New Levels, New Devils

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

Three weeks ago this blog began with disruptions and reminders of how to handle them.  Two weeks ago there was progression from experiencing the disruptions to being free of them.  With the way this week has gone in the world and in our personal lives (mine in particular), living and striving away from the chicken coops of the past have introduced new levels, unfamiliar territory in heart, mind, and soul.  We’re standing in a large field of possibilities, of ideas we’d once brushed off as fanciful daydreams that could actually be real, opportunities to bless others and bring glory to God.  It’s exciting, isn’t it?  Who could imagine that the man who’d once been told he could never be anything finally sees how he can be so much more?  Or what about the woman who’d been crushed by countless disappointments and yet now sees the Lord opening a door to a blessed and prosperous beginning?

Who would have thought that a nerdy, geeky, little woman from Texas would be committed to creating an inspirational blog and follow through?

New levels, fam, that’s where we are. 

And true to form, our accuser, nemesis, enemy – that no good, low down rascal—is right there sending in new devils to trip us up.  It seems like everywhere we turn in our field, everywhere we look, something or someone comes up that knocks against the core of who we are in Christ.  Granted, it’s the Enemy’s job to contend against the children of God, the joint heirs with His Son.  But like me, don’t y’all think he does his “job” a little too good?  Don’t y’all wish he would do like our Nana’s and Paw-paws told us when we were young and rowdy, and just “get somewhere, sit down, and hush”?

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m keeping it transparent, fam: the Enemy is working that very last nerve!

Thoughts and feelings that I never ever conceived coming from me have become a temptation with which I wrestle daily.  Attitudes of “I wish somebody would try me” have now become a thing.  The fight to bring it all under submission to the Holy Spirit feels like a 20-round heavyweight title fight, like I’m going against Mike Tyson in his prime, which means a guaranteed knockout for someone like me.  We’re talking round 1, 3 seconds…but I digress.

And yet even as I’m typing this entry and looking at the verse in a split screen, the Lord opens these tired, bifocaled eyes and says, “You know you defaulted to the natural again, right?  Why fight like this when My word is in front of you?  Is My word not a weapon of spiritual warfare?  I know you’ve got faith in Me, because you’ve seen Me work.  I promised you I would never let you fall.  Am I not a promise-keeper?  I know how much you can bear, too.  Am I not faithful to lift you above these temptations?  Am I not powerful to fight these battles for you?  At the sound of my name these devils will tremble and flee.  I’ve got this, because I’ve got you, to the very end.  So remind me, little lady, why are you trippin’?”

Like a little kid with hands clasped behind me and avoiding eye contact, here’s my timid, mumbled answer: “…I don’t know.”

It never fails to amaze how in the midst of a struggle moment, the Lord cuts a simple path of wisdom, insight, and deliverance at the right time that blows the mind.  His reminders are absolutely the best.  His precision makes the strife and worry disappear instantly and leaves us standing in our field once more, looking around with one hand on the hip and the other scratching our heads.

“Really, Lord?  Was that all it took?”

“My son, my daughter—yup, that was all it took.  Now get back to fulfilling the plans I have for you.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for opening the eyes of our hearts when they need to be opened, to confound the Enemy and reconfirm our faith in You and the power of Your word.  Thank You in advance for the power and authority to conquer these new levels in our lives and the devils that think they will overcome us.  It is because of You and You alone that we are already victorious.  Bless Your holy name, Lord!  Amen.