Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Kill-Joy

Lately, my husband has been using a new pet name for me... 
Kill-Joy.  
He's referring to all of the times when he's sharing something with me that he's very excited about, and my response is one of no emotion or in some negative tone.  The whole thing plays out like a sitcom episode, just like a lot of our conversations and situations now a days.  He's excited about something, so he comes in to share with his wife, and then she says something totally off base and knocks him off the wagon.  Well, I gotta admit, it's kind of funny.

On a more serious note, today I was reminded that Satan is a true kill-joy.  John 10:10 reminds us that,  "The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  While Jesus has purposed that we would have a joyful and full life, Satan does everything in his power to distort it.  While God provides us with good things, 
(Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.), Satan tries to lead us astray and into sin.  While God fulfills us with inner peace in the midst of life's storms, and promises us not to ever leave us during times of trouble, Satan looks for ways to make us feel depleted and discouraged.  
Think about it, every good thing that come from God, Satan wants to take away from you.  Every time you are closer to having the fullness of the life God has given you, Satan works harder at distracting you.  Every time you take a step of faith, Satan sets up obstacles for you.  Whenever you experience the peace that comes from resting in God's promises and trusting His word, Satan is looking for ways to mislead you.  Every time you obey what God lays in your heart to do, no matter how big or small it is, Satan is longing for the opportunity to deceive you.  In essence, when you begin to experience the fullness of the life God intended for you, be certain that Satan is not happy.

But who cares that he's not happy?!  The other day, I was having a conversation with one of my sisters.  She's recently been stepping out in faith like never before, as she's taken in five children whose mother is serving time in jail.  And so we talked about how angry Satan gets when we are trying to be obedient to God and serving in different ways.  I told her Satan is just wasting his time because we belong to God and there's nothing he can do to change that.  And then she said something that really made me laugh... She said, "You know sometimes I just tell him 'oh just shut up devil, and leave me alone!'  God's got me."

And that's the truth.  God's got us!  The abundant life He prepared for us, is ours to enjoy to the fullest.  It's ours for the taking.  We just have to dive into it and make the most of every opportunity He gives us.  

One last side note, and this one comes with a visual.  At our prayer meeting tonight, someone explained the abundant life this way.  She said, it's like when you add water to a sponge and it gets so full that it starts to overflow because it cannot continue to contain the water.... that's how our lives should be in Christ because of His fullness.  We should be overflowing with the fullness of Christ in us to the point that others get to also experience His fullness--His grace and mercy, forgiveness and love, etc..  

So much for the kill-joy!  Yes, we should be aware of him; but no, we shouldn't allow for him to take away the joy we find in the full life God offers us.

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