It’s crazy to think that I have gone this long without writing. And it’s crazy to think how much can happen in the span of a couple months, but let me tell you, dear blog readers, so much has happened in the past couple months. It’s been a crazy busy and crazy wonderful past couple of months. The best part about it is that no matter where I was in the middle of the madness, God has been right alongside me, and that’s something I think many of way too often take for granted.
Over the summer, a friend and I wrote and composed a song called Unchanging. The lyrics go a little something like this, “Changing, moving so fast. I can’t make this stop, I just need some air…Your unchanging.” In the madness of the past couple of months, I have had the chance to walk alongside a God who does not change, no matter how much things around me are changing.
I hate change. I am very organized and only enjoy change that I can control; change that happens because I allow it to happen, not change that happens outside of my control. However, often times in life, things change that I can’t control. Friends walk in and out of life, the seasons come and go, grades falter, sports seasons end, everything changes. There is nothing that doesn’t change. It is out of my control whether or not things change. I have been given so many changes throughout the year, and I can honestly tell you that I have begged God to stop things from changing. But I have come to find that it has been in the middle of those changes that God has reminded me that He is right there with me and that He doesn’t change.
There is nothing in the world that can compare to that. Everything changes, but He doesn’t. He is so uniquely different from the world and from anything that we can understand, because He doesn’t change. He is the same God “yesterday, today and forever.” It’s so hard to imagine that, because there is nothing in this world that you can compare Him too. Everything around us is constantly changing, but yet He isn’t. Some say God is like their best friend, but sooner or later those people we call best friends change too, and some of them even walk out. Some say God is like their Daddy, but Dad’s change too. Sooner or later, we will have to leave our parents behind and move on to independence without them, and some day our parents will no longer be with us and we will have to go on without them in life. There is nothing in the human world that we can compare God to, because He doesn’t change. And that very same God, can be your best friend, your Daddy, but He is unique different from all human comparisons. He won’t walk out of your life when you fail, but rather will always forgive you when you come to Him admitting your need for that. He won’t move away because He has to go to college or He gets a new job in another state, but rather He will walk right alongside you each step of the way through your changes, and won’t get tired of you. He will always love you and forgive you when you make a mistake and He will be there even after you run from Him.
This God has been the constant and unchanging thing in my life. Amiss me changing and faltering, He has not given up on me or told me that my mistakes are too large for Him to forgive. He has been there when I pushed Him away or blamed Him for the things that are changing in my life. He has loved me unconditionally. Even better yet, He has held my life in the palm of His hands. When I couldn’t and can’t keep up with the constant changes of this world, He just smiles, and reminds me that my life is being put into play just as He desires and allows it to.
So take heart, dear brothers and sisters, in this changing world. We serve a God who does not change and that desires to walk with each one of us through the changes that are coming our way. Just keep trusting Him throughout it all. He is there, He cares and He does not change.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
My Summer Lessons #1
Summer has flown by far too quickly and is coming to an end. However, as I look back on my summer, I see something different than I ever had before. At the beginning of the summer, I sat down before my first mission trip and looked at the other four that would come after that, and I took a second to think and simply said, "All right God, this is all for You." From that moment on I decided that my summer was dedicated 100% to Christ.
But, I came home from mission trip #1 and sat confused. Although I had an awesome time, I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to take out of that trip. Sure we had done mission work, but I hadn't spent time with kids, as I had thought I would, I hadn't built a house for someone, and I hadn't converted anyone to Christ. However, I had built relationships with those around me, I had laughed many good laughs, I had picked up a couple pieces of trash, talked to an old person, and painted a house. But these things, had just been things. What was the purpose of me doing them? Why had I done them? This wasn't my idea of mission work. As time has gone on, I have learned that it was not there that I learned the importance of sharing the Gospel or helping out a person simply because they had a whole lot less money than I did. It was there that I learned the importance of community and support in whatever I was doing.
For a long time before that, I had convinced myself, or more so allowed Satan to convince me, that doing everything I did on my own would be much better for me than it would be to do it with someone else on my side. However, I came home from Tennessee, and felt loved and supported in everything I was doing. Because of that, I ended up stepping out of my comfort zone and learned how to take initiative and serve Christ while free-falling into things that I did not know the outcome of. By having this support system, I knew that I could go out and try something and fail and still be loved and supported for trying.
