Dear Friend

The fall of Lucifer happened because he wanted to be like God. He sought to do all the things that God does. However, there are things in this life that only God can do, and as humans, we cannot. We are commanded to leave the fighting to God, for it is not our job. As the Bible says, "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still" (Exodus 14:14).

Even when we make mistakes, even when we turn our backs on God for whatever reason, His promises will stand. We are mere humans, and not only are we unable to be perfect and sinless without our Lord Jesus Christ, we are also unable to keep our covenant with Him 100 percent of the time. We have fears and doubts, sometimes so crippling it hurts. However, it doesn’t matter because even when we let go, He holds on to every promise He has made. There is no way to make those promises null and void through our actions or through our doubts and accusations, even when they are aimed at God. They are certainly not right on our part and must be fully repented of, but we are mere humans. Sometimes, within our limited capacity to understand, we get frustrated. When we don’t understand His plan or why we may be suffering, especially when it seems so easy for God to stop it, we can become angry, confused, and even frustrated with God. This can come in the form of unbelief, fear, and doubt. In such times, the enemy will try to strike, and he will fuel our thoughts as well.

Are we called to fast? Yes, we are absolutely called to fast, and it can lead to breakthrough in areas of our lives that feel stagnant or unmoving, areas where we have not seen the fruit of breakthrough. What does fasting do that regular prayer and worship cannot? Fasting denies the flesh, and sometimes, unbeknownst to us, our flesh can be what hinders our walk with Jesus. It's easy to blame the enemy for everything that goes wrong, or to credit him for the chaos in our minds. While the enemy certainly loves to take credit for any discord in our lives, he is not always the one to blame. Sometimes, chaotic thoughts within us come from our own human nature. It’s us, fighting against the Holy Spirit and resisting His direction for our lives. Our pride can pull us outside of ourselves, instead of allowing us to focus on our own journey with Jesus.

How long will you sleep? How long will you slumber? Solomon talks about the sluggard in Proverbs 6:9. He warns against laziness, and as Christians, we cannot afford to be lazy. It is the world that sleeps at this time, but we as Christians are called to be awake. (See the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 for further study.) The biggest event in the history of the world is just around the corner, and we Christians need to be on guard, ensuring we are doing our Christian duties right up until the return of Jesus.

When we feel lost, especially in nature, the first step is often to stand still, regain our bearings, and figure out where we are. After assessing the situation, we usually retrace our steps to a familiar place. Spiritually, we must do the same. If we feel lost in our walk with God, we might have strayed and taken our eyes off Jesus. The key to finding our way again is to refocus on Him.

It’s no good just turning to Jesus when something is wrong in our lives. We need to cultivate our own personal relationship with our Savior. So, do we want to use Jesus only to gratify our needs or help us out when trouble strikes? No! When we follow Jesus, we must be all in and submit every part of our lives to Him, trusting Him with everything. He uses all things for our good. We can turn to Him in times of difficulty, but we are the ones in spiritual trouble if we only turn to Him when we’re in need. We must remain vigilant against this because it is in our human nature to focus on our own wants, needs, and desires. But only when we live our lives for Jesus can we truly find happiness and peace.

Following the Lord and all His ways is the beginning of wisdom. If we are to be wise and live as disciples, we need to first fear the Lord and shun evil (Proverbs 9:10). Do not lean on your own understanding of things; always trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6). In His commands, His statutes, and His ways, Jesus and His Word are never wrong—though the world may want you to think differently. They may label you as ignorant for not accepting other people’s lifestyles, but we must stand firm in the truth.

A way that Satan tries to attack us is by bringing us down physically. He targets our health.

God is the Creator of heaven and earth. Everything in existence has come into being through His holy name and command. So why do we fill our minds with worry and fret? He promises a hedge of protection around us. Nothing happens without His will, and His Word assures us that He is in control. Despite this, we often give in to worry. Is it human nature? A lack of trust? Or is it the enemy working to separate us from our relationship with God? We face two enemies in this world: the devil and our own minds. We convince ourselves that we might make the wrong choices, that we will somehow mess up, but if we trust our Father in heaven, He will guide us on the right path.

There may be an earthly definition of beauty, and it certainly changes throughout the ages with its different styles and standards of what is and isn't considered beautiful, but that is worldly standards. But it is God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who makes things beautiful and worthy of praise.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, dying for our sins and imputing His righteousness onto us, reconciling us with God, we are now able to approach the throne of grace with prayer and supplication. We can go to God anytime, 24 hours a day. This is an amazing gift we have, and it shows the heart of our loving Father. His door is always open to us, and as parents, we must do the same. Are our doors always open for our children? Are we listening to the world around us, or are we swallowed up in our own thoughts and ideas? If we close our ears, whether intentionally or by accident, not realizing how we are living, we can miss a lot. We miss when they are talking, we miss when they are being led astray, and we miss when they need our love. We miss a lot, and as parents, we need to be vigilant when it comes to our children. When they are growing up, when they are little, they demand our attention, but as they grow older, the less and less they seek our approval. They find their own mentors and influences from the world. Who is influencing your children? If we don’t regulate what they are doing with utmost care and precision, a lot can fly under the radar.

Remember dear friends that you have an enemy who is out to get you, not because of you, but because of who God is. The closer we get to God, the further away he will try to make us. He is the enemy of our souls. He is against you, not because He specifically chose you to attack, but because of whose you are and because God specifically chose you. He does not want you to succeed; he does not want you to do the will of God, and he hates you. He will try anything and everything to stop you on your path to freedom in Christ Jesus. We mustn’t dwell on this, however; we must be aware of it so we can resist his evil temptations. He sets snares for us, and we must remain vigilant. He uses others against us, and we must remember that when this happens, it is the enemy using them against us. They are pawns in the devil's evil schemes. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He is the father of lies and is out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).