Have you ever had a bad illness and then right after, you feel as though your spirit is being attacked over and over, wearing you down till you break? This happened to me this past year and I kept asking God "why?" over and over, to no avail. What I should have been asking myself was "how?" Last Sunday I figured it out: It is harder for my spirit to fight temptations and trials when my body (the physical) is weak. I mean, it's harder to be a witness for God or do anything really positive for Him when we are not feeling very well. This is exactly what satan wants. What he doesn't want is for our spirit to be up and fighting, and if we are saved then he can't get us that way, thus we are a threat to him. So guess what? Satan then tries to ruin our lives in ways that would make us incapable of serving God to our fullest ability. How does he do this? Well, let's examine that more closely by looking at how satan tries to work in us.
Our circumstances are something that can really either bring us up or tear us down. When God allows satan to try to tear down our situations in life, it can be very weakening, so why would God do this? Because He has a purpose for it, when we are going through trials it isn't because God doesn't care but because He knows that even though satan is trying to bring evil, only good will prevail in the long run. He is allowing it because He knows that we are up for the challenge or is preparing our spirit for the real battle. He says that He will "never leave thee nor forsake thee"Heb. 13:5 and that He will never give us too heavy of a burden. He knows our limits and won't allow us to be overtaken, however, sometimes our circumstances happen the way they do to make us rely on Him more. I had a blog post way back when talking about the fact that when we are the weakest and are crying out for help to God, that is when we are the strongest, because we are finally looking to Him as a refuge. This is the same principle, but there is a slight difference in what I am talking about. When satan works in our circumstances it is depressing and difficult, this is a time when we need to rely on God, be in prayer, and ready to fight. However, there is another approach that satan tries and often succeeds in: Physical ailments. That is where we are most vulnerable. Why? Because anyone can rely on God and let Him take care of our circumstances, but what is one to do when satan is literally tearing our body apart; thus weakening our spirit, and making our life issues play at their worst with us over and over and over; always where and when we are weak, till we crack and break? This is when it becomes more difficult. So what are we to do? Nothing is too big for the Lord! "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."Phil. 4:13 I believe that prayer and scripture are the best way of overcoming the devil, through them we are made strong. If our hearts are filled with scripture, prayer, and God, then there is no more room for satan, and if satan doesn't fit then where can he work? If you believe that your body is the temple of God, then make it holy, sacred, and full of Him and only Him. Also know that when satan attacks us; though he is trying to get us down, God is using even this for His perfect plan. "Be strong and of a good courage..."Duet. 31:6 "neither give place to the devil."Eph. 4:27 Be ready for the challenge and be ready to be a witness to those around you. You never know who's watching.
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