This wasn't just something that applied to me on the trip but has continued throughout life. As summer has gone on, I have taken steps in building new relationships, reforming old ones and building a support team. Now having that support team, whom I know has my back in prayer, love and encouragement, I have done things I never thought I would see myself doing. I built relationships with Chinese students and allowed them into my life, although our time was short. I was a leader on a Junior High mission trip, I wrote, recorded, and posted one of my own songs on myspace with a friend, and I am currently playing soccer on a varsity level at my school, something I had convinced myself I would never do.
This being only the first mission trip, God has continued to teach me so much more throughout the summer, but to write them all out right now would be draining for me and way too much for anyone to sit down and read. But, I'm here today to tell you, that no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, He has not given up on you and He cares about you and every detail of your life. He wants to change you, but you need to be willing to allow Him to do so. He has a plan for your life and awesome things He wants you to do in life, if you would just listen to Him and follow His will. Don't give up on God, but even if you do, He will never give up on you. Live not just 95% for God, but live 100% for God and He will change your world and the world around you.
Blessings, love and JOY in Christ.
But, I came home from mission trip #1 and sat confused. Although I had an awesome time, I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to take out of that trip. Sure we had done mission work, but I hadn't spent time with kids, as I had thought I would, I hadn't built a house for someone, and I hadn't converted anyone to Christ. However, I had built relationships with those around me, I had laughed many good laughs, I had picked up a couple pieces of trash, talked to an old person, and painted a house. But these things, had just been things. What was the purpose of me doing them? Why had I done them? This wasn't my idea of mission work. As time has gone on, I have learned that it was not there that I learned the importance of sharing the Gospel or helping out a person simply because they had a whole lot less money than I did. It was there that I learned the importance of community and support in whatever I was doing.
For a long time before that, I had convinced myself, or more so allowed Satan to convince me, that doing everything I did on my own would be much better for me than it would be to do it with someone else on my side. However, I came home from Tennessee, and felt loved and supported in everything I was doing. Because of that, I ended up stepping out of my comfort zone and learned how to take initiative and serve Christ while free-falling into things that I did not know the outcome of. By having this support system, I knew that I could go out and try something and fail and still be loved and supported for trying.
This wasn't just something that applied to me on the trip but has continued throughout life. As summer has gone on, I have taken steps in building new relationships, reforming old ones and building a support team. Now having that support team, whom I know has my back in prayer, love and encouragement, I have done things I never thought I would see myself doing. I built relationships with Chinese students and allowed them into my life, although our time was short. I was a leader on a Junior High mission trip, I wrote, recorded, and posted one of my own songs on myspace with a friend, and I am currently playing soccer on a varsity level at my school, something I had convinced myself I would never do.
This being only the first mission trip, God has continued to teach me so much more throughout the summer, but to write them all out right now would be draining for me and way too much for anyone to sit down and read. But, I'm here today to tell you, that no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, He has not given up on you and He cares about you and every detail of your life. He wants to change you, but you need to be willing to allow Him to do so. He has a plan for your life and awesome things He wants you to do in life, if you would just listen to Him and follow His will. Don't give up on God, but even if you do, He will never give up on you. Live not just 95% for God, but live 100% for God and He will change your world and the world around you.
Blessings, love and JOY in Christ.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
God is Good
God is always active and constantly teaching me things in life. Especially this summer, as I set out dedicating my summer to the Lord. He, however has opened my eyes and reminded me of stuff when I least expected it and most needed it.
The other day, I began the project of cleaning my room. While cleaning out my book self, I found a book that I had received quite a few years back. It is called "God's Daily Promises for Students". I picked it up and put it in the pile to read during my devo time. It was short and sweet and something I knew I could handle doing daily. The first day though, I dreaded taking the time to open it. However, eventually when I did open it, this was the lesson that God had pulled me to for THAT day.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Jesus
"When tragedy strikes or problems overwhelm you, do you wonder what happened to God? Do you wonder why He would allow these things to happen? Nagging doubts might cause you to question whether God still loves you. When you lose confidence that God cares about you, you are in danger of pushing him away and separating yourself from your only source of hope. When tough times come, move immediately toward God, not away from Him. You will receive comfort and gain perspective. Do you still believe that God cares about you even when troubles come your way? How can you learn to expect His comfort instead of doubting His presence?"
