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"Now it’s you and God and the Devil."


A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book, Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table. (p. 41). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

And it can happen so fast.

Louie says, "The Enemy only needs the tiniest crack. A sliver of opportunity. The smallest window of doubt or uncertainty. Just like that, the Devil is sitting at your table, beginning to win the battle for your mind."

He goes on, "We’ve come to accept the Enemy sitting at our table as normal. That’s a big problem. We give him permission anytime we say things like, 'Oh, that’s just the way it is these days. Anxiety is just part of the equation. We’re all anxious, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Life’s just so chaotic today. Of course we’re all strangled by worry. Look at any news feed. Why wouldn’t I be afraid?'

"In the same way, we accept the false narrative about our lives that we aren’t worth much to God . . . or anybody else, for that matter. We think people don’t get us. Or they don’t value us. Or they are flat-out against us.

"Or we flip to the other point of view. We think we deserve more, so we allow envy and greed and comparison to cannibalize our God-given identity. We scroll our way through social media feeds determined to get what other people have—or, better yet, to get more."

Louie continues, "More stuff. That’s what we need. More friends. More layers of protection. More likes. Or maybe another table. After all, we all live in a corrupted culture, and we know it. Why stress over a little lust here, or a moment or two of pleasure there? Before you know it, you talk like the Devil and think the thoughts he wants you to dwell on.

"That’s just the way it is, right?"

He then says, "No! Allowing the Enemy to have a say in our lives should not be normal. In Jesus’ name, we can refuse him and all his ways. We don’t need to accept them. He leads us to sins that are harming us and choking the life out of this generation, but they don’t have to stay in our lives. Romans 8:10–12 says that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us. This same resurrection power is available to us. Jesus Christ has broken the power of sin, and God’s invitation to us is to embrace a new mindset and a new way of living. In Jesus’ name we are to think of ourselves as dead to the power of sin. In Jesus’ name we don’t have to let the voice of the Enemy control the way we live. In Jesus’ name we don’t have to give in to sinful desires; we can win the battle for our minds. Thanks to Jesus, we are no longer slaves. We are set free. We are alive. We are children of God."

And that is so true if we have a relationship with God and we have asked Him to the table, asked Him into our lives. Again, that is so true, isn't it?

Yes, yes!

  






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