Today I prayed a dangerous prayer. Surely you understand what I'm talking about. You know, when you pray "God give me patience" and then He gives you a situation that requires you to prove you're serious. Or when you pray "God help me not to be materialistic" and then He takes away some of your worldly possessions to see if you really mean it.
My dangerous prayer today involves Satan. In years past, I can point to a number of times when I knew the devil was trying to derail me from God's plan for my life. Whether it was physical or emotional, I eventually recognized the attacks for what they were and fought hard to resist his attempts to discourage me. God really taught me during those times to trust Him and lean on His strength and not my own. The Holy Spirit is much better at engaging in Satanic warfare than I am.
During my Bible study this morning, I realized that I have not experienced a direct attack for a long time (at least one I could identify as such). I'd love to pat myself on the back and say I'm stronger now and impervious to his attacks but I'm afraid the truth of the matter is much more frightening.
What if, instead of big major events, Satan is using the small, everyday things to lead me astray? What if apathy, laziness, and busyness have become his weapons of choice? What if the lack of attacks means he doesn't see me as a threat anymore? What if Satan has left me alone because I'm not really affecting the kingdom of God? Now that is truly a scary thought.
In a Bible study recently, the author of the book suggested that instead of praying "God bless me," we prayed "God inconvenience me." That is truly a dangerous prayer. But if we're not putting ourselves out there, ready and willing to be the Lord's hands and feet, Satan has nothing to worry about. As odd as it might sound, I hope I never get to the point where Satan doesn't care about me.
Do I enjoy Satanic attacks? Of course not. But I can rest in the knowledge that the closer I get to Jesus, the easier it is to allow Him to fight my battles. Peace is God's ultimate goal for our lives but I need to be cognizant of the line between sedentary spirituality and divine tranquility.
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you." Romans 16:20
I have prayed for a couple of years now to have walk on water faith. Last Thursday I told the Lord I was ready to get out of the boat. He knew I didn't have the courage to do it alone so He rocked my boat. I know the waves are big and strong, that I will be scared and get wet, but He will not let me drown! He is BIGGER than all my issues.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insight today Sharon.