Not today, Satan.

I saw a post on social media today that said something like:  Satan wouldn’t be attacking you so hard if there weren’t something so valuable inside of you.  Thieves don’t break into empty, worthless houses. 

Now usually social media leaves me speechless because of the sheer disregard of grammar, but today I was floored because of this simple, heavy truth.  It’s totally the kind of truth you send to your bestie when she’s having a bad day.  But do you read it for yourself?  Yeah.  I don’t either.

It’s true though. 

Christians often forget that Satan is a very real part of our faith.  There’s no need for Jesus unless it’s redemption from sin and salvation from Hell.  We love the washed clean part of our beliefs, but it’s not real unless we acknowledge the blood-stained part of our beliefs too.  We can’t need a Savior unless we have done things to be saved from.  When we’ve done things we need to be saved from, it’s because we’ve followed Satan’s pulls towards self-indulgence.  It means we have a very real enemy that we tend to ignore.

Why do we have an enemy?  When we align ourselves with the Lord, we declare ourselves enemies of Satan, protected by God for all of eternity.  BUT- protected doesn’t mean we cannot be hurt here in this life.  The whole “all things work together for good” gets thrown around buuuuut if you read the entire passage around Romans 8:28 it doesn’t just say that everything is all good for Christians.  It specifically discusses believers being chosen and working in God’s will and His callings.  Even the often misquoted portion says that God’s causing things to work together not for good but for the good of those who love Him and who are called based on His purpose for them.  

Quick recap: Real enemy. Real need for salvation. This is NOT a guarantee for all things to be good in your life.

Continue forth.

I know. That’s not helpful. It’s downright depressing. No guarantee for good things? Real powers prowling around trying to ruin us? Boo. 

Here’s the good part.  Romans 8:30 tells us that because God’s chosen us, He’s called us to Himself and through that He’s given us good standing with Him.  And because of that good standing, He has given us His glory.

Did you read that?!  HIS GLORY! --- pause to picture just the incredible majesty that entails ----

Girl, keep reading.

It goes on to say that God is for us and did not even spare His son for us so who can we even think is against us?! Does that mean we discount Satan’s work? Um no.  But it does mean that aaaaaall the times in the Bible that people are told to not be afraid… that’s for us, too.  So. Here’s the work for you today.  Pray:

- over what God’s calling you to.  As you do, open your heart to what work that will require of you.

-thank God for the gift of your salvation and the promise of sharing in His glory

-that God will keep your heart focused on things of Glory and not thing “good” that we search for in this world

- that God will protect you as Satan tries to dismantle the work you’re doing based on God’s callings for you