This was just what I needed to hear. I pray that you too will be encouraged and make the conscious decision to run TOWARDS God rather than away from Him when troubles come your way. He is there, ready and waiting with OPEN arms for you to run into them and He will give you peace and the rest you have needed.
God is awesome. The book goes day by day for a whole year. If I had put off doing this devo for one more day, I would have missed it and never would have learned just what I needed to on that day. That was just a huge reminder to me that GOD WAS SOVEREIGN and in control, even when it seems to feel like He is no where to be found.
The other day, I began the project of cleaning my room. While cleaning out my book self, I found a book that I had received quite a few years back. It is called "God's Daily Promises for Students". I picked it up and put it in the pile to read during my devo time. It was short and sweet and something I knew I could handle doing daily. The first day though, I dreaded taking the time to open it. However, eventually when I did open it, this was the lesson that God had pulled me to for THAT day.
"Come to Me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." -Jesus
"When tragedy strikes or problems overwhelm you, do you wonder what happened to God? Do you wonder why He would allow these things to happen? Nagging doubts might cause you to question whether God still loves you. When you lose confidence that God cares about you, you are in danger of pushing him away and separating yourself from your only source of hope. When tough times come, move immediately toward God, not away from Him. You will receive comfort and gain perspective. Do you still believe that God cares about you even when troubles come your way? How can you learn to expect His comfort instead of doubting His presence?"
This was just what I needed to hear. I pray that you too will be encouraged and make the conscious decision to run TOWARDS God rather than away from Him when troubles come your way. He is there, ready and waiting with OPEN arms for you to run into them and He will give you peace and the rest you have needed.
God is awesome. The book goes day by day for a whole year. If I had put off doing this devo for one more day, I would have missed it and never would have learned just what I needed to on that day. That was just a huge reminder to me that GOD WAS SOVEREIGN and in control, even when it seems to feel like He is no where to be found.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Joy
According to dictionary.com, the definition of joy is: "the emotion of great delight or happiness, caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation."
As I look more into this definition, I find one big problem with the entire definition. Yes, I agree, joy is an emotion of delight, maybe even happiness, but then the next few words change it all...'CAUSED by SOMETHING'. This is where I being to disagree completely. I don't believe by any means that joy is just randomly caused by something, for that is just happiness.
It was a couple months ago, and I was sitting listening to someone give their testimony. Now, I've heard a million and one testimonies before, but this one was different. She stood up there, giving pretty much ever reason for a person to be mad at God. She walked through her life, which seemed like a complete disaster, full of more pain and hardship than anyone should have to bear. This girl, through and through had the right to be completely mad at God. Oh but wait, let me inform you that this same girl, is one of the most joyful people I know. She runs around daily wearing bright colored clothes, singing, dancing, jumping, laughing, and doing everything. She, my friend, is full of complete energy.
I sat in my seat that day and was incredible convicted. It dawned on me, that HAPPINESS is a CIRCUMSTANCE, but JOY is a CHOICE.
Happiness comes and goes. We've all felt that at one point or another. The extreme happiness when someone gives you a huge bar of dark chocolate, or when the older sibling comes into town, or watching someone you care about get married. There are so many things in life that make us happy. But happiness is only temporary. When the big dark chocolate bar is finally gone, the happiness is gone. When we are eating the dark chocolate and are so interested in the chocolate that we miss a step and fall down the stairs, breaking a bone, suddenly we don't feel so happy anymore. The circumstance leaves or changes and then so does the happiness.
