His Encouragement #11

Welcome back for another week of His Encouragement Thursday! I am blessed to be a part of a group of bloggers who share a bit of truth from God’s Word each week. I hope that this blesses you and encourages you today! <3

This week what is on my heart to share comes from 1 Peter:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
1 Peter 5:8-10 (ESV)

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you know that when you experience any kind of spiritual growth, Satan comes in for the attack. He doesn’t need to destroy you, he just needs to isolate and disable you. He doesn’t want God’s Truth going out. He will attack you where you are weakest. It’s nothing personal against you, but against God. Satan is very cunning, and knows how to get to people. He’s had a lot of practice over the generations! I say this not to scare you, but to prepare you. Because as verse 9 says “Resist him, firm in your faith.” It’s easier to fight the battle when we know it’s coming so that we are better prepared. It’s also encouraging to know that we are not alone. Satan seeks to disable every believer. We need to seek God for His help, but we also have each others to come alongside and encourage and just be there in the times of trouble.

It’s also important to look to verse 10. If you’re stuck in verse 8 or 9, look to 10. Our very strength comes from our Heavenly Father. He will pull us out of our pits and restore us. We need to do our part in staying firm in our faith, but we can rest in the knowledge that we don’t have to (nor are we expected to), do it all in our own strength. As Phil 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” It was never intended for us to do it all on our own.

Satan is a liar. We should all know this by now, but are we always able to know when he’s lying? Gen 3:1 says “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Satan knows what he’s doing! He doesn’t often come at us with an outright lie because we are more likely to recognize it as such and shut it down. However, if he mixes a little truth in, and is able to confuse us, he’s more likely to win. It’s one of the reasons we should be in the Word daily so that we can know God and know His Word more fully so that we can be more equipped to resist Satan and his lies.

Without going into too much detail, this is my passage for my week. This is exactly what I needed to hear for myself. I hope that this doesn’t surprise or depress you, but rather help prepare you for the very real battle going on and encourage you that the Lord is still near. He knows what you are going through and He will help you through. You are not alone. Your other brothers and sisters are being attacked as well, but Satan’s real quarrel is with God. Cling to God and His promises. Resist Satan when he attacks. Look to God’s Word for the truth. Trust that God will give you the strength you need to get through.

The song I’m sharing for this week is the one that keeps coming to into my head, so I figure it’s meant to be for a reason. I hope you take a minute to listen and meditate on it <3

 

Now, it’s your turn!

What Biblical verse is encouraging you today?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Nicole @ Christian Fiction Girl

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole