I was walking through the church one night, quite a few years ago, and my good friend Jeanne stopped me and asked me how I was doing. She wanted to know how I was really doing and not just the "okay, how are you?" response we so readily give each other. I began to share with her about some of the trials I was currently walking through and how I was struggling to see God in all of it. She listened, like the good friend that she is, and then she just smiled at me and said, "Friend, have you ever heard the song The Boxer by Sara Groves? The whole time you were talking, I just kept thinking about that song. You should really go home and listen to it." So, I did. That song has been my go to song for quite a few years when I am feeling a tad bit overwhelmed with the circumstances of my life . If you haven't heard it, you should listen to it. You can find it by clicking here. The opening line of the song says, "When You said this was a fight, you weren't kidding." The song goes on to remind us that He is greater in us than anything that we might face and that sometimes we just need to bob and weave when the enemy attacks. To this day, when Jeanne senses that I am having a rough minute she will respond on Facebook with either "When You said this was a fight, You weren't kidding" or "Bob and Weave" It is her loving reminder that God is still greater than even this thing I am frustrated about. We all need this reminder from time to time.
Being a Christian is HARD!! God will often ask us to do things that we are not qualified or prepared to do. He asks us to trust the direction He is leading us. He is putting big dreams in my heart and in the hearts of some of my friends. He is calling a great number of us out of our comfort zones to do big things for His Kingdom. Guess what. The devil doesn't like it when we do big things for God's Kingdom. He doesn't like it one little bit. The devil will cause us to doubt that we are hearing God. He will try to put roadblocks in the way that will cause frustration. He will tell us we aren't good enough. He will send people to tell us that we are crazy. He will allow us to fall into a state of ,depression or anger. He will do ANYTHING to keep us from doing God's will. However, God says we can do ALL THINGS through Christ who gives us strength.
Steven Furtick from Elevation Church preached a message that encouraged me. He spoke about how the devil does not have the power or authority to take away from you the things that God has called you to. If God is giving you a dream and a passion to serve others for His Glory or maybe a dream to be His voice in the world, the devil absolutely cannot take that away from you. God has ordained it and God will put the pieces in place for you to prosper in that area. However, the devil can beat you down until you willingly give the dream and passion to him. He can throw so many roadblocks, trials, and hardships in your way that you decide you must have heard God wrong, or what God is asking you to do isn't worth it. You are so battle weary that you decide you just don't have the strength to move forward. This is the devil. He wants nothing more than to convince you that you CAN'T do something that God is calling you to do. We CANNOT let the devil win.
When you feel the weight of what God is asking you to do pressing down on you, call in your platoon. Ask them to pray for you. Admit that you are a having a rough minute and you will be blessed by the encouragement you get back. I swear that there are days where I am only upright because of the faithful prayers of others. Let us be those who keep our eyes solely focused on the One who loves us beyond measure and cast aside that mean old devil. Let us see the devil's tricks for what they really are. A scared desperate attempt to keep us from God's perfect plan.
