Tag: Abide

The Roaring Lion

The Roaring Lion

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 2 Comments

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

 

Spiritual attacks are the worst! Here you are, minding your business, when suddenly, you’re thrown into an unexpected battle. Immediately, you feel unsteady. Before you can regain your footing, the devil jumps in your face, reeling off a list of your most terrible qualities, your unworthiness to receive all that God has promised to you, and your human inability to actually be successful in your journey of abiding. You attempt to fight back, reciting your scriptures, praying about it, or sometimes ignoring him all at once. While you make some headway, you admit to yourself that you’re already a little bruised. Your feelings got hurt, your confidence took a punch, and you’re looking at God like what did I do to deserve this?

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Luke 10:19

I was in the middle of this just last weekend. The battle left me feeling  upset, frustrated, sad, and mentally exhausted. Despite those feelings, an overpowering need to rest prevailed. God told me, clear as day, that I needed to chill out. I needed to sit down. I needed to stop talking back to the devil. Specifically, He told me to use my energy to give Him praise. He reminded me to say thank you. He urged me to think on thoughts that were true.

His love for me.
His patience with me.
His grace towards me.
The peace He had given to me.

I was reminded, as I shifted focus, that I didn’t have to go back and forth with the devil. The devil wasn’t worth my time. The devil was already under my feet. Furthermore, no matter what the devil tried to say about me, to hurt me or put me down, God already told me that I was His. I was His child. I was His baby. The devil could read me for filth and STILL, God loved me. “Relax.” He said. “You’ve already won.”

“It’s about progression, not perfection.” – Pastor Michael Todd

In moments like this, when you’re under attack, no matter the circumstance, it’s important to take a step back and observe. What’s really going on? Is the attack rooted in God’s truth or in the devil’s condemnation? You’ll find, oftentimes, that if all you’re hearing is how horrible, how unqualified, or how insignificant you are, that’s not God. That’s not God’s truth for you. Do you still need correction and discipline, humbling and guidance? Surely! God won’t give that to you by beating you up, however. Abiding is about the journey, it’s about the slow but steady change towards being all God purposed and planned for you to be. If you feel anything else, immediately step away and understand what exactly is going on. Lean into God. Don’t overact and throw yourself a pity party. Remember the promises He made to you. Know that the devil is mad that you’re moving forward in God’s plan and He’s desperately trying every trick in the book to keep you down and defeated. He’s hoping to make you forget who you are and Whose you are. Laugh in his face and keep on walking. The devil can’t kill you when you know your power.

You’ve already won, twenty somethings.

Meditate on this:

“The lion may roar but I see his leash, so I keep moving forward!” – Pastor Steven Furtick

 

Abide

Abide

by Nikki Rich Writes ♥ 6 Comments

No other passage has stuck out to me more, this past week, than John 15: 1 -17. At its core, John 15 highlights the importance of being in step with God, instead of  moving in our own time and own way. Jesus tells us that in order to bear fruit, we must abide in Him. If we are apart from Him, attempting to do life by ourselves, we might as well throw in the towel. There’s no hope! If we’re being honest, the message sounds a little harsh. It appears as though Jesus isn’t merciful and patient towards us. He, in fact, compares us to a branch burned in the fire, deemed useless (verse 6), if we operate in our own knowledge and strength. Doesn’t He understand that we are only human? We can’t always get it right. That truth about our humanity, however, is exactly what makes this passage beautiful.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Verse 8)

Jesus understands our humanity. He was flesh himself. This is exactly why He’s stressing the point of abiding. It isn’t that He is intolerant to our stubbornness and pride (the way His grace and mercy are set up!), but He knows what His father’s business is. He knows what His father purposed for us. Why waste time wandering through life when you can be a full fledged disciple? Why waste time flexing your flawed pride when you can walk in the power and glory of God? Why waste time trying to make things happen for yourself, by yourself, when you can ask for anything in His name and it will be done for you (verse 7)? This passage, then, is not meant to condemn you, but to empower you.

Jesus’ message on abiding is a call to stop playing games. We can only rule our own lives for so long before we crash. It serves us no benefit. In fact, it does nothing more than push us backwards, delaying the maturation of our fruit. We all want joy, peace, favor, and guidance. We all seek blessings, influence, and His endorsement. That’s exactly what our fruit is. That is what it should be. That’s what He is trying to produce in us.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (verses 10 & 11).

Abiding isn’t easy, especially when you don’t want to let up on the reins of your life. The silver lining is that God is patient, kind, and loving. If He wasn’t, He would not have given us this warning. He wants us to be His disciples, growing, getting pruned, and growing some more. It’s hard work. It’s sacrifice. It’s  admitting your own defeat. It’s  dying to self. It’s  realizing that all the effort you put in, on your own, didn’t hold a candle up to what God could do. It’s release. It’s surrender. It’s  peace. It’s His love.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (verse 16)

Stop fighting Him. Surrender and let Him begin the pruning process in your life. Release your control and watch Him perform miracles that you could not have imagined. It starts with realizing that you can’t do it alone. It starts with realizing that you, indeed, are not God. It starts with understanding that God’s desire to have His hand over your life is not to control you and mess up your plans, but instead to transform your life, open your eyes to greater, and to have you become the disciple He destined for you to be.

 

Start abiding, twentysomethings!