Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book,  Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 57). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   Please, let's not believe that lie. Louie say, "Now, we’ve got to be really careful about this lie, because Scripture calls us to be humble. But as it’s been well said: humility is not thinking less of yourself; humility is thinking of yourself less. We easily get these confused by thinking it honors God for us to think less of ourselves. But nothing could be further from the truth. You are made in the very image of God. That staggering reality doesn’t cause us to strut around and grow an 'it’s all about me' persona. But it doesn’t leave us wallowing in the misery of 'I don’t measure up to anything' either. These two outcomes are where the Devil wants to lead you. Either to an overinflated ego or to an underappreciated sense of just how significant and valuable you are....

  A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book,  Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 54). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   Is that what you feel? Is it? Louie says, "This voice tells you that life is hopeless. There’s no way out. May as well just chuck it all, quit, and die. "So often when we are asked how things are going, we reply with answers like, 'Man, I don’t know if I’m going to make it through this season. I’m not sure I’m going to survive this semester. I don’t know if I’m going to get through this time." He goes on, "Have you ever heard yourself saying something like that? Where did you get that kind of thinking? Where did you hear those words of gloom and doubt? Not from your Good Shepherd. You likely heard them from the Enemy at your table. "See, your God has just told you that even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don’t need to fear any evil....

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. Jesu...

A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book,  Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 45). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is so very true. He quietly sits down. Louie says, "You might not recognize him when he first sits down. The Devil doesn’t arrive with a brightly flashing neon pitchfork. He doesn’t sit down with a growl and threaten to gouge out your eyes. No. At first, it’s simply another person seated next to you, helping himself to your brownie, wondering aloud which water glass is his, inadvertently wiping his mouth with your napkin. "It takes only a second. The unwelcome visitor sits down so swiftly and casually it’s hard to discern his true character. He often appears to be on your side at the start. He promises you relief from your troubles. Second Corinthians 11:14 describes how Satan 'masquerades as an angel of light,' which means that the Devil rarely comes to the table showing h...

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, f...

A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book,  Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 24). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Yes He does and it's a good thing. Louie says, "Sure, you can lie down on rocky ground if you want to. You can lie down in the heat and the dust. But Jesus says, Lie down in green pastures. Get some rest. Stop trying to manage all the outcomes. Take a break in the midst of the craziness of your day and acknowledge that I’m a Good Shepherd and I have your best interest at heart. By the way, while you’re resting, go ahead and eat some green grass. Allow Me to nourish your soul. That’s how I operate. I love you and take care of you, and any directive that I give you will be for your own benefit." He goes on, "See, when God refers to us as sheep, it’s a reflection of how we are wired, although it’s not necessarily a compliment. Sheep need leadership. God’s not saying that we’re cut...

A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book,  Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 17). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)   That is what we also need. Louie says, "I look at Paul and Silas; at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; and at all the people throughout Scripture who encountered times of intense trouble yet went bigger with their faith, and I marvel. The prophet Habakkuk stated it clearly when he cried out:  Fig tree " ' Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, I will still be joyful and glad, because the LORD God is my savior.' (Habakkuk 3:17–18 GNT)" He goes on, "The last two lines indicate huge faith. And did you notice the two phrases repeated three times in Habakkuk’s prayer?  " Even though . . . I will . . . ...

A thought by Louie Giglio, from his book, Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table .   (p. 5). Thomas Nelson, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Now that is an interesting thought. Louie says, " The Enemy had taken a seat at my table, and I was allowing myself to listen to a killer. Right there in my driveway, I determined to take back my table. The Devil would have to flee." He goes on, "In the days that followed, my mind was riveted on those nine words. As negative thoughts would enter my mind, I’d say to myself, Don’t give the Enemy a seat. Don’t entertain his ideas. These thoughts are not from a good and trustworthy Shepherd. Move on. "Soon after, I was led to study Psalm 23—a text that has comforted and steadied God’s people through the ages as they have navigated troubled waters. Now I was seeing it through fresh eyes. Especially the line that reads, 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies...