One Sunday morning during my junior year
of high school, I went with my youth group to a small Christian
campground nearby to serve and help with their church service. The only
thing I remember about that morning is one little boy with mild
cerebral palsy who sat in the back. Each time the leader would ask a
question, while everyone else would guess the answer or try to remember
from the last lesson, this boy would light up with a great big smile
and call out “JESUS! IT’S JESUS!” until his mother quieted him down
again.
Now hold that picture in your mind, because I’m going to switch thought trains for a second.
I confess that spiritual warfare isn’t something that I think
about often. But this week, I have felt extra discouraged and very,
very tempted in areas that aren’t normally an issue for me. I’ve
fallen. I’ve gotten back up. I’ve fallen again. I’ve gotten back up
again… and so the cycle goes. Each time I fail, I can hear Satan
whispering those negative words to me – “You can’t do this. You
must be such a baby Christian to keep messing up like this, on
something so small. How can you expect to make an impact in Nicaragua
when you can’t even seem to get your own life straight?”
about often. But this week, I have felt extra discouraged and very,
very tempted in areas that aren’t normally an issue for me. I’ve
fallen. I’ve gotten back up. I’ve fallen again. I’ve gotten back up
again… and so the cycle goes. Each time I fail, I can hear Satan
whispering those negative words to me – “You can’t do this. You
must be such a baby Christian to keep messing up like this, on
something so small. How can you expect to make an impact in Nicaragua
when you can’t even seem to get your own life straight?”
It’s that last one that hits me the hardest, and it hurts to
have those thoughts planted in my head. But I know the answer to that
one. Guess what, Satan? Like that little boy at the campground, I can
say “JESUS! IT’S JESUS!” HE will make the impact in Nicaragua, not me.
I can do all things through Him who gives me strength… without Him I
can do nothing. Because of that promise, I can release those lies from
my head and keep my focus on Christ!
have those thoughts planted in my head. But I know the answer to that
one. Guess what, Satan? Like that little boy at the campground, I can
say “JESUS! IT’S JESUS!” HE will make the impact in Nicaragua, not me.
I can do all things through Him who gives me strength… without Him I
can do nothing. Because of that promise, I can release those lies from
my head and keep my focus on Christ!
Stay strong, my teammates, and keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t
become discouraged, and remember that I’m praying for you. Two more
months until we meet!
become discouraged, and remember that I’m praying for you. Two more
months until we meet!
Hey Jessica,
Wow! That’s all I can say… Wow…. I’m all for honesty and being open, you will soon learn that if I’m struggling with something, I’m going to put it out there and ask for help. I am amazed that you are able to put on your blog, that you are struggling. It’s awesome because you have identified exactly what it is that is getting you down. It’s spiritual warfare! he knows that you are going out to serve God, and he’s not happy. Stay strong! I will confess that I am being tempted HUGE and while I wish I could say that I pass every test, I can’t. Keep me in your prayers, as I will you. Stay strong in Him Jess!
Well, I must when I originally read this I thought to myself, “What am I struggling with or being tempted with at the moment.” And I felt pretty good about myself because I thought that I was fine and nothing was going wrong.
Then, BAM! A day or two later I was hit with a temptation that I thought I had under control of withstanding. We should never let our guard down, always be wrapped up in the Spirit, and attacking with the Word because Satan will not let up until his final judgment.
I huge encouragement to me this past week has been the passage, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
The first verse is what really hit me, saying that if you think you got all together, just brace yourself. We must be humble in our weaknesses and rely on Christ to be our defender and strength against the enemy. The greatest encouragement is that we can conquer all temptations!
Hey Jessica!
I understand how you are feeling…satan definitely tries to get me down about this year and make me feel like I wont make a difference but dont worry! we will! like you said its all Jesus and not us:))