"If you don't see the real me, you won't see what love has won..." Vota

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Are you frustrating Satan or God?

Last night at Bible study the pastor brought some light to oppression and how we are to persevere under it and that if we are not oppressed maybe we are not living as Christians ought to live. Superficially I thought about what I blogged about the physical oppression by humans and could not honestly complain about being oppressed (yes I have had some conflicts, but in comparison I cannot complain), so what is wrong with my witness that I would not be oppressed?

Then David reminded me of what Paul reminds the saints about in Ephesus. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

He also pointed out that since our struggle is not against other humans, but against Satan and his realm of darkness that maybe we are oppressed in a more subtle and dangerous way than just being boiled alive. Maybe the physical torture would be easier upon our souls than the numbing of our spirit to what Christ taught. One example he used (an example not the only way...) is the undermining of the family and the Christian marriage. Over the years divorce has become common and acceptable and many Christians (as many as non-Christians I am pretty sure) are dealing with divorce. If we are to be set apart and be different we should not have the same statistics as the rest of the world. Satan is oppressing us in our values and undermining what God says. We are slowly losing what sets us apart from the world, and when we fall into the sin of the world we lose our witness not just the present witness, but the past as well.

So with this fresh on my brain I will add that if we are not stirring up aggravations for Satan and causing him to oppress our lives for Christ then that may be where we are going wrong. Have you ever felt like Satan was attacking you? Now that is a question to which I can answer a loud and resounding "yes". As a home schooling mom, a single income family, a Christian who may not participate in the worlds fun, a mom who holds her children to a higher standard than the world, a wife who submits to the authority of her husband... all of these things frustrate Satan and the world view of womanhood and selfishness (feminism).

If you can't answer yes to the question of Satan’s attack then just think about what that implies... He is not worried about you. He knows where your allegiances lie. Hmmm...

I am not saying that if you do not live as I do (with all of my struggles listed above) that you are not a Christian. Every Christian will have his/her own list of struggles. My examples are not the point. The point is that if you are not putting Christ first in your lives, jobs, family, church, whatever then Satan will not be compelled to oppress you. The examples that I and my preacher used are just that, examples. Don't get hung up on the examples. Examine your life and consider if it is creating peace for Satan or if it is creating a challenge for him.

I even on a slightly lesser scale taught this to Olivia this morning. I told her that when she argued, whined, complained, disobeyed me and her daddy, that she was making God sad and Satan happy. I have used the phrase making God happy before and it never struck a nerve for her until today when I pointed out what making God happy does to Satan and vice versa. The fact that she was making Satan happy really had an effect on her. I think it made her see the whole picture. Maybe we all need to see the whole picture when we examine our own hearts and lives.

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