Fallen World

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

                                      Ephesians 6:10–12                                      
 
Bombings. School shootings. Terrorist attacks. It's like the more I turn on the news the more I want to never turn it on again. I hate hearing about people being murdered in my country. When I first heard about the Newtown school shooting, it broke my heart. This is a crazy world we live in friends, but thankfully my hope is not in this world. My hope is in Christ. This world is fading away. I was thinking about today how much opposition I have been facing in my relationship with Christ, and also my new relationships with others (they know who they are ;), so blessed by them!). I’m growing a lot. Many things are changing, and the enemy HATES my growth. He likes to see me stuck. He likes to see me immobile. He wants to see me fall and never get back up. Thankfully, the good news is that is if I continue to put my faith in Christ and constantly seek His grace, none of that will ever happen. 

     Before I knew Jesus, I didn’t know I had an enemy. Funny thing is, this is exactly what he wanted. The enemy doesn’t want people to know that he is real, because he wants everyone to think that he doesn’t exist. He wants us to think this way so that he can continue to take over our lives. Jesus doesn’t break us, the enemy does. Jesus came to put all of our ugly pieces back together and make us new. I didn’t know I had an enemy until I met Jesus. Jesus is the secret to life, and the enemy hates Him. Well that sucks for the enemy because Jesus already won the battle. Let me tell you friends, the enemy isn't wise. His schemes are weak and God is strong.

But…
You must remember it’s important to be aware of the enemy's evil schemes and fight back when necessary. I wanted to share with you some of the ways I do when I feel attacked, and I hope it can encourage you.
If your in a relationship with God, there will be opposition. In fact, there ALWAYS will be opposition. But, God is faithful. Trust Him. Seek Him. Know Him. Believe in Him.
 

1) Keep your eyes on God. 
“My eyes are always on the Lord.”Psalm 26: 15
It’s easy in life to get overwhelmed with other people’s opinions of us or the situations that we are placed in. People will always be there to talk about you, and the problems in our lives will never go away. But you see, these are some of the extremely lame ways in which the enemy works. He will put you in situations where he seeks to make you stumble. I saw somebody at the store the other day who brought back some memories from the past that I put behind me a long time ago, however I found myself upset after seeing them. I quickly reminded myself that I wasn’t going to let the enemy do this to me again. I wasn’t going to let him steal the joy that Jesus died on the cross to give me. I told myself God has a plan for me that is greater than I can ever imagine, and I HAVE to keep my eyes on Him alone if I’m ever going to find true happiness in this world.

2) PRAY!
“Pray in the spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:18
the most IMPORTANT tool you have against the enemy? Prayer! Pray continually. Pray when you’re walking to class. Pray when you’re driving your car. Pray when you go to bed. Pray when you wake up. Okay, the point I’m trying to make is that you don’t have to be at a certain time or a place to pray. God gives us the opportunity to call on Him continually. Remember who is fighting your battle; remember who is your strength. The other day I was feeling really discouraged and overwhelmed with my life. I looked up and said to Jesus: “God, I can’t do this on my own. Help me to stop fighting my own battles. Replace my fear and discouragement with your peace and trust.” It was an awesome prayer that I secretly stole from Jesus Calling, but I have been using it since! I like to be descriptive in my prayers, cause I’m a nerd. Haha. But God just wants you to seek Him, your prayers to Him don’t have to be fancy, He just wants them to be real. So when your getting attacked by the enemy, PRAY!

3) Seek the Mind of Christ.
“We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” 
2 Corinthians 10:5
One of the most sneaky, cunning ways the enemy gets at us? Our thoughts. He loves to whisper lies into our minds. “Your not good enough.” “You’ll never be like THEM.” “Jesus actually doesn’t love you.” I actually just laughed as I wrote that. His lies are so pathetic, yet I easily believe them most of the time. As it says in the verse above, (2 Corinthians 10:5), God commands for us to take every single thought that comes into our minds and make it obedient to Him. What does this type of  thoughtful obedience look like? Well, make sure every that thought that comes in your mind matches with scripture. Does a thought come into your mind and tell you that the only way you'll ever feel complete is when you meet your future spouse? Well read Colossians 2:10 and know the truth about that thought, which is that Jesus is the only person who can make you feel complete on the inside.  The enemy is a liar, so it's important to remember to make sure that your strong in God’s word so that he can't deceive you.

Julia and I at YL Club.. Western themed :)

Our YL Girls! Love them sooo much.

Pied in the face for the first time with one of my best friends!

My family and I on Easter Sunday. Jesus lives!

 The other day my neighbor let me hold her adorable Alaskan huskie puppy, Meeko. In love with this little guy!

Goofing around with one of my YL girls, savannah. I love her a bunch, shes awesome!