Jesus said in John 16:33 that in our lives we will have trials and tribulations, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. We were never promised that our days would be without challenges, but we are promised that when we stay connected to Jesus we can overcome all the obstacles that do show up.
You know, the devil will make a run at us every chance he gets. The one thing I have learned in my own life is that he never challenges me in any area where I'm strong. It is always the areas where I exhibit weakness that he exploits.
I was with a group of friends the other night watching the Bedlam football game. For those of you who don't know, this is the football game between the two state colleges in Oklahoma. It's a crazy game with over the top fans on both sides. Now I'm not a real fan of football, I can watch it, and even enjoy it, but I have no true loyalties to either team.
What I do love to do however is to harrass the guys who do have loyalties to their team. When people I know reveal an area in their life that aggravates them, I love to zero in on that and exploit it for pure enjoyment. Now, this has come to bite me in the butt from time to time, especially when someone I've done this to finds an area to exploit with me. But if you are going to dish anything out, you've got to be able to take it in return too.
One thing I figured out, while writing this blog actually, is that this is exactly what the devil does too. (And yes I realize that by saying this I am putting myself in the same breath as the devil) The devil goes around as it says in Job 1:7 to and fro in all the Earth. The Bible also tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that he is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He's just looking for any weakness in us, and when he finds one he will exploit it for all it's worth. And he doesn't care either, anything that will let him get to us is good enough for him.
A few years ago this happened to me. One day, I had a customer in my store that rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not sure why, but she did, and as she left the store I passed a six foot, wooden end cap as I was walking towards the back room when my anger got the best of me, and I swung out with my right fist and punched it as hard as I could.
Now I have taken Karate classes with my kids, and know the proper way to throw a punch, but this day I hit that end cap square with my pinky knuckle and for all my efforts ended up with what is called a boxer's fracture. The knuckle right at the base of my pinky finger fracturing from the impact.
I'm not sure why I let that lady get me so worked up that day, but I am starting to realize how and when the enemy pushes my buttions. Some days I do better than others, as I am still growing and learning. The real interesting thing is that when it gets really cold, or I am doing something strenuous with my hands that pinky knuckle reminds me of that day.
My friend Joe McGee offered me the following wise words when I was talking to him about this incident in my life, "It's a hard lesson to learn Dave, but now that you have learned it you will be able to help someone else when they are struggling with the same thing." And I guess that's kind of what I've hopefully done with this blog today.
Stand strong against the wiles of the enemy, because with Jesus in your heart you can do that, if you choose to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit when those situations arise. I know that I'm going to from now on. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!
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