uncomfortably comfortable in corruption

Have you ever stopped, looked around, and realized that your life seems to be in disarray? That while you have been dealing with the day-to-day brush fires of the moment, your immediate surroundings, your schedule, and even your relationships have begun to appear more and more like dried kindling that could easily ignite at any given hour?

Have you ever wondered, "How did my life get so complicated... so messy... so out of control? How could I let this or that happen? Why does everything seem so loud and stressful? And why can't I seem to gain a foothold ahead of all these interruptions and distractions?"

This is how I began my day. Mind you, at no fault of my own, I have been very sick with the flu as well as dealing with severe pain from an ongoing back injury. As such, for some time I have chosen to step away from the norm in order to attend to myself. However, while I have been spending what seems like the last few months recovering and healing, Satan has been at work scheming his next attack on camp Victoria.

The enemy's intent: to trip me up and watch me fall while rendering my life ineffective in bringing glory to God Almighty.

His ammunition of the hour is to skillfully utilize loud noise, busyness, clutter, and distraction as a means of gaining momentum. His motive is to make me feel defeated and hopeless. To encourage my weary emotions to get the better of me. To monopolize my time and thoughts in order to stop me from moving forward in my life's purpose and total commitment to honor and worship the holy King of kings.

As such, today I woke up under attack - feeling extremely panicked and overwhelmed. Today, I looked around and realized that in the last month every part of my home has accumulated some form of clutter requiring my personal attention of which I have been unable to physically accommodate. That my schedule has become incredibly overbooked and unrealistic. That some of my dearest relationships have fallen into shortened neglect. And, as a result, my heart is now unsettled and worried. Yes, today I looked around and briefly reacted negatively while temporarily discarding the clear focus of my God's perspective of peace. Instead of praising His Name, all I could see was disarray, disorder, and chaos accumulating. All I could focus on was my never-ending supply of difficult tasks and problems. It's always something, right?

Have you ever been here?

Have you ever felt completely out of control and overburdened?
Have you become lost in all that is wrong rather than hopeful in all that is righteous and available to you?

Yes, today I woke up feeling buried and hopeless! But blessed be the Holy Spirit because thankfully, for many months He has had the foresight to prepare me for this day of attack - driving home one single truth in my mind each and every time I would listen. That truth is this: The Word of the Lord is always my answer. The Word of the Lord is always my defense. The Word of the Lord is always my source of strength, and hope... and peace! The Word of the Lord is my firm foundation in Jesus' new, better life.

How vital is it to stay close to God?

How important is it to regularly study and meditate over His truths and allow His wisdom to fill our hearts?

It is most important, Ladies!

His Word is MOST important to our survival and growth in Jesus Christ!!!

Satan thrives to coax us away from being close to God. He loves to lead our souls into chaos. He wishes to trip us up when we are burdened down by making even simple things seem complicated... making our world seem unfixable and unkempt. Yes, Satan fiercely wants us to stumble... and to keep stumbling. He wants us so battered and abused that we are only able to focus on our sorrows and sores rather than receive God's proven Way to lasting health and wellness... rather than moving forward in service and love. Yes, evil Satan wants us to accept an unwarranted defeat outside of God's will. That ole' snake wants us to submit to his unstructured rule rather than abide in the care of our perfect Creator who always brings order and purpose. In short, Satan wants us to live uncomfortably comfortable with corruption. Furthermore, he is the grand master of shifting the blame of his inadequacy onto us. Blame, that sadly when we are not prepared to stand firmly in God's truth, we buy into - accepting of lies and reacting in panic.

This was Satan's attack on me this morning. And, had he succeeded, his attack could have been the beginning of some real trouble and damage... not only for me, but also for my family as I frequently am key in setting the spiritual tone in our household each morning. When I think of the domino effect that Satan's attack could have caused on this beautiful morning, I am angered at his vicious attempt to hurt and destroy my new life. But mostly, I am sooooo grateful for my prepared Shepherd. For my Jesus has proven that He is not the god of panic. No, my God is not the god of unstructured surroundings or disorderly conduct. Rather to the contrary, my God loves me. He is the God who commands the wild seas to be still and at peace. My God is the God who silences the lips of those who foolishly challenge His law. (Ya hear that, Satan!!!) My God is the God who dictates the comings and goings of every sunrise and sunset. My God is the God who saves and protects His beloved family from all harm. Most importantly, My God decrees the exact amount of what I am able to handle. Thankfully, experience with His truth has taught me to trust Him on that. For I know He has a valuable purpose and plan for every single moment of my life. And, I know that every day He calls me to rest calmly in His care as I proceed forward. So, today I am resting on God's many promises and choose to stand firm in the security of His Word. Today, I confidently reject Satan's bed of negativity and lies about my current condition and/or status. For I have real hope in the Lord. So I will face ALL things with the renewed purpose of abiding in that hope while giving my Redeemer all glory for every accomplishment and step forward.

Ladies, if you are faced with any trial, any horror, any sorrow, any chaos... stop and be still in Spirit. Pause in God's promises before proceeding foolishly in a reactionary panic. For our God never invites panic. Rather, He wishes for us to be filled with His grace, always trusting His authority and control of all things placed before us. With this in mind, I encourage you to be alert to the schemes of Satan and choose to stand firm in the Lord with this important truth: The Word of the Lord is always the answer. The Word of the Lord is always your defense. The Word of the Lord is always your source of strength, and hope... and peace!!! The Word of the Lord is your firm foundation in Jesus' new, better life. Any viewpoint or emotion that blurs this certain hope contravenes us against the law of obedience to solely follow Christ... to solely trust the Lord to see us through.

“All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)

Blessings!

~Victoria