In order to DO HARD THINGS well we must recognize there is a real enemy to our destiny. He is a liar and a thief (see John 10:10). He would love nothing better than to define you by your failures. Reminding you that your “label” is Failure, and that your true nature, at the end of the day, is to fail and you can’t change. Remember he is a LIAR! He doesn’t have to speak the truth, he just needs you to believe his lies.
The first thing the devil wants to do in your life is render you powerless. He wants you to buy into the lie that you are still fighting for your victory and if you work hard enough or try hard enough, you may succeed. It is a lie. You are not working “for” victory, you are working “from” victory. You’re not working “for” love, you are living as someone who “is” loved. He wants you to be exasperated trying everything and anything to make you win. You have already won! The Bible teaches that the devil is under your feet and you do not need to fight for victory anymore. You are victorious!
1 John 5:4 reminds us, “Everyone born of God overcomes the world.” The devil believes that the Earth is his and everything in it. He thinks, “just because you are in the world you are of the world.” He is wrong. You now belong to Jesus. Jesus paid the price for your soul. When Jesus died on the cross and took your punishment for the sins you committed (unforeseen and premeditated), you were instantaneously set free. All of Earth’s customs and superficial ways of living are no longer what matters to us. What Jesus died to give us is the biggest reality in our lives!
In the previous chapter, John also reminds us, “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.” The enemy will want you to believe the darkness and evil in this world have the same power as God and His Heavenly host. The truth is, the devil is not a god. He is a fallen angel. God is the only one true God. He stands alone. The devil’s destiny is set and he goes straight to Hell when Jesus returns.
One of the primary weapons the enemy has is FEAR. He loves to paralyze the people of God with fear. Causing us to stop fighting from a place of victory and getting down in the trenches with him and his demons. Listen! It’s your time to climb up on the mountain of faith. Take a look at the world from how God sees it. He loves the world and He’s giving every person in the world every chance to choose Him before He returns. But God isn’t worried if the devil is going to win and if we will lose. Nevertheless, our complete victory will require serious diligence and a commitment to not be dominated by the seductions in this world.
How you choose to live is the biggest decision you get to make. You can live powerless or powerful, fearful, or faith-filled. You can determine to climb the mountain or you can hang out in the valley with your friends, coworkers, parents and never see the life you were intended to live. God did not send His only son to die an excruciating death so you can live fighting a devil, believing his lies, and keeping you down. The greatest way you can celebrate Jesus and the cross is to acknowledge what He did and to live a life worthy of the calling you received. (see Ephesians 4:1)
