Just One Imperfect Person to Another

If you read my blog & think to yourself, “Man, this girl has it all together with her weekly blog posts & she is way more faithful & strong in her faith than I am…” well, let me stop you right there to give you an honesty check—everything I post about is something I have struggled through (or am still struggling through) myself.

I don’t come to you as someone who has figured it all out.

I don’t come to you as someone who is always sure & strong in her faith, always making the right choices.

I come to you as a fellow woman on a journey to trust God with more of her life as she fails, forgets, drops the ball, messes up, etc., leaning into the Holy Spirit’s work in her life.

The Hard-Headed Truth

To be honest with you, I am one of the most stubborn, hard-headed skeptics I know. It’s a miracle, truly, that God has grown me to where I am today.

Then, there’s the fact that even when I DO learn… God reminds me & I forget & He has to remind me again. I am hardheaded that way… or maybe prideful in always wanting to try my way first.

I am by no means perfect & I have a loooong way to go, but I just keep trying again… failing forward, letting the Holy Spirit work in me as I lean into Him.

And the key, I have learned (from my many failures & prideful mistakes) is to KEEP coming to HIM for help in the learning to trust & obey Him… even & ESPECIALLY after you mess it all up first. (That, I have learned from my own personal failures… Satan likes to use our mistakes & failures to create a rift between us & God, but God says, “Yep, Jesus paid for that, too. Come back to Me, My child.”)

Let’s Do This Together!

It’s a PROCESS & a JOURNEY we are ALL going through.

That’s where my confidence comes from—not in thinking I am better than anyone else, but in realizing that we are all broken & in need of God’s help & that any good I accomplish is because of the abilities, gifts, opportunities, strength, wisdom, etc. that HE has given me.

I NEED Him.

And so do you.

Hello, We Meet Again…

I am no stranger to this inner battle against temptation, just as much as I know you are no stranger to it either–& we all have our personal weak spots that Satan knows how to exploit. This battle is one we are all familiar with & is one we will continue to fight throughout our life, as Satan’s key personal mission is to pace the earth, seeking whom he may devour, seeking to kill, steal, & destroy. (1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10)

It is very true that the more we spend time talking to God about every detail of our lives, asking for wisdom or strength or comfort or counsel or any of the promises God offers us, that we are much less likely to be troubled with temptation, but none of us are immune to it.

It is also true that when we follow the instructions & guidelines laid out for us in Ephesians & summarized at the end of Ephesians, with the armor OF God, that we will also be much less vulnerable to these attacks… but the attacks will still come. (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Satan Knows Where to Hit Us

Satan can’t MAKE us sin, but he will & does definitely cultivate scenarios where we are much more prone to take our eyes off of God & choose sin instead.

Whether it be that phone or laptop that no one else has access to… making it easy to search, read &/or see what I know I shouldn’t (Fine Print: it leads to joyless emptiness & further destruction)… or even whether it be watching that show on tv that has content that far too often ignites my triggers for that temptation. (Matthew 5:28-this is addressed to men, but also applies to women lusting after men!)

Whether it’s the temptation to eat one more slice of cake or snack a little (or a lot) more than my body says it needs because I am stressed &/or bored. Or to eat foods consistently too full of fat, sugar, & preservatives, things that are quick & “more fun to eat” & avoiding nutritious, beneficial foods that my body really needs. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Whether it’s the temptation to talk about someone else, thinking I’m being a friendly neighbor to warn someone about that someone because they said something they shouldn’t have, unknowingly slandering them in the process, versus taking that concern to God & watching what words come out of my mouth, that they may only be edifying, for the building up of others, as God instructs. (James 4:11; Ephesians 4:29)

Oh, & There’s More…

Whether it’s harboring bitterness because someone wronged me or hurt me, versus praying for them as God instructs us to do… & then leaning into God for comfort & healing, while asking His help to let it go & offer grace, trusting God with the justice & with that person’s heart… Letting HIM be their righteous Judge, not me. (Hebrews 12:15; Colossians 3:13)

Whether it’s nursing personal wounds or giving way to my anxiety, letting Satan stir that pot of discontentment & trauma so that I can stay the victim rather than accept my part of responsibility & turn to God for healing & growth, trusting that I don’t need to manipulate Him with a sob story to gain His love & care & help & gentle attention. (Psalm 73:24; Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6)

Whether it’s not praying &/or not reading my Bible consistently because I’m too… tired, too distracted, have a headache, am too busy, too bored with it, too restless, or don’t feel I understand what I’m reading enough anyway… Rather than trusting that God is bigger than me & can help in ALL of these areas. (Philippians 4:6; Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 3:20-21)

These are all things I have wrestled & sometimes still wrestle with… I am surely a work in progress… & in all of these areas, I have prayed.

But, I have not always accepted God’s help when He offered it… because I chose my way instead.

An Example I Want to Emulate

I have basically been the opposite of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego, as told about in Daniel 3.

You see, back in their day, a statue was erected in their king’s honor & a decree was issued that everyone in the kingdom bow down & worship that statue.

