is so much more:
"Lover of my soul" through the summer and pregnancy, preparing my heart as I meditated on his word.
"Friend" as I journaled and prayed over every worry and fear.
"Savior" reminding me in labor what he did on the cross for the greater joy.
"Healer" in my recovery.
"Fortress" when the enemy tried to steal my joy.
"Sustainer" when left alone to care for my new baby while Dave was at a conference.
"Creator and designer" when staring at Nora's little fingers and toes.
"Watchman" knowing He will never sleep or slumber while my baby rests.
Now there is a reason I rabbit trailed a bit and shared my reflections of God's multi-faceted awesomeness...
Even when we are spending time with Him, basking in His glory, and reflecting in His goodness, we are NOT INVINCIBLE to the schemes of the evil one.
Basically, we're just really loaded up with armor.
A lot of armor and no awareness that an enemy is coming doesn't really bode well for you. It just makes you carry a facade of strength when in fact you are growing weaker by the moment. Without the ability to detect when the enemy is coming or if he is hiding in plain sight is a very real issue.
For the past couple of months I found myself in a "worshipful fog" enjoying each day with the Lord and excited to see what he would reveal to me in His word. Yet it was almost as if I was a warrior just spending my days shining my armor, practicing to put it on, looking in the mirror with it, and smiling at how prepared I looked. Then of course the enemy came with his lies, I got caught off guard, and forgot how to actually use my armor to defend myself! Before I knew it, I got caught up in words spoken to me by my dear husband, and got tangled in lies from the evil one. I instantly became tearful as I believed how the evil one twisted Dave's words and I found myself on a fast track to marital disunity. Wow...being naive to spiritual battle is really not worth it.
With a bit of time to myself, it was as if the Lord found me buried under all the "rubble" of the attack, dusted my feet off and said "Time to get back up again. Yet this time use My strength that can demolish strongholds to take captive every thought and make it obedient to my Truth. Do you REALLY think Dave meant that to be hurtful? I think you and I both know the answer to that."
In our joy of following Christ, let us not grow naive to the fact that we "do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)
It's interesting that in the "Armor of God" passage, I failed to notice the verse just after..."to that end, keep alert with all perseverance". Obviously missed that small and powerful detail.
Wake up, wake up, wake up
Wake up all you sleepers
Stand up, stand up
Stand up, all you dreamers
Hands up, hands up
Hands up all believers
Take up your cross, carry it on.
(All Sons & Daughters)
