Evil is Hunting You (LR)

Evil is hunting you and will use whatever means to take you down and out of the battle. …for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and the forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) In I John 2:16 we learn that we are vulnerable to lust and pride. Our eyes and our souls are tainted. The sin nature exists in us and we will never be totally free of it until we move from this life into the next kingdom.

Because we have fallen natures, we attempt to make life work outside of God’s love and grace. If we look back to the Garden of Eden we see human nature in classic form. What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned. They attempted to cover their nakedness which in their perfect state was not nakedness. They used fig leaves. We still do the same. We use fig leaves also by projecting a false self. We put on masks to cover. We develop advanced defense mechanisms to project a different image or to subtly place the blame for our imperfections somewhere other than on ourselves.

Adam and Eve did that. “It wasn’t I, she gave me an I ate.” “I wouldn’t have but the serpent talked me into it.”

As we grow in grace and wisdom, we see that we must face more squarely who we are, not the false self we project. Oh, we’ve done this for “valid” reasons, project a false self that is. It is our best attempt to cope with sin and the pain that comes in this life. Discovering our more dark side is risky and is not always easy, but… it is something that God leads us into because He wants the best for us. What is best is that we face the facades we’ve created and with his help, bring them down. Not an easy process but deep spiritual growth comes with our facing the reality of our sinfulness and brokenness. There is comfort: Psalm 139, “Search me, oh God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”

So, this is not just a looking at what has gone on inside but also what has occurred in our relationships. Who have we wounded? lied to? offended in other ways? We have created or caused pain in the lives of others. Strained relationships may need to be mended.

Know this one thing–there is a way through. We humans don’t deal with our pain well. We are in a process of learning to take our pain to Jesus. We must find Him as the greatest Comforter. In fact, His Spirit is called our comforter in the New Testament.

He will comfort us as we face the facades, the masks, and the sin that exists. Know that you can rest in Him. He will not show you more than you can bear. He will show areas to work on in His time. Trust Him. He is there with you and will lead you into reflection which brings maturity and wholeness. We all long for that as true Christ followers.

Evil hunts us daily–hourly. The people around us are not our enemies. Be more concerned about the powers of darkness who would love nothing more than to take you out and shut you down. Don’t focus on people–focus on the real enemy. Focus on resisting him with the Spirit’s power and moving forward in Christ’s strength. He is with you, supporting you every step of the way.

Any time you see LR in the title of a blog this year, it stands for Lord of the Rings. It’s a hint that the blog is about the themes delivered in the Lord of the Rings trailer.

Lord of the Rings Trailer Part 1

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