When the Devil Gets You Down….. No, Wait! Don't Let Him!

           Let's face it. We all know that one person that always seems to do a good job at dampening our spirits when we're excited about something. It's not a good feeling, and we usually want to get away from that person, because we don't want to have the same pessimistic outlook on the situation as they do. Whether we realize it or not, many times our spiritual life is a lot like the picture I just described. Last year, I went to The Wilds, a Christian camp in North Carolina. The whole week I was soaked in the Word and was surrounded by people who wanted to get to know God more. By the end of the week I was super excited, ready to share Christ's love and do whatever He desired of me. The rest of my youth group that I went with shared my eagerness to follow God with all my heart. We all saw each other again that next wednesday in youth group and shared testimonies with each other and the rest of the group. Our youth pastor reminded us that although we made some commitments and had even dedicated our lives to God the past week, it doesn't mean that we can go back to the way we were before and expect those commitments to be carried through on their own. We had made certain decisions that were going to help us grow closer to God, and there's nothing that Satan hates more than a bunch of young people, ready to go out and serve the Lord. That meant that he was going to throw darts and arrows at us, and try to sneak lies and temptations into our hearts. He would do anything to keep us from giving the first part of our day to God. We all considered this truth and took it very seriously. We, as fellow believers HAD to be there for each other, encouraging and lifting each other up when we stumble. The Devil will stop at nothing to dampen our joy that we find in trusting and following God. And I think that very few of us are actually aware of that. We realize we're drifting away from what's good, but we don't recognize the little steps that end up leading us so far from the truth. That's why I believe a daily surrendering of ourselves to God is necessary. It goes back to yielding our every thought and desire to the will of God. Knowing what the Devil wants to accomplish will help make us more alert about our spiritual welfare. I Peter 5:8 says:

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Wow! The Devil isn't just someone who doesn't like you very much and would like to trip you up every once in a while. No! The Bible describes him as a lion, an angry lion, just waiting for someone to stumble, so he can take him completely. So, if we wanted to use a plastic example, we could compare what the Devil does to someone really wanting to ruin your joy with their pessimism. But it's really much more serious and has much worse consequences if you decide to give into the temptation. Going back to what I said about my youth group, and how we needed to be there for each other. That's also mentioned in the Scriptures. Ephesians 6:17-18 commands:

"and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." 

Like I said in my last post, though. We can't and aren't supposed to do this on our own. Yes, we are responsible to put our armor on, but who provides the armor? Our Savior. He is the commander of the army. You're not in this fight alone, and neither am I. Don't let the Devil and his workers get you far enough away from God so that you're vulnerable to their evil tactics. Stay close to your loving Shepherd and He will always protect you from the roaring lion. I really love Laura Story's song, "Grace". It's a great picture of how we can't do anything on our own, but need God's grace to lead us all the way. Just take a few minutes and click on the video below, and trust me, you'll be encouraged beyond words.