Joy on the other hand, always has the possibility of being there. Joy, unlike the candy bar, is always going to be there. But joy is a choice. It's not just an emotion that's there; it's a choice whether or not to find joy in the midst of some of the darkest situations. Joy, to me, is when someone takes the choice to dwell on the things that are going well in life, instead of just seeing the bad. Joy comes through when someone is battling some of the worst circumstances, but instead of dwelling on them, focuses on Christ, His plans in the situation, and continues to be positive, even though their circumstances don't agree.
As I have dwelled on this fact, I have found so much truth in it. Just to remind myself to daily choose joy, I placed the quote on my mirror in the bathroom. Each day as I got ready for the day, I take the time to consider whether or not I'm going to choose to be joyful, no matter what my present circumstances are.
"But Kate, have you seen my life? There is no possible way there could be anything good in it," may be the words you are dying to yell into my face. If that's your response, let me be the first to kindly tell you that you are wrong. There have been periods of time in my life, when I have felt the same way, but God has convicted me, and I have found there are always a couple things to be thankful for each day. Whether it's as simple as having a good friend to be there to listen, a warm house to live in, sunshine or that yummy chocolate bar that someone decided to give to me during lunch, there is always something. (I know, I'm just making you really want a big chocolate bar:))
Maybe there are a million and one things going wrong in your life right now, but I strongly encourage you to stop for just a second. Take a deep breath. Look at your life; your current circumstances. Think about all you did today. Look outside your window. There is something to be thankful for daily. If this is a place that's hard for you, and you honestly feel like your life is terrible, I encourage you - as a friend of mine encouraged me to do a couple months ago - everyday, find 3 things you can be thankful for. Find 3 good things each day that were a blessing to you, something fun you did; anything positive. Write about them and remind yourself of them. Focus on them instead of the things that went wrong during your day.
No this doesn't mean you still can't call a friend and tell them what happened in your day, if it was bad, but don't let the conversation just focus on that, also share with them the good things that are happening in your life.
Happiness comes and goes, but joy has the possibility to be there, if only you allow it to.
"HAPPINESS IS A CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT JOY IS A CHOICE."
As I look more into this definition, I find one big problem with the entire definition. Yes, I agree, joy is an emotion of delight, maybe even happiness, but then the next few words change it all...'CAUSED by SOMETHING'. This is where I being to disagree completely. I don't believe by any means that joy is just randomly caused by something, for that is just happiness.
It was a couple months ago, and I was sitting listening to someone give their testimony. Now, I've heard a million and one testimonies before, but this one was different. She stood up there, giving pretty much ever reason for a person to be mad at God. She walked through her life, which seemed like a complete disaster, full of more pain and hardship than anyone should have to bear. This girl, through and through had the right to be completely mad at God. Oh but wait, let me inform you that this same girl, is one of the most joyful people I know. She runs around daily wearing bright colored clothes, singing, dancing, jumping, laughing, and doing everything. She, my friend, is full of complete energy.
I sat in my seat that day and was incredible convicted. It dawned on me, that HAPPINESS is a CIRCUMSTANCE, but JOY is a CHOICE.
Happiness comes and goes. We've all felt that at one point or another. The extreme happiness when someone gives you a huge bar of dark chocolate, or when the older sibling comes into town, or watching someone you care about get married. There are so many things in life that make us happy. But happiness is only temporary. When the big dark chocolate bar is finally gone, the happiness is gone. When we are eating the dark chocolate and are so interested in the chocolate that we miss a step and fall down the stairs, breaking a bone, suddenly we don't feel so happy anymore. The circumstance leaves or changes and then so does the happiness.
Joy on the other hand, always has the possibility of being there. Joy, unlike the candy bar, is always going to be there. But joy is a choice. It's not just an emotion that's there; it's a choice whether or not to find joy in the midst of some of the darkest situations. Joy, to me, is when someone takes the choice to dwell on the things that are going well in life, instead of just seeing the bad. Joy comes through when someone is battling some of the worst circumstances, but instead of dwelling on them, focuses on Christ, His plans in the situation, and continues to be positive, even though their circumstances don't agree.
As I have dwelled on this fact, I have found so much truth in it. Just to remind myself to daily choose joy, I placed the quote on my mirror in the bathroom. Each day as I got ready for the day, I take the time to consider whether or not I'm going to choose to be joyful, no matter what my present circumstances are.