Well, in God’s Word, the Bible, God commanded that we worship no one but Him, knowing full well that worshipping the creatED in place of the CreatOR was unwise & dishonoring to the only One who deserves that worship—LORD Almighty.

So, when everyone was told, “Now is the time, all you people! Bow down & worship!” they didn’t.

They stood tall, proclaiming with their inaction that they really believed only One to be worthy of that worship.

Putting on the PRESSURE to Sin

And when the guards took notice, these three men still refused to bow &/or worship anyone but God alone.

So, the guards collected them & they were taken to the king himself, having their disobedience announced before his presence. And they still didn’t bow.

They were EVEN offered a chance to bow in private, only in front of the king, so that they could “technically obey the decree, without ruining their reputation before all those people.” And they still didn’t bow.

THEN, they were threatened with being thrown to their deaths in a fiery furnace SO HOT that it sometimes killed those who would go to throw them into it. And they still didn’t bow!

Their response? “Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, & he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) (Emphasis mine.)

Their response was to honor God & trust & obey God NO MATTER WHAT… EVEN if it was NOT made easy for them!

“Technically Obeying” Is Still Disobeying

You see, I am not like that. I would have done a short bow to “technically not disobey God while technically still obeying the king.” I would have looked for a loophole to do both versus standing for obedience & honor to God alone.

I would have bowed in front of the king, asking him to just not tell anyone & letting him know I didn’t agree with it because only God should be worshipped, but still doing it in private to spare my life.

I would have been afraid of the consequences of obedience.

I would have hesitated.

I would have given in… I would have looked for a loophole… & I do.

I don’t have a very strong, “And if not” attitude. I want it made easy for me.

It’s Just NOT Worth It!

Those three men understood. They knew it wasn’t worth it. They knew that the king would believe in his heart that he was bigger than the true God because the men listened to him over GOD.

They knew it wasn’t worth defaming God. They knew the worst is that they would die & go to Heaven.

They knew that God could save them from death in that fiery furnace in exchange for their obedience (which He DID!!-Daniel 3:24-27) but that IF NOT, they were still determined to obey & honor God NO MATTER the cost.

And because they trusted & obeyed God above the king AND their own fear of death, the king realized the Truth-that GOD ALMIGHTY IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS & ONLY HE IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP! (Daniel 3:28-30)

Our War with Temptations

How often have I prayed for God’s help in overcoming the temptation to just cave in any of those scenarios I confessed to struggle against… knowing full well that although I prayed fervently, I had already determined in my heart that I was going to do it anyway… that I was going to bow.

Because I wanted it more than I wanted to honor & obey God.

Because I wanted it more than I wanted to risk not being happy, trusting in it more than in God.

_______________… & THEN I’ll Obey!

Because I wasn’t (& am often not) willing to NOT bow UNLESS it’s made easy to resist.

Take away that fiery furnace & then I’ll obey!

Take away the decree completely & then I’ll obey!

Make the king change his mind & THEN I’ll obey!

Make it easy for me to obey & then I’ll obey.

God’s Way or the Highway!

But I don’t want to live that way anymore. I have already seen the victory that comes in saying “God’s way or the highway!” when I was willing to say to God: “Okay, God, even if I perceive that I may never be satisfied-if I don’t escape with fantasies-because of my assault trauma… you know what, I would rather lose that then to keep dishonoring You by doing it my way, because you know what… my way is NOT WORKING. My way seems appealing but always has a catch. My way always comes with damaging fine print that I too often ignore or pretend isn’t there. And if You MADE sex to BE ENJOYED between a HUSBAND & his WIFE, then YOU are the ONLY authority on how it works & how to find the satisfaction I have been seeking to fulfill my way. So, NO MORE. I want Your way & ONLY Your way from now on!! AMEN.”

Be Willing to Say, “But If Not… I Will Still Obey!”

And that’s how I need to be in EVERY area of my life… in EVERY one of those scenarios I listed at the beginning of this.

That “& IF NOT”… if it’s still boring… if I still want to stir that pot of discontentment… if I’m worried I will end up discontent or unhappy… if I am too busy… if there are too many distractions… if NONE of the obstacles are removed, that I WILL STILL WALK FORWARD IN OBEDIENCE, TRUSTING THAT GOD CAN HELP ME, but that IF NOT, it is ALWAYS worth doing it HIS WAY.

Our war with temptations ends when we determine that God has the final say, God knows best, & only God’s way can bring the satisfaction we so desperately try to cling to our way…

… When we say, “Temptations, I WILL NOT BOW… because I KNOW MY GOD CAN SAVE/HELP ME… but IF NOT… I still will NOT bow to you!”

Suit Up in GOD’s Armor-Ephesians 6

Shine HOPE by suiting up with truth to counter the lies we’re fed & believe… by determining to do it God’s way even when it seems impossible… to remember God’s got you in the palm of His hand… by being wrapped up in God’s peace that always seems too good to be true, by remembering Who has ultimate authority & power, & by knowing God’s Word as a sword against any attack Satan may try against you.

Because when we suit up in GOD’S armor, that’s how we win our war with temptations.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, & he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Not today, Satan, not EVER. In JESUS’ name, AMEN.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

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Andean Earrings (Peru)

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