Sav on Saturday

This post is going to be shorter than my last few ones. Mostly because I want it to be. And I'm tired.

I read a book I wanted to share with you called "When the Enemy Strikes" by Charles F. Stanley. It's about when temptations come, why, and how to withstand them. I filled this book with post-it notes, marking all the places I wanted to write about. Instead of doing what I had planned, I am going to share one verse:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).

I am guilty of dismissing too many evils as the result of man's weakness. That is true, we are weak. But when we let down our guard of prayer, the devil is stalking us like a lion (1 Peter 5:8). When we let our light shine, when we love like Jesus loved, we are thwarting the devil's plans. I like to pretend the devil does not exist. I like to think we are all good at heart and that evil is a misplaced word that really refers to our perfectly natural animalistic instincts as they coexist with our evolved sense of altruism that comes from our need for community. Wouldn't that be lovely if that were true? No good or evil, only relativism. No responsibility. But that is not the world we live in, nor is it one we would want to live in. If we are not evil at heart, if we are not susceptible to the evilness that lurks within and without, why did Jesus die on the cross?

The truth is that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We all will face trials and temptations because this world is fallen. But we have hope! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Jesus loves us. God is the God of second chances, of third chances, of a million chances. I should know. It seems like every day I tempt the mercies of God. And yet his grace never fails, his mercies are "new every morning." This catches my breath every time I think about it. Just a week ago, I was curled in a ball on my bedroom floor, thinking, "How can God save me this time? I've really screwed up now. I'm beyond His grace." And yet here He is. Still loving me and protecting me. Every day I face the devil's taunts, and sometimes I fall victim to them. And God still welcomes me back into His arms. That is love. That is grace. That is hope.

For those who did not read my comment on my post last week, I am now home in Northville, MI. My job in Tennessee did not pan out well, and my parents and I decided it would be best for me to return home. I'm still job-hunting, so keep that in your prayers. I miss you all and hope you are closer to God today than you were yesterday.