"But Kate, have you seen my life? There is no possible way there could be anything good in it," may be the words you are dying to yell into my face. If that's your response, let me be the first to kindly tell you that you are wrong. There have been periods of time in my life, when I have felt the same way, but God has convicted me, and I have found there are always a couple things to be thankful for each day. Whether it's as simple as having a good friend to be there to listen, a warm house to live in, sunshine or that yummy chocolate bar that someone decided to give to me during lunch, there is always something. (I know, I'm just making you really want a big chocolate bar:))
Maybe there are a million and one things going wrong in your life right now, but I strongly encourage you to stop for just a second. Take a deep breath. Look at your life; your current circumstances. Think about all you did today. Look outside your window. There is something to be thankful for daily. If this is a place that's hard for you, and you honestly feel like your life is terrible, I encourage you - as a friend of mine encouraged me to do a couple months ago - everyday, find 3 things you can be thankful for. Find 3 good things each day that were a blessing to you, something fun you did; anything positive. Write about them and remind yourself of them. Focus on them instead of the things that went wrong during your day.
No this doesn't mean you still can't call a friend and tell them what happened in your day, if it was bad, but don't let the conversation just focus on that, also share with them the good things that are happening in your life.
Happiness comes and goes, but joy has the possibility to be there, if only you allow it to.
"HAPPINESS IS A CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT JOY IS A CHOICE."
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A Different Kind of Post
I don't have anything profound to tell you about today, but I do want to tell you something. This post is going to be different, because I'm flat out going to tell you what God has been teaching me recently. May God do with it, as He pleases, but I'll do my part by sharing it with you. May you learn whatever God desires you to learn, but this is me simply telling you what God has been teaching me recently.
So it first came from my Bible teacher about three months ago. He was telling us about Job, and He said that God gave Job a choice. This choice included as follows:
1.) Job could hold the whole world in his hands
OR
2.) God would stay in control
In the end, Job realized he was not strong enough to control the whole world and it would probably be best to allow God to stay in control.
A couple months later, I came home, and saw a video on my news feed. The lyrics go a little something like this:
"And the arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight, you can rest inside, it's going to be alright. And the voice that calmed the raging sea is calling you His child. So be still and know He's in control. He will never let you go....You can hope, you can rise, you can stand. He's still got the whole in His hands."
This song has been the second, third, fourth, and so on.
So then, a couple nights ago, I pulled out my Bible and was reading. I have been working my way through Psalms and this verse caught my eye:
"I said to myself, 'Relax, because the Lord takes care of you.'"
In case you haven't got the point, there has been a reoccurring theme in my life recently. God has been slapping me in the face time and time again reminding me that HE is in control. Due to contrary belief, I do not have a perfect life, but God continually reminds me that I need to let go. However, because I'm human, that doesn't normally go over very well. I do not want to give God control because that means I have to allow Him to continue to strip away things in my life and poke and prod me in way I don't want Him to in order to make me the person He knows I need to be. But I am being reminded time and time again that God has a plan and He is in control. Nothing happens that He doesn't plan and nothing is out of His control.
I am constantly reminded of His power and how He is much stronger than I am or ever could be and therefore deserves to be in control of my life. He conquered a grave, can move mountains, stopped a raging sea, and holds the universe in His hands. If these are not signs of His immense power, I'm not sure what else is. And yet, I have the opportunity to leave my life in His hands. Where else could be greater?
And for you, dear reader, I challenge you to let go of whatever is going on in your life. May God teach you and remind you of His power and control. May God say to you as He did to me:
"(Insert your name here),You are not supposed to be in control. Do you understand why you can't figure all this out? It's because you were never supposed to. If you really want to hold the whole universe in your hands, go ahead. But if not, let me stay in control, I know what I'm doing."
If and when plan A, B, and C in your life start failing, know God's plan is coming through in the midst of all that. Allow Him to work. He is in control no matter how crazy life may seem. And above all, He may take everything you ever relied on away from you, but EACH STEP OF THE WAY, He will WALK WITH YOU. Continue to walk in Him and allow Him 100% control in your life.
