We think just because we may be innocent, bad things won’t happen to us. We lose our innocence and begin grieving our wishes for a perfectly safe and dependable world. God created a safe world and then came sin in and is evident and demonstrated in these remaining two areas:
Sin in the World: Unlike the “sin against us” where we can point the finger at the perpetrator, the fact is, bad things happen in the world. Catastrophic global losses occur daily including famine, poverty, disease, earthquakes, fires, floods, war, global warming and the economy issues are rampant. Disasters, sickness and death disrupt and destroy our safety. Creation itself is in great agony and is slave to decline and deterioration. We are also forced in to situational losses of safety due to career moves, financial challenges, single-parenthood, divorce and other family losses and breakdowns. We also inherit these breakdowns of safety through our own DNA. Some research indicates, built in tendencies can be attributed in some degree, to our own genetic makeup. Even though the struggles and pain is not always our fault, it is our responsibility to turn to God for hope and receive His healing power and grace. We then reach out to one another and receive encouragement and connect so we can move-on and grow.
Satan’s Strategies: Satan is at work to seek out and destroy. His tactics are to breakdown the family, the church, disrupt our safe relationships and turn us against one another. He does his damage through three primary tactics: accusing, tempting and sifting. Accusing: Satan is a liar and accuser, charging us with fault and sin. Our penalty has already been paid for at the Cross and nothing can separate us from God. Satan understands reality and he uses, denial, blame, shame, guilt and our inclination to avoid relationship forcing us into isolation with God and others, rather than seek out love and forgiveness. Tempting: While the “Devil made me do it” is a strategy of the enemy for us to do bad things, the goal of Satan is to separate us from God and others by tempting us to get our needs met on our own. Our pride, arrogance and self-sufficiency are just tools for him to manipulate God’s truth and us. Sifting: Sifting refers to splitting up, breaking up, sorting out, and keeping people away from one another. Satan wants division because he is very aware of the power of relationship over isolation. He uses are emotional issues and attitudes to keep us separated and fragmented in our families, the church and our safe relationships.
Believe it, think it, and say it: I accept my brokenness and inability. As I humble myself, I allow God to shape and mold me into the image of Christ. My heart and mind is set on heavenly things, not on things of the world. I am above fear, above poverty, above the devil and his tactics. Jesus accepts me just as I am: good and bad. My situation and circumstances will not determine my purpose and destiny. God’s goodness, His grace, covers me with protection. I am meant to be a good success because of the life, and the works of Jesus Christ on the cross. God’s grace and truth has made me righteous. Amen!
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