There is someone who tries to enter my life every time I go deeper into my relationship with Jesus. Someone who is so completely jealous of my relationship with Him. Someone who wants my attention to be on him and him alone. This person appears every time I open up my heart to my Savior and say, "Lord change me. Change my heart. Make it what you want it to be. Come into my heart and soul and clear out the junk." Every single time I say those words, there is someone who loves all the junk he sees in my heart and will do and say anything to get me to hold tight to all the junk I so badly want to throw away. This person isn't welcome in my home. He is not welcome in my heart. He is not welcome in my life. Yet he is so sly and good at what he does that it is so easy to without knowing it open up a window and letting him come crash on the couch for awhile. If you haven't guessed it by now, his name is the devil.
You would think that after putting my trust in the Lord for so many years and having this happen every time that I would be on the look out and see it coming. But friends, I never see it coming. It catches me off guard almost every single time. That's how the devil works, when he sees an opportunity he is going to take it. He is so clever that whatever God is laying on my heart in that weeks study to change, the devil usually attacks that the hardest. I'm going to be completely transparent with you, this week it was this very verse:
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” ~ Proverbs 15:1
I get teary-eyed just thinking about it guys. Anger is such an easy thing to give into as human beings. Hurtful words sometimes can come flying out of your mouth before a second thought is even given. Hurtful words can cut and cut deep. And ladies.... the devil knows. He knows how easily as human beings we can fall into anger and everything that follows it. He knows that relationships are the easiest thing to go after, and the easiest thing to hurt those relationships is in fact anger. So let me tell you, he has been working hard to enter this home and make a boom. Every day there has been something new he has used to try to stir up anger and harsh words in this home. And if I'm being really honest, there are a few times he succeeded. And as much as that makes my heart hurt, I'm so very thankful I can bring those moments to Jesus, lay them down at His feet and not carry that burden and start fresh again.
Therefore I want to take this time to publicly declare that the devil is NOT welcome in my home. He is NOT welcome near my family. He is NOT welcome to try and break up my relationships. He is NOT welcome to slip through the window unnoticed and crash on my couch. I am a daughter of the King and that's where my heart belongs. Every time he tries to bring this family down, all it does is bring us to our knees and cry out for Jesus. Every time he pushes us to the limits, all it does is make us work harder to become more and more like Jesus. We aren't perfect and we will mess up but boy do we have a Savior that loves us, holds us in His arms, and let us know it's all going to be ok.
As always I'm going to try and keep my eyes better pealed for ways the devil is going to try and attack. I challenge you all to do the same. Try hard to block him before he even tries to knock on the door. Every time you draw closer to Jesus, I promise friends he will try to bring you back his way. Don't let him. Cling tight to our Lord's hand and His promises. I promise He will see you through whatever the devil tries to throw at you......
~Chrissy
