The Enemy Knows

By: Jenifer Metzger

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near
to God, and He will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ CSB

I have never tasted alcohol of any kind. Not hard liquor, not beer, not wine, nothing. I don't say that as a boast, I say it because it has never had any appeal to me in the slightest. I've never wanted it, thought about it, had a desire to just try it, nothing. Because I have no experience or taste for it, the enemy doesn't try to tempt me with it. He knows it is a worthless effort. Instead, he puts his focus elsewhere, he tries to tempt me toward sin where I struggle.

The enemy knows what gets to us. He knows exactly how to make us fall. He knows what we struggle with. He knows our temptations. He’s not going to come at you with something that is not an issue for you. He’s going to come at you with something he knows you struggle with.

If he knows lust is an issue for you, he’ll put that attractive person in your view to make you lust and sin. You'll see that neighbor or co-worker and feel temptation. Or you'll scroll through social media and see posts of guys that cause you to feel temptation. If he knows anger is an issue for you, he’s going to make sure that traffic is backed up and people cut you off. Or he'll cause that one fellow mom in the school pick up line to say just the right thing to set you off. If he knows laziness is where you struggle, he'll make sure your tired and don't want to get up and get going. Or he'll make sure all the right Reels and TikToks come up to keep you glued to your phone.

He knows how to get you. He studies you closely. He knows all the right things that will have you battling within and all the right things that will cause you to stumble. BUT, we CAN resist him.

When the enemy tries to get us, we have power against him. We can say no and fight back. And when we do, all of heaven rejoices and the enemy walks away. But make no mistake, he will be back so we have to consciously submit to God and resist the devil. It’s a daily, hourly even, choice we have to make.

Here are five ways to resist the devil:

Recognize where you struggle. What is that sin you battle with? You can't fight back if you don't recognize it.

Pray. Ask God for help. God doesn't want you to live in this sin. He wants to help you. But you need to give it over to God and ask Him for help.

Open the Word. Open the Bible and begin to find Scriptures that deal with the sin you are struggling with. All sin falls into one of three categories: lust of flesh, lust of eyes, and pride of life. Jesus was tempted by the enemy in these ways too and He always fought back with the Word. You may not find Scripture about TikTok or mean girls in the mom group, but you can find Scripture about not being lazy (Proverbs 6:9-11) and on kindness (Ephesians 4:32). So open the Word, write out Scriptures to keep close by, and even memorize those Scriptures.

Seek counsel. Talk to your spouse, a trusted friend, mentor, or even your pastor. Share your struggles and ask for wise counsel and prayer. We don't have to fight our battles alone.

Remember, the enemy will come for you. That is a given. But you are called to submit to God and resist the enemy. It is possible.

Discussion:
1. Think of that sin you struggle with. Think back to times you submitted to it. Can you see where the enemy was working?
2. Now think of ways you can fight the enemy. Scriptures you can memorize. Places you need to avoid. Hard conversations you may need to have with your spouse or trusted friend.

Names of God Series: Constantly Companioned by Jehovah Shammah

By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Felipe Correia

"The perimeter of the city will be six miles, and the name of the city from that day on will be The Lord Is There.”

~Ezekiel 48:35

In our series studying the names of God, we come today to the name referenced here at the end of verse 35 - the name "Jehovah Shammah" - which is translated "The Lord is There" and points to how our God is ever-present with His people. 

I don't know about you, but I have had times in my life when I have felt all alone. Lies ran through my head such as,

No one understands what I'm going through.

No one knows what this is like. 

No one is on my side.

No one gets me.

No one is aware of the heavy burden I'm carrying.

No one can help me to figure out which direction to go in.

Sound familiar at all? Perhaps you have thought one or all of these before yourself. But they are all just that - lies from the enemy himself. Because what we are shown to be true throughout Scripture is that God companions us and remains with us everywhere we go, at all times and in every moment of every day. Consider, for example, these passages:

"Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, 'I will never leave you or abandon you.'" ~Hebrews 13:5

"Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9

"The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people." ~Exodus 13:21-22

"See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated 'God is with us.'” ~Matthew 1:23

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever." ~John 14:16

The truth of the matter, friend, is that you are truly never, ever alone - no matter what your feelings might try to tell you to the contrary. The Lord has promised to be with you every step of the way throughout your life, and He keeps His promises. Not only is the name we are studying today proof of that fact, but so is the name given to Jesus - Immanuel, literally meaning "God with us". 

The Lord is companioning you through life - today and always!

Reflection Questions:

1) What stood out to you about today's study?

2) How you ever felt as if you are alone? Have you believed that lie? How can you refute that lie with the truth we covered today? How can you live in light of the fact that you are never alone, but that God Himself is always with you? What difference should that make in your life?

3) How can you encourage someone else with the truth we studied today?

The Better Choice

 By: Joanne Viola

 

We are all unique, having our own personalities, talents, and quirks. So it should be no surprise two Biblical sisters – Mary and Martha – can confirm this to be true. They were pretty different from each other as well. Jesus took note of it; Luke made sure we knew the details.

As the disciples were traveling, they were welcomed into the home of these two sisters. Martha, who had extended the invitation, was hustling about preparing a big dinner. Mary, we are told, sat at the Lord’s feet. Martha gets a little peeved when she notices Mary is not helping her at all with the preparations. And she complains to Jesus.

“Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? 
Then tell her to help me.” 
(Luke 10: 40, NASB)

Martha was doing exactly what women in her day would have been expected to do – prepare and serve the meal. She was the one who had opened her home, and had to have recognized the amount of work it would entail to prepare a meal for Jesus and the disciples. Yet she seems to want Jesus to tell Mary to get up and assist her.

