By Jasmine Perdue

I don’t know about you, but I am a pro at trying to solve problems through my own ideas and strength. My hobby it seems is wrestling with the devil 24/7. For some ridiculous reason I think in my strength I can fight the battle and experience victory. I know what the Scripture says; however, I can tell you from personal experience that “knowing the truth” and “living in the truth” are two totally different things.

Ephesians 6:14 (msg) says, “God is strong, and He wants you to be strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life or-death fight to the finish line against the devil and all of his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.”

I love the way the msg version translated these Scriptures! We are in a life or death fight against the devil and we are up against far more than we can handle on our own!

We know it is true and yet so many times we don’t take it seriously! Why do I think I can experience victory when it says, “I am up against far more than I can handle on my own?” Why do I wear myself out fighting, lose again and again, and then wonder why every area of my life has me overwhelmed, burned out, defeated, hopeless, and absolutely exhausted emotionally as well as physically?

Where are you right now? Is your job just draining the life out of you? Are you impatient and frustrated at your children all the time? Does your marriage feel like it is falling apart? Are you feeling burned out, unenthusiastic, and lack-luster in your ministry opportunities at church? Is cooking dinner for your family, providing clean clothes for your husband and children, and cleaning the house tasks that you feel you just don’t have the strength to do?

Well I think truth be told we have all been there and probably are still there now!

Life is crazy! Too much to do and not enough time to do it seems to be the everyday occurrence. We don’t have time to prepare for the battle every morning in prayer and study because we are running 100 miles an hour.

 

And you know what–that is exactly the way Satan likes it!

He wants to keep you so busy and overwhelmed with the things of this world that spending time with the Lord, Who, by the way gives you the strength to accomplish everything He has given you in the first place, is not going to be your #1 priority every morning.

Every time I start thinking about my to do list, how tired I am, all that is expected of me as a wife and mom then I am left grasping for air because I did not plug in to my oxygen tank first. You see we can only hold our breath for a short amount of time before we start thrashing and grasping for air. The same is true in our daily lives. In our own strength we can go and go for a while but eventually we will start thrashing and grasping for relief! But if we first plug in to the One who can provide the oxygen and help we need then can we truly start experiencing daily victories as we navigate through the duties of life.

Some quotes from the Priscilla Shirer book “Armor of God

Satan knows that you, as a child of God, cannot be destroyed. But he has other goals in the meantime: to distract you, discourage you, divide you from others, and disable you from experiencing everything that is rightfully yours as an adopted member of God’s family. He wants to terrorize you until you’re rendered incapacitated, miserable, and incapable of living in the benefits of a victory that has already been won.

Satan wants your fellowship with God to be broken-between you and the One who provides your true power and strength. Then, weakened and vulnerable, you’ll be susceptible to his plans to destroy you.

Satan knows that he cannot destroy you. Too late for that. The best he can do is to make your time on earth futile and unproductive, to suffocate you with sin, insecurity, fear, and discouragement until you are unable to live freely and fully. He can’t “unseat” you, but he can intimidate you and render you ineffective and paralyzed.

“You see this is no afternoon athletic contest! This is a life and death fight to the finish line against the devil!” Ephesians 6:14

He wants to destroy us and I believe one of the best ways he can do it is by overloading our schedules and keeping us from time with the Lord! If we do not plug into our Power Source, we will be ineffective in our jobs, our responsibilities at home, training our children to be men and women of God, loving and respecting our spouse, and ministering to those God has placed in our lives.

I don’t know what you are going through right now, but I do know that the Lord says, “Be Still and Know that I Am God.” I need to choose more to be still and know that He is God.

I need to plug into the Oxygen so that I can stop thrashing and start accomplishing!

I need to stop “knowing the truth” and start “living in the truth.”

No matter our schedules and no matter our responsibilities, the Lord can multiply our time because He is the Creator of time and He can give us more strength because He is all powerful. Let’s choose to plug in, live in His truths, and see what God does for us!