Circumstances..."nothin' new under the sun!"

I have never been made so aware of the ongoing spiritual battles taking place among believers as I am right now.  In my own life, the past year it has been a very real battle and I've seen it too in the lives of those I love so dearly.  When I say battle, I mean battle.  I mean that there is actual armor(Eph 6) involved, but mostly and obviously, something very very worth battling over is at steak.  I throw in spiritual because that's just what it is if you are a believer...a spiritual battle.  Satan fighting against all that God has called you to be, and who Christ is IN you.

The bottom line is, satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy.  And he will try his best to do that in every and any circumstance in our lives.  If not, then I would certainly question the depth of someone's walk with the Lord, and I'm saying that to myself as well.  I hope no one misunderstands that sentence...but anyway.  If satan sees no threat of God having control in all of our circumstances, then there is no need for him to try to confuse or deceive, etc. us.  The Christian walk is not easy! haha(insert, "well thank you captain obvious!" here)...I'm typing this out for myself!  The great news is, the victory has been won in Christ, He accomplished and defeated any stronghold satan tries to get us with on the Cross.  Therefore, our Power lies in the Cross, our focus should remain on the Cross and our hope in Christ.  He is our refuge and ever present help in time of need.  He is so faithful, even when we are not and nothing can separate us from His love!  What then, shall we say to this, if Christ is for us, who can be against us(Rom.)?

Okay, I got way off of what I wanted to blog...it happens, haha!  As a constant reminder for me, it feels good to vent and remind myself of the truth that when battles arise, it is an opportunity for Christ to be glorified in us.  I must remember that if my gaze is ever on the Lord, where my hope and salvation come from, I can make it through anything satan brings my way...whatever poopy circumstances are surrounding!  It is so much easier to give thanks when focused on Christ and His character, rather than on what we may be going through.  He is always on the throne, and His purposes will forever be fulfilled in His children when they are seeking Him in the midst of "suffering."  I'm no expert in this subject, there are a million books and people who can communicate these awesome truths from God's Word much more effectively...there's nothing new under the sun...but it feels good to just let it out! :)  

I'm done for now, I have a couple of assignments due tomorrow and I think my Mcdonalds wi-fi time will run out soon!  FYI: I only came here for the vanilla iced coffee...it's OFF THE HOOK, but I refuse to be an addict of caffeine! ;)