1 Peter 5:7-10
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I keep a little calendar on my desk called “365 Days of Humor for Women.” There is a quote for each day of the year. Today’s quote was, “Some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.” That’s pretty funny stuff on the surface. The sad part is that some of us choose to be “the statue” pretty much every day of the year! And that’s how we get into trouble. See, the devil can move about easily in our suggestive realm. So when we speak negatively, we just as well open the door and say, “Come on in, buddy, and sit a spell!”
We give the devil room to work when we continually harbor negative thoughts. Part of keeping our guard up is making a concerted effort to see the good in all situations and people. I know it’s hard. I’ve been “the statue” more days than I care to acknowledge… and to a large degree it’s often been my own doing! Joel Osteen likes to say, “You can be a victim, or a victor!”
The choice is ours. We can take those “statue” days and turn them into opportunities to do better… for ourselves and by others. When someone mistreats you, make a vow to treat that person or someone else even better. When life throws you a curve ball, ask God to show you how to find your way to a bigger opportunity… or to give you His solution to your present dilemma.
Whatever images, suggestions, visions, dreams, impressions, feelings and thoughts that don’t contribute directly to our faith need to be blasted into the stratosphere. We need to fill our hearts and minds with those things that line up with God’s will for our lives… to continually seek to turn negative thoughts and events into positive ones (with God’s help), and to always ask Him “What would you have me learn from this?” Sure, there will still be “statue” events. But how we handle them will speak volumes about how big our faith in God is to set us upright, dust us off, and get us going in the right direction again.
Are you awake and alert these days… carefully guarding your thoughts and actions against the devil’s efforts to get a foothold? Or are you napping on the job? Have you set yourself up to experience the powerful “last word” of God… or would you rather be a “statue?”
©2012 Debbie Robus
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