The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
I had coffee with a friend last night and was explaining to her how some circumstances in my life lately have caused me to feel distant from God. Do you ever have weeks or months where you feel like you’re in this great stride with the Lord? Learning, receiving, hearing, seeing Him at work so evidently? And then, all of the sudden, you find yourself feeling at a distance from Him? You don’t know how to approach Him and you don’t even know why you feel that way.
My friend asked me some good questions last night and I realized some things. When we feel distant from God, it's really easy to blame ourselves or get down on ourselves. Why don’t I feel close to Him? Why can’t I just get past this and start pursuing Him again? I realized, in this case, that Satan has been trying to make me believe some lies. He’s been out, just like the verse tells us, to steal my joy, kill my effectiveness in God’s Kingdom, and destroy the freedom I’ve been experiencing in my relationship with God. And you know what the sad part is? I’ve absolutely been allowing him that power. The Good News is, however, that God is always pursuing us, even when we feel far away. He is always drawing us back to Himself, to His truth, to His heart.
Yes, Satan is out to steal, kill and destroy. But God...He always fights for us. He uses the body of Christ to draw us back to Himself. He uses his Word. He never lets us go.
If you’re feeling distant and you don’t know why, that’s ok. Our relationship with God is that- a relationship. Theres ebbs and flows just like any relationship, I think. But don’t let Satan have the control he desires in your life. He knows that if we’re covered in the blood of Jesus, he simply can’t touch us. But he sure can mess with us while we’re here on earth. When he does, we have a God who is stronger, more powerful, and mightier than any weapon forged against us.
Isaiah 54:17 says this:
“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.”
THIS is our heritage, our promise, our Good News. If God is for us, NO ONE can be against us. Satan cringes at the name of Jesus because he knows His power. He already knows who the Victor is.
I'm reminding myself of these truths today. When lies come at me, when circumstances make me feel distant from the Lord, when I feel that I simply can’t hold myself together, I can trust that Jesus stands up for me. His love for us is greater than anything. He came to give us life to the full. Today, I'm taking hold of this truth and dismissing the lies that have been loud in my head lately. I'm remembering the promises of God and His character- that His plans for me are for my good and that He loves me more than I know.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Philippians 3:12
Press on, dear friends.
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