Did I Really Ask for This?

Lesson 2


    The second lesson I have learned on this faith journey (and I will be more specific as to exactly WHAT our faith journey is later in the future) is that Satan will not attack us hard if we are living a life of comfort. He will, however, attack us as soon as we take a step of faith.  If we are living a life of comfort, Satan has us right where he wants us.  Jesus has already won the eternal battle, so now it is Satan's goal to keep Christ followers from being bold, reaching out, and changing lives.  He wants us to be comfortable.  It's when we take a bold step of faith that his attack will begin.  It will come in any arena--tithing, attending church, witnessing to a neighbor, or any other step that God is calling us to take.  That's how we know we are on the right path, God's path.  So, be prepared for battle when you step out--it won't be easy.
     Last week on one of my walks, I actually joked with God, "Did I really mean it when I prayed to be a stronger, more effective Christian?"  Did I really want to grow stronger in my faith and walk with Christ?  I asked that question because, when we do, He will always call us to walk in faith and take a step that is far beyond our comfort zone and Satan will always attack when we decide to follow God's call.
     Recently, I have been rereading the story of Job in my daily time with God.  Before I started reading it this time, I prayed that God would show me something I had never seen before in that story.  When I got to chapter 3, verse 25, the verse practically jumped out at me.  It was the nugget I had never seen before and it helped me understand Satan's attacks so much more.  Job was a righteous man who was attacked by Satan.  He lived a life of active faith & Satan knew it.  Satan took everything Job owned, then physically afflicted Job.  When Job finally summoned the strength to speak about his losses and his discouragement, he admitted (in verse 25) that what he feared finally happened.  He says to his friend, "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me."  Satan knows our fears and he will attack us where he knows we're scared.  Job's fear was that he would "have no peace, no quietness;...no rest, but only turmoil" (v. 26).  Satan knew Job was scared of that, so he made that happen in hopes that it would cause Job to abandon his faith and his walk with God.
     The only fear we should experience is the reverent fear of God.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).  If we are Christ-followers, we are on the winning side--nothing can hurt us.  We literally have nothing to fear.  Our flesh, though, is weak, so we do occasionally fear something, but then we go to God in prayer and get in His Word and we use our weapons to fight against Satan's arrows and attacks.  God is all we need.  Ever.  Consequently, we have nothing to fear in life.  We've already won.  We just have to keep taking those small steps of faith, because when we look back, God will have created a pathway of righteousness.