resisting...

"Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and He will come near to you."

Resist the devil. Am i? Or am i just giving in to despair? Am i choosing to be distraught, crushed, overwhelmed? Do I rather choose to believe my life is one long disaster with a new calamity just waiting to happen.....?

I have submitted to God, but like a broken reed, with broken head bowed before Him. Not really in acceptance but in defeat.  Do i “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” ?
‭‭(James‬ ‭1:2-3‬)

There is always a choice. I think that in various trials - and it seems there are quite a variety at the moment! - there are choices. One choice is to actually count it all joy! That is quite a mindshift right there. The testing of our faith produces perseverance, and the Bible says then to “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I certainly like that part about not lacking anything in my character.
‭‭(James‬ ‭1:4‬)

But in saying this, our enemy that walks around like a roaring lion, wants us to fail. He does not want our faith to produce perseverance. He does not want us to be mature in our faith. He wants us to have a pathetic cripple and weak faith in God. His end result is to make us give up on God.

So, it starts by submitting to God - trusting Him fully that whatever is going on we can know that He is in control and knows and hears and sees the whole picture. And when we stop fighting God, we can resist the devil - the real enemy.

How do I resist today? I get out of bed. I eat something. I choose to belief God is for me and not against me. I choose to believe that God is Always Good. I pick up God's Word, i read it. I resist the urge to crumple under severe strain just because it looks easier. I resist by accepting this day for what it is. I resist in thinking i am not enough, not good enough, not lovable. I resist. I become a rebel for God in this world that is not my home. I rebel against the enemy's schemes to bring me down so that i become a whimpering coward of a believer. I resist. I trust my Father and become the rebel i was born to be. I resist the devil and draw near to God and not the other way around.

Life is tough but there is always a choice. Submit to God, resist the enemy, draw near to God.

Bella