Do any of you ever have someone in your life where it seems like no matter what you say that they just want to disagree with you? Even if you say something that is factually true (like the sky being blue), they still just want to say the opposite. I know for me growing up, this was my younger siblings. I know now that they only did it for the purposes of trying to annoy me, but it definitely felt like they had some sort of ulterior motive behind it for sure. It felt like they made it their life’s work to annoy me and undermine me no matter what!

In life, we’re often going to find that there will be plenty of people who disagree with us and may even try to make our life harder than it needs to be. But what about the things in our life that we can’t see? It’s really easy to focus on the things and people that we can see, but we’re told that a lot of our battles will be against things that we can’t see. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that our battles aren’t just “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) He tells us that our battles will be against forces and things we can’t always see.

The enemy will always try to find ways to separate us from God, whether that’s temptations, attacks, or even just feeding us lies. One thing is certain though, the enemy will use anything and everything he can to do this. Even going so far as to convince us that little things aren’t as bad as what they really are. Satan is devious and insidious. Just like we talked about last night, it can start with just one small little thing and it slowly builds up until it’s a giant creature roaming the halls of your home! Imagine how scary it would be to even go make a sandwich if you knew there was a giant monster you had to worry about!

There is one thing that can really drive a wedge between us and God more than anything else. Got a guess on what it is? It’s actually ourselves! When we constantly choose not to follow or listen to God and His commands, we put a wedge between us and our Father who loves us dearly. Sometimes it’s not even just a one time thing either. When we continue to go to the things that drive us away from God, they continue to get more and more embedded and drive roots deeper. Each time we let something like that in, there’s always at least a small bit of residue that it leaves on us. 

It’s not as hopeless as it sounds though! God doesn’t just let us be tempted and hope that we can do it on our own. It’s the exact opposite! Even when we may not see God working, He always is! That’s part of how He can show Himself to us and prove that He loves us. He always gives us a way out of whatever we’re in, and Paul even tells us as much in 1 Corinthians 10:13!

We should be careful about where and what we go to in place of God because it can lead to way worse problems. But, it’s always important to remember that no matter how far we’ve gone, how deep something has gotten, or how impossible it feels to defeat it, God can and will help! And He goes a step further, He wants to help and wants you to come to Him with whatever it is you’re struggling with or stuck in. There’s always hope when we invite Him into the dark places that are holding us back.

Questions:

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What does this verse make you think about our relationship with God? 

Do you actually believe that God loves us enough to give us ways out of the sins and struggles we’re in?

Weekly Challenge:

1. Take time to actually sit and pray and ask God to help reveal the areas of your life that have become “strongholds.”
2. What things do you feel like are holding you back from your relationship with God?
3. What ways do you think God is prompting you to defeat the areas in your life holding you back from following Him and being closer to Him?