Fight The Good Fight!

Life can be so overwhelming at times. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed at school, at work, at home, or maybe it has nothing to do with any of these. Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on why you are feeling this way. Maybe you yourself aren’t feeling this way, but someone close to you is. Let me begin by saying, that our thoughts, our attitudes, our emotions, the people around us, as well as our surroundings and environment; can play a prodigious role in our well being, both mentally and emotionally.

Indubitably, it’s Satan. He is known for weighing us down, grabbing hold of us, and giving us a feeling of suffocation. Satan can make us feel as though we are drowning under water, like we are being pushed further and further into a tenebrous and frigid abyss. When this happens (if we aren’t cautious), intense feelings, such as depression, can overtake us, leaving us feeling like we can’t escape; like there’s no way back up to the surface.

You have two ways of responding when this happens. You can either stop fighting your way back up for air, giving in, and allowing yourself to sink to the bottom; or you can look to God, knowing He will jump in the water after you, as to pull you back up, and bring you back to shore again. He will too, because you’re His. Never forget how precious you are to Him. He will fight for you in any situation, no matter how big or small it might be. You have to believe this with all your heart.

So why does Satan attack us, you ask? God tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” In John 8:44, God also tells us, “…he was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Finally, God gives us a warning in 1 Peter 5:8-9, “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.”

To put it simply, Satan wants nothing more than to obliterate God’s kingdom and all who are in it. The moment you accept Christ as your personal savior, you enter into a spiritual battlefield. You then join God’s army. As His children, God gives us a lifelong mission to tell everyone we know about Him, so that they might come to know Him too. This spiritual battle is between God, Satan, and all who are lost, and it’s happening all around us. This whole world is under attack by Satan, and you can visually see it everywhere you look; everywhere you go.

Think about the epic battle scene in the novel and movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. (Which, by the way, was one of my favorite childhood series!) The White Witch symbolizes Satan, and the lion, Aslan, symbolizes Christ. Both Aslan, and The White Witch, along with each of their armies, break out in a massive war with each other; and, yep, you guessed it, Aslan wins!

It is very similar to that of the spiritual battle going on in this world. Satan has his army, and God has His. Satan’s army is all around us in the form of murderers, child molesters, school shooters, robbers, rapists, drug dealers, etc. Additionally, Satan will also disguise himself in the people closest to us. Sometimes he’ll disguise himself in our coworkers, our bosses, and even our friends and sometimes members of our family. It’s disappointing to say the least, but all too often true.

We can’t allow those people to stand in our way though. Will they try to knock you down and discourage you? Of course they will! Will they spread nasty rumors about you? Probably. Unfortunately, this is all too common in the workplace. Will you listen to them? Absolutely not!

It will be challenging, but you have to realize that there will be a day when this battle comes to an end. Christ tells us this in the book of Revelation, that one day He will return, and He will destroy Satan and all of his evil! What a joyous day of victory that will be!

While we are so desperately ready for that day, we have to fulfill God’s purpose in spreading His word, telling others about Christ, and what is to come. This is what God calls us to do, this is why we are here. So many people in this world are lost and hurting. Too many are getting defeated by the malevolent works of Satan. It is up to us to put an end to it!

So, reach up out from under the water; grab hold of God’s hand, and get back to the surface! Remember who you are. Remember who put you here in this world. You belong to God, you are princes and princesses of the one true King! Don’t let Satan fool you into thinking you are any less. Encourage and help others who might be sinking, remind them they are loved and have a purpose. Tell them of His promises!

Romans 8:37-39

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Isaiah 43:4

“Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you…”

Copyright © 2019 Angela J. Stout.