James 4:7
New International Version (NIV)
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
As has become my own little tradition, i'm for the most part clueless about what the post of the week will be until i'm actually writing it. I do believe it's something to do with the thing where God says not to be anxious about what you'll say beforehand, but to just show up and He will give you the words.
I played around with the theme of Pride being the most sneaky and dangerous and ultimately deadly of sins in the context of Job's story for illustration...i had a major eye opener on that one..but i guess that will be next week.
Also, i need to mention about guarding your thoughts, because they really do affect your actions, and ultimately, your life...
Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.
Now to the business at hand!
Last week, one of the things i nearly wrote about was "The Illusionist". I believe i can safely assume that the joke about the screensaver in hell is more or less known in one form or the other. A person is given a chance to choose and is shown to heaven and hell. In heaven people are walking about all white robed and playing croquet and singing hymns and playing harps and laughing and skipping about and all that...Now in hell the person sees a paaarty! girls! drink! no rules whatsoever..so he chooses hell, get's there and sees that in actual fact, it's this actual pit of actual fire and people just roasting about and suffering...upon complaining, he is informed that what he saw was the screensaver..ha.ha.
I think that joke is the perfect illustration to bear in mind when understanding this deal with the illusionist.
See, the devil is a liar..but no surprise there, we all know this. The tricky bit, the really tricky bit, is how he does this lying. If you're spending your time looking for in your face blatant, apparent lies..you'll probably miss it, because although the lies are total, it is not always (i guess) that they come dressed at lies.
The deceit is successful because it manages to have its effect without you actually noticing that you fell for a lie. Hence the whole deal with the illusions.
The lies appear truly legit on the outside, they are all dressed up and ready to go. They are attractive and look very much like the real deal, and if you don't stop and think, if you're in the habit of just "going with the flow", you'll just swallow it and act on it, only realizing what has happened after that screensaver goes away.
I don't think i'm the only one that has done something, then have it feel like you've snapped out of a trance and for the life of you cannot point to one single reason why you felt like it was the okay thing to do.
That's what the devil's whole entire ploy is based on. It is based on hope and faith in you, that you will just accept it and act on it. This is exactly why we need to be attentive, to not be passive about life. To be aware of every breath.
The lies are like a mirage, and very much to our relief, can be spooked and they go away, because no matter how much the lies try to masquerade as truth, they can never actually displace it, which means that the truth is there, unchanging. You just need to look for it, and insist on only it.
Lies have loopholes, and when you hold them up against the truth, against the word of God, the light shines through all these holes and you can see the lie just fall apart and disappear in front of you. It is not solid, and when challenged, it doesnt even put up too much of a fight, it just dissipates and moves on to the next person, who won't bother to examine the lie.
Lies and temptations are poor imitations of what truth is. The thing is to not allow yourself fall for them by running it by God's word, checking it up against the truth. Sometimes you find yourself running with an idea or a thought, and it's depressing you, or leading you to temptation, or causing you to be anxious...stop, breathe, take it from the top, taking each element of it and seeing how it lines up with what God says..
I ended up writing this post because of a very hands on dream i had a couple of minutes ago while taking a nap. Resist the devil, and he will flee. Recognize that God has your back, He will protect you, He is there for you, so you have no reason to be intimidated into doing anything, you have no reason to be scared into believing any lie or acting upon it. God is greater than everything and anything, so resist with confidence, knowing that God has your back and will never leave you hanging, no matter how much lies and illusions try to tell you otherwise.
I am thankful for Life
I am thankful for God
I am thankful for His faithfulness...this week has been like feem trick. You don't even know the routes God will take to move your mountains, but best believe, they will be moved.
I am thankful for my family
I am thankful for prayer. It's one of the most powerful things we can do. Like, actually stop and think of it...You talk to God!! like, the very One who like..you know..is THE ONE! and what more, He speaks to you...if it was something that didn't happen all our lives...our minds would be blown..so bear that in mind and don't take it for granted..stop and reflect every now and then..
I am thankful for Love
I am thankful for forgiveness
I am thankful that He protects me
I am thankful that He guides me
I am thankful for His mercy
I am thankful for His grace
I am thankful for the people in my life
I am thankful that He has so radically changed my paradigm...like, 180 mahn!
I am thankful for kindness
I am thankful for authenticity
I am thankful for His word
I am thankful that He is the greatest coach ever!
I am thankful for writing
I am thankful for growth
I am thankful for the journey
I am thankful for God...
I am thankful for church
I am thankful for inspiration, for those things that just come to you when the time is right
I am thankful!
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