When Jesus was living on earth He said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
As my eyes are more and more opened to the raging battle around us, I see the enemy at work. Tonight I am angry, as I see him "steal, kill and destroy."
I see him fanning a culture that is saturated in sexuality, twisting something beautiful into one of his most powerful weapons. He slashes at men in their core with a booming porn industry, taking them out at their roots, in secret, replacing what should be BEAUTY with SHAME. A man that carries shame cannot flourish and thrive, cannot rise up to lead the way he was created to. His hidden shame eats away at his inside, and bleeds cancerous destruction on his family. When the captain of a ship is not manning his post, the whole ship veers off course.
Women either become objects in this wave of destruction, or they try to take the ship's helm. Women are beautiful creatures God created to complete His picture. Instead, according to the enemy's plan, some are enslaved in prostitution (yes, here in America. On our very own 82nd. And I don't mean "promiscuous", I mean ENSLAVED in prostitution.) Other women try to rise to fill the shoes that men aren't filling. They forfeit who they were called to be to try to bridge the gap.
Delicately balanced between is the next generation of children. They don't know who they are, or who they are to grow to become, with no one to show them. Without careful guidance, each generation of captains and copilots sails further off course.
I am angry at the enemy for stealing women's self-worth. I am angry at the enemy for placing shame deep in men so they cannot rise up and fight to protect the beauty and value of true women. I am angry at the enemy for tricking us, lying to us, deceiving us, for his crafty ways of weaseling into believing families, for how he pits believer against believer, destroying churches from the inside out. I am angry at him for confusing, distracting, pushing GREAT men and women of God toward HIS purposes. I am angry at him for spreading numbness over our generation of "de-sensitized" adults.
We HAVE to wake up and see this. Anything we have not given to God we leave available for stealing.
Someone asked Jesus once what the MOST important commandment was... His answer:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)
We are to give ALL of ourselves to our Creator. Let us FIGHT BACK against the enemy, let us lock up our goods so they cannot be stolen. Jesus said He came so that we may have LIFE, and have it "to the full". THAT is what I want...
Tonight I choose to give God my anger. I choose to look for how GOD's kingdom is advancing, instead of despairing over the advances of the enemy. I choose to re-claim what I have either knowingly or unknowingly let the enemy steal. I choose to give all of me to my Creator, again, so that I can be who I was created to be.
Want to know the best part of this story? In the same chapter that Jesus talks about the thief coming to "steal, kill and destroy", He says this about us:
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..." (John 10:28)
He is greater than all.
What a mighty God we serve.
As my eyes are more and more opened to the raging battle around us, I see the enemy at work. Tonight I am angry, as I see him "steal, kill and destroy."
I see him fanning a culture that is saturated in sexuality, twisting something beautiful into one of his most powerful weapons. He slashes at men in their core with a booming porn industry, taking them out at their roots, in secret, replacing what should be BEAUTY with SHAME. A man that carries shame cannot flourish and thrive, cannot rise up to lead the way he was created to. His hidden shame eats away at his inside, and bleeds cancerous destruction on his family. When the captain of a ship is not manning his post, the whole ship veers off course.
Women either become objects in this wave of destruction, or they try to take the ship's helm. Women are beautiful creatures God created to complete His picture. Instead, according to the enemy's plan, some are enslaved in prostitution (yes, here in America. On our very own 82nd. And I don't mean "promiscuous", I mean ENSLAVED in prostitution.) Other women try to rise to fill the shoes that men aren't filling. They forfeit who they were called to be to try to bridge the gap.
Delicately balanced between is the next generation of children. They don't know who they are, or who they are to grow to become, with no one to show them. Without careful guidance, each generation of captains and copilots sails further off course.
I am angry at the enemy for stealing women's self-worth. I am angry at the enemy for placing shame deep in men so they cannot rise up and fight to protect the beauty and value of true women. I am angry at the enemy for tricking us, lying to us, deceiving us, for his crafty ways of weaseling into believing families, for how he pits believer against believer, destroying churches from the inside out. I am angry at him for confusing, distracting, pushing GREAT men and women of God toward HIS purposes. I am angry at him for spreading numbness over our generation of "de-sensitized" adults.
We HAVE to wake up and see this. Anything we have not given to God we leave available for stealing.
Someone asked Jesus once what the MOST important commandment was... His answer:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)
We are to give ALL of ourselves to our Creator. Let us FIGHT BACK against the enemy, let us lock up our goods so they cannot be stolen. Jesus said He came so that we may have LIFE, and have it "to the full". THAT is what I want...
Tonight I choose to give God my anger. I choose to look for how GOD's kingdom is advancing, instead of despairing over the advances of the enemy. I choose to re-claim what I have either knowingly or unknowingly let the enemy steal. I choose to give all of me to my Creator, again, so that I can be who I was created to be.
Want to know the best part of this story? In the same chapter that Jesus talks about the thief coming to "steal, kill and destroy", He says this about us:
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all..." (John 10:28)
He is greater than all.
What a mighty God we serve.
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