So it first came from my Bible teacher about three months ago. He was telling us about Job, and He said that God gave Job a choice. This choice included as follows:
1.) Job could hold the whole world in his hands
OR
2.) God would stay in control
In the end, Job realized he was not strong enough to control the whole world and it would probably be best to allow God to stay in control.
A couple months later, I came home, and saw a video on my news feed. The lyrics go a little something like this:
"And the arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight, you can rest inside, it's going to be alright. And the voice that calmed the raging sea is calling you His child. So be still and know He's in control. He will never let you go....You can hope, you can rise, you can stand. He's still got the whole in His hands."
This song has been the second, third, fourth, and so on.
So then, a couple nights ago, I pulled out my Bible and was reading. I have been working my way through Psalms and this verse caught my eye:
"I said to myself, 'Relax, because the Lord takes care of you.'"
In case you haven't got the point, there has been a reoccurring theme in my life recently. God has been slapping me in the face time and time again reminding me that HE is in control. Due to contrary belief, I do not have a perfect life, but God continually reminds me that I need to let go. However, because I'm human, that doesn't normally go over very well. I do not want to give God control because that means I have to allow Him to continue to strip away things in my life and poke and prod me in way I don't want Him to in order to make me the person He knows I need to be. But I am being reminded time and time again that God has a plan and He is in control. Nothing happens that He doesn't plan and nothing is out of His control.
I am constantly reminded of His power and how He is much stronger than I am or ever could be and therefore deserves to be in control of my life. He conquered a grave, can move mountains, stopped a raging sea, and holds the universe in His hands. If these are not signs of His immense power, I'm not sure what else is. And yet, I have the opportunity to leave my life in His hands. Where else could be greater?
And for you, dear reader, I challenge you to let go of whatever is going on in your life. May God teach you and remind you of His power and control. May God say to you as He did to me:
"(Insert your name here),You are not supposed to be in control. Do you understand why you can't figure all this out? It's because you were never supposed to. If you really want to hold the whole universe in your hands, go ahead. But if not, let me stay in control, I know what I'm doing."
If and when plan A, B, and C in your life start failing, know God's plan is coming through in the midst of all that. Allow Him to work. He is in control no matter how crazy life may seem. And above all, He may take everything you ever relied on away from you, but EACH STEP OF THE WAY, He will WALK WITH YOU. Continue to walk in Him and allow Him 100% control in your life.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Satan
As some of you know, I have been given the opportunity (yes, it really was an opportunity to do this, although many times it felt much more like a punishment) to do immense amounts of studying and learning about the word Satan. Although the project was long and a bit tedious, I have come to find that there are many things I was given the chance to take out of this project.
It would be incredibly difficult to share with you all the exciting things that I learned and write it in some neat and tidy form. So, I will spare you and only share with you a couple of the main things I learned or been reminded of by doing this project.
1. Satan completely hates God with everything in him. The desire of his whole being is to defeat God's plan of grace for each person and instead replace it with a plan of evil. He desires to ruin mankind and pull them away from God's clutches. There was one thing really caught my eye as I was reading through an article about this. It was the wording he used to explain Satan's hatred. He used the words "immense hatred." I can't really explain to you in full why it stuck out to me, but it did. Satan's only desire is to ruin mankind and the only reason he wants to do it is because He hates God and all that God does so much he wants to ruin God's perfect plan.
2. The only way that Satan's kingdom flourishes is by Satan's ability to tempt and deceive people. His kingdom is based fully on lies and nothing more. His deceit is done by him taking a truth and twisting it to turn it into something bad or taking an evil and pointing out only the good in it. These are the only things that make him able to stand against man. He cannot do anything else but these two things.
3. Satan's power is limited by Christ ultimately but also by human decision. Satan's ability to do these things is based completely on the sinner's choice to fall for the lie. Satan cannot convince a human to chose his ways. He can only lie to a sinner trying to convince them that what they are doing is right. However, it is mans decision in the end to believe the lie. The "human agent" must then be willing to accept the falsehood or his kingdom cannot stand.