Jesus doesn’t do so.

“But the Lord answered and said to her, 
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 
but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, 
which shall not be taken away from her.” 
(Luke 10: 41-42, NASB)

Instead of telling Mary to go help her sister, Jesus gently puts Martha in her place and affirms Mary. Given that Mary was joining Jesus and His disciples, it is almost as if Jesus was saying, “Be a disciple.”

A disciple learns the ways of another. They are trained by the Teacher. They adhere to their teachings and doctrines because they know Him. They become like their teacher or mentor.

I think He would say those very same words to us today. We can so get busy with activities, good ones at that, and mistake these to be relationship and time spent with Him. But this is not what He wants from us.

Jesus longs for us to take the time to be with Him. To learn His ways. To be a disciple.

As we get busy these coming months, may we think about these two sisters. Martha was distracted with the preparations and missed the most important which was in front of her. Jesus pointed out that Mary had chosen to pause and spend time with Him. He tells us she was the one who had made the better choice.

May we remember to make the better choice.
For it will always come down to choice, and the choice is ours.
Be a disciple.

 

Reflection:
How do you stay focused on your relationship with God during this time of year? Do you struggle with balancing preparation and devotions?

 

Photo by Libby Penner on Unsplash

 

Theology of Clothing

   By: Lauren Thomas 

I’m a girl who enjoys fashion. I’m a girl who loves theology. So, buckle up for a brief theology of clothing! Throughout the Bible there is rich symbolism tied to clothing. More than you might think.

 

Let’s start with the purpose of clothing. Literally, clothing is for covering and protection, with a major function being that clothing distinguishes us. Clothes cover our nakedness. Clothes protect us from the elements. Historically, and even today, clothing distinguishes class, values, culture, and position. The literal purposes of clothes run parallel to the symbolic purpose of clothing through Scripture.

 

The first clothes ever, were… quite shabby: fig leaves sewn together, in an attempt to cover the shame of sin. Remember, Adam and Eve had been unashamed in their nakedness, until sin. Then they made clothes.

 

And ever since, we have been trying to cover ourselves.

 

Isaiah tells us that our righteousness is comparable to filthy rags.

 

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Isaiah 64:6 NIV

 

But God intervened. Genesis 3:21 shows us that God made “garments of skins” for Adam and Eve to clothe them. These garments foreshadowed the Old Testament sacrificial system, in which blood was necessary to atone for sin. See Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22. God literally covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve, but he also hinted at the spiritual covering of sin that He was preparing for them through the work of Christ.

 

This covering was also prophesied of in Zechariah 3:1-5. In this passage, a priest in filthy garments stands before the angel of the Lord (Jesus) and “the Accuser” (Satan). Before Satan can bring his accusation against the defiled priest, Jesus silences him, commanding that the priest’s filthy garments be removed and replaced with “pure vestments.” This clothing protected the priest from the accusation of Satan. Similarly, the covering that Jesus provides through his sacrifice not only covers our sin, but protects us from the accusation of our Enemy.

 

While many other passages through Scripture contain the symbolism of clothing, let’s now look at Revelation 19:7-8. Here, the bride of Christ (us, the Church) is granted to wear pure, bright linen. The white that a bride traditionally wears on her wedding day is meant to be symbolic of purity. In Revelation, we see that, symbolically, we are clothed in such a way that distinguishes us as belonging to Christ.

 

So how do we put on this symbolic clothing? Simply by placing our faith in Jesus, whereby his righteousness is imputed to us. (See Romans 4:3-5; Galatians 3:27; Philippians 3:9.) In other words, when we place our faith in Jesus, God sees us as clothed with the righteousness of Christ, not the filthy rags we have been piecing together since Genesis to cover ourselves. When we put on Christ, our sins are covered, we are protected from the accusation of the enemy, and we are distinguished as belonging to Him.

 

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10 ESV

 

Reflection:

What does it mean in your life that you have worn “filthy rags” and “fig leaves”?

What other passages can you find that use spiritual symbolism related to clothing?

How can you “put on Christ” (see Romans 13:14 and Colossians 3:1-17)?

Being on the Same Page

By: Jenifer Metzger

My husband loves to watch home remodel shows where they flip houses. One show in particular always catches my attention. Not because of the beautiful tile work or fabulous curb appeal. No, this show catches my attention because of the husband-wife team.

Every single episode ends up with the husband and wife arguing. Why? Because they are not on the same page. She wants the house one way, he wants it another. He tells the contractor to do one thing, she tells the contractor to do another. It's a mess!

We need to be on the same page with our spouse. Not being on the same page is disastrous.

How to stay on the same page in our marriage:

Prayer. Pray together regularly. If your husband is not a praying man {yet}, then make sure you are praying for your marriage. Pray with your spouse and for your spouse.

Communicate. Communication is vital for a marriage. Discuss your plans. Discuss your future. Discuss your feelings. Discuss everything. Make communication a top priority.

Consult each other. Before making any plans, discuss it with each other. It isn't asking permission to do something, it's a way each person can ask questions and understand what is going on and helps avoid being double booked.

Post plans. I am not talking about social media here. I am talking about a calendar and/or notes around the house. My husband often tells me that I forget to tell him stuff. But I believe I've told him and he's forgotten. So we use a calendar. Everything our family does goes on a calendar. We also put notes all around the house. This way we all know what is going on.

Offer grace. When you mess up, you want your husband to offer grace and move on. So give him the same.

Discussion:
1. Do you and your husband struggle with staying on the same page?
2. Which of these areas do you need to work on and what can you do today to implement it?