A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book, Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table. (p. 49). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
And that is so true!
Louie says, "When you are up against life and death, when your back’s against the wall, when circumstances are poised to take you out, and when the Devil is whispering lies in your ear, you need to know there’s an all-powerful Good Shepherd with a rod in one hand and a staff in the other. That’s the Jesus of Psalm 23. That’s why we find comfort in His presence. With that staff, the Good Shepherd can grab you and pull you to safety. And with that rod, He can crush any prowling lion or raging bear that charges toward you."
Louie goes on, "King David, who wrote Psalm 23, had taken on a lion and a bear and pounded them into the ground (1 Samuel 17:34–36). David understood what God said when He promised to be with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus is there in the midst of the pressure with us, and He’s not just standing around with His hands in His pockets. He’s there to rescue us when necessary, to protect us at all costs, and to fill our cups to overflowing. We don’t need to watch over our shoulders anymore. God prepares a table for us in the midst of our enemies. Jesus is watching them, guarding us, so we can keep our attention fully fixed on the face of the Good Shepherd—Jesus, our Savior.'
"Yet. . . it’s strategic to be able to spot the enemy’s lies—not so you can focus on the lies but so you can avoid them and fix your gaze back toward the Good Shepherd. When you are able to spot the following lies that are coming your direction, you can overcome them and win the battle for your mind with truth in Jesus’ name."
He continues, "First, if you’ve heard recently that it’s better at another table, then you can be certain the Enemy is at your table. Jesus’ table, the one He prepares for you, is about life and life abundantly (John 10:10). Any table other than God’s table is about stealing, killing, and destroying. When the Devil sits at your table, he often points to another table and talks about how amazing it is somewhere else. He points to a place that’s not the table where God is and says, That, over there. That’s the solution to your problem.
"See, the Devil is the worst kind of salesman. He tells you exactly what you want to hear and shows you exactly what you think you’re looking for. He doesn’t come to the table and announce to you that he’s going to kill you. He comes to the table with an offer to seduce you. But ultimately, he’s not selling you truth. He’s not selling you life. No. He’s selling you lies. He’s selling you death.
"Woven into the Devil’s pitch that it’s better at another table is the trickery of comparison. The Devil always tells you that there’s a better table somewhere else. Surely you should leave your spouse and hook up with someone else. Life will be better there, right? That’s the solution to all your problems. If you could just be with somebody else. Surely you should run with that other crowd, the crowd that’s not sitting at the table with Almighty God. If you could just abandon all you know to be true and go do your own thing for a season, that’s going to be what you want. Surely at another table—a table without fellowship with God—there’s more life, more food, more satisfaction, more joy, more of what you’re looking for.
"Don’t give in to that lie. The Devil loves for you to look at your life and compare it with somebody else’s so you wish you had what they had. He’ll mix in a little jealousy and sift in a little coveting and add a dash of woe is me and throw in a few lines about how God must love that person more than you. Or about how God is blessing that person more than He’s blessing you. Or about how surely God has withheld something you need. Pretty soon the Devil has you convinced that God isn’t good. God hasn’t blessed you. God doesn’t love you. You missed out on something good because God is mean or God forgot about you or God’s been lying to you all this time."
Louie later says, "Are you moving away from what you know is right and good as you’re reading these words? Are you thinking about bailing on what you’ve committed to? Are you close to doing something that you know is contrary to God’s best? Something you know you’ll regret? Or have you already made the jump away from Jesus, and you’re quickly discovering that the 'greener grass' is less than you bargained for? If so, the Enemy is at your table."
Louie then says, "But you don’t have to live this way. Jesus is calling you back to His table, to your table for two. Don’t give the Enemy a seat at your table."
So don't believe the lie of comparison and get back or stay at Jesus' table for two. Okay?
Yes, yes!
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