4. Satan's power is also limited by what God allows him to do. A good example of this is in Job. Satan could only do to Job as God allowed him to do. God set up boundaries for what Satan could do and did not allow him to do things that weren't on that list. (Check out Job 1-2 for more information about that.) It is stated by Paul that, "No temptation has seized you accept what is common to man. But God is faithful. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. And when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Cor. 10:13) In other words, there is always a way out if we are willing to look for it. All in all to say, that Satan's power is completely limited by what God allows Satan to do. And God will never give us something He knows we cannot handle.
5. Satan is "limited, judged, condemned, imprisoned, and reserved for judgement from the beginning." (Louis Matthews Sweet)
That is just the beginning of what God has been teaching me throughout this year as I have been working on this project. It has really affected the way that I look at sin and the way I look at Satan and his power.
There are constant lies that Satan puts into my head as well as others and it's our choice, as Christians to ignore it and seek the truth or to accept the falsehood. By accepting it, we are allowing Satan to get into our head and continue to tempt and deceive us. And second, I have been pondering over the fact that Satan is defeated and so limited. God gives us nothing that He knows we can't handle and when we feel like we can't, we need to look to Christ, to find the way out that He has promised will always be there.
I greatly look forward to seeing what else God will teach me as I continue to dig into His Word and study it. It's so exciting to see and learn. So, as this project comes to a close, I look back at all the things I have been given the chance to learn and am truly thankful.
It would be incredibly difficult to share with you all the exciting things that I learned and write it in some neat and tidy form. So, I will spare you and only share with you a couple of the main things I learned or been reminded of by doing this project.
1. Satan completely hates God with everything in him. The desire of his whole being is to defeat God's plan of grace for each person and instead replace it with a plan of evil. He desires to ruin mankind and pull them away from God's clutches. There was one thing really caught my eye as I was reading through an article about this. It was the wording he used to explain Satan's hatred. He used the words "immense hatred." I can't really explain to you in full why it stuck out to me, but it did. Satan's only desire is to ruin mankind and the only reason he wants to do it is because He hates God and all that God does so much he wants to ruin God's perfect plan.
2. The only way that Satan's kingdom flourishes is by Satan's ability to tempt and deceive people. His kingdom is based fully on lies and nothing more. His deceit is done by him taking a truth and twisting it to turn it into something bad or taking an evil and pointing out only the good in it. These are the only things that make him able to stand against man. He cannot do anything else but these two things.
3. Satan's power is limited by Christ ultimately but also by human decision. Satan's ability to do these things is based completely on the sinner's choice to fall for the lie. Satan cannot convince a human to chose his ways. He can only lie to a sinner trying to convince them that what they are doing is right. However, it is mans decision in the end to believe the lie. The "human agent" must then be willing to accept the falsehood or his kingdom cannot stand.
4. Satan's power is also limited by what God allows him to do. A good example of this is in Job. Satan could only do to Job as God allowed him to do. God set up boundaries for what Satan could do and did not allow him to do things that weren't on that list. (Check out Job 1-2 for more information about that.) It is stated by Paul that, "No temptation has seized you accept what is common to man. But God is faithful. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. And when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Cor. 10:13) In other words, there is always a way out if we are willing to look for it. All in all to say, that Satan's power is completely limited by what God allows Satan to do. And God will never give us something He knows we cannot handle.
5. Satan is "limited, judged, condemned, imprisoned, and reserved for judgement from the beginning." (Louis Matthews Sweet)
That is just the beginning of what God has been teaching me throughout this year as I have been working on this project. It has really affected the way that I look at sin and the way I look at Satan and his power.
There are constant lies that Satan puts into my head as well as others and it's our choice, as Christians to ignore it and seek the truth or to accept the falsehood. By accepting it, we are allowing Satan to get into our head and continue to tempt and deceive us. And second, I have been pondering over the fact that Satan is defeated and so limited. God gives us nothing that He knows we can't handle and when we feel like we can't, we need to look to Christ, to find the way out that He has promised will always be there.
I greatly look forward to seeing what else God will teach me as I continue to dig into His Word and study it. It's so exciting to see and learn. So, as this project comes to a close, I look back at all the things I have been given the chance to learn and am truly thankful.
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