You’ll have to forgive me for any poorly developed thoughts here. I recently started running again and it has me so exhausted.
Honestly I’m not even sure what to write here. I’ve sort of been dreading this all day. Sometimes I feel as if I am out of words to say. Actually I feel like this a lot because I’m not a big fan of superfluous words, or talking just for the sake of talking. Pet peeves.
Anyway.
A friend today sent me the song “Grace Wins” by Matthew West in response to what I wrote yesterday. I’m sure you’ve heard it (if you ever listen to Christian radio stations I suppose), but if not, here’s the link for the YouTube video with lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ9dvAWNvsw.
While reading through the lyrics, one line in particular stood out to me. He sings, “And grace returns what guilt has stole.” The Enemy disarms us, many times with guilt, and attempts to take away what God has given us- grace. Love. Victory. But these are not the Enemy’s to give or take away- they are owned by God, and He is the only One who can decide where they go. And He has decided that we get them. No exceptions.
I often find myself focusing on things like “what is the Enemy’s strongest weapon” or “how is the Enemy so good at what he does.” And in the moment, it really seems as if I am just acquainting myself with the Enemy and trying to figure out how to beat him. The problem with this is that my focus has now shifted from God to the Enemy. This is not to say that we need to ignore the Enemy. I think the challenge here is actively seeking to fight him while focusing our hearts wholeheartedly on God, and on things that are good. It’s a balance.
I do a bad job of focusing on the good in life. I’ll admit it, I can often be a cynical pessimist. And in reading these song lyrics, I hear God saying, “Focus on Me. I have given you unbreakable tools to win this battle, but only I can show you how to use them. Stop worrying about what the other side has, and start trusting that what I gave you will lead to victory.”
It’s never going to be simple. It’s definitely easier to only focus on the evil and overwhelming and lose sight of the good, or vice versa- only focus on what is good and disregard the work that still needs to be done. But God calls us to focus on Him, and then- only then- will the Enemy be put in his place.