However, for those of you who haven't read it yet, I want to share a little bit of what I learned, and I also want to share a little passage from the book with you guys:
"If Jesus said the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, well, then, why don't we think the thief ever actually comes to steal and kill and destroy? Good grief—the things people just roll over and accept as "God's will." The house was just the move to steal; the Enemy wanted to kill our hearts and destroy our faith and all that flows from it. I think that's nearly always true. The particular attack is not the issue; he'll steal anything to kill and destroy.
During an assault like that you must remember: make no agreements. The Enemy will suggest all sorts of things. You see—God doesn't care. You're not worth fighting for. Your heart doesn't matter. You can't trust Him. He is trying to kill your heart, destroy the glory of your life. It will feel hard—really hard, almost impossible—but whatever you do, make no agreements. You have to start there."
-Waking the Dead, 156
That first line gets me every time.
Jesus clearly told us in John 10 that the enemy's sole purpose is to attack us, steal from us, and ultimately destroy us. How naive we are to completely ignore what He clearly warned us of and act as if we are above (or maybe even below) the line of the enemy's attacks.
Okay, so maybe you're getting the picture now, like I did. The enemy desperately wants to attack my life, specifically my heart.... but why???
Why? Because YOU are an image bearer of The Lord (Genesis 1:27). Of course the enemy wants to attack you, he hates that we bear the image of Christ. The enemy wants to do anything and everything to harm and ruin the lives of those who bear the image of God, to steal and kill and destroy them.
Your life isn't going to and never will make sense until you come to terms with the fact that "the story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it" (Waking the Dead, 149).
Did you just read that??? The enemy KNOWS what you could be and he FEARS it.
Satan along with the other fallen angels only have a short time here on earth to attack us, to steal from us, and to destroy us, and they are angry (Revelation 12:12). So why is it that we still live our lives in ignorance of these attacks in our lives—on our hearts.
Wake up, people.
I say that because that's what I have to tell myself every day.
"Wake up, Erin. Acknowledge these attacks on your life, and fight."
The enemy of our soul is going to take every victory in our lives that he can get, no matter how small. Those thoughts of weakness, ugliness, or pride? Those aren't from your Father, so where do you think you got them?
We just accept those little lies in our heads like they're nothing, and that scares me. It scares me because I've been there. I've accepted lie after lie after lie. I've been a slave to my own thoughts, captive to the thoughts that the enemy so desperately wanted me to keep.
Another line in Waking the Dead that was a big eye opener for me says this, "Any movement toward God or others, will be opposed. Marriage, friendship, beauty, rest—the thief wants it all" (154).
Why do we let the enemy keep us pinned down then? Why do we just stop when we face opposition in our lives? Why don't we wake up and acknowledge the war that we are in the midst of?
Go read Ephesians 6.
This is not a war between flesh-and-blood enemies; we are at a war against the strategies of the devil, and it's time to put on the full armor of God and live our lives accordingly.
Let me tell you, it's not going to be easy. In fact, I bet it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. Satan is going to try harder and harder when he realizes that you are finally going to start resisting his attacks on your life. He's scared of you.
But don't lose hope. Keep your eyes on The Lord. Take up your shield, pick up your sword, and fight, for you are a treasure and warrior of the Kingdom.
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