A Raging Battle

Hello,

So good to come back and write once again! I have joined yet another Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study. During this study we are using the book Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa is also the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. If you are reading this from my Angie’s Notes of Grace blog and would like more information on Proverbs 31 Ministries or their Online Bible Studies feel free to shoot me an email, angiepettijohn@gmail.com or click here for more information.

This journey is about learning how to, and consciously putting into practice, the act of choosing God above all. Even though the book directly addresses food, I know there are countless ways that Satan wants me to be distracted so that I do not place God in His correct position in my life. NUMBER #1 OVER ALL!!!

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”

We all know that verse. It’s the first of the ten commandments. If God placed it first don’t you think it’s pretty important? I did a search on Bible Gateway.com under keyword(s) for “no other gods”. It came back with 77 results. To me that was a lot. Especially when you consider I told it that it had to match ALL 3 words in the verse. So 77 times in the Bible God says “no other gods”. I think He means it! God has no tolerance for those who worship gods other than HIM! So, maybe your like I’ve been for so many years, foolishly telling myself, “Well, I’m not like the Muslim who worships Allah, or the Buddhist who worships Buddha, or those who worship Mother Earth, or so many others who have a “god” to bow down to and literally worship. I proclaim to all that I worship the One True God. So I’m sure He’s ok with me. Right?” Wrong? Yes I said, WRONG!!! Let’s look at another scripture on how God feels about His place in our lives.

Deuteronomy 13:6-11 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known,⁷ some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, ⁸ you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. ⁹ But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. ¹⁰ You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.¹¹ And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

Ok, did you just like swallow hard when you read that? Boy, I did! It says, “nor shall your eye pity him”. Don’t feel sorry for those who worship other gods. Ouch! This putting other gods before our God is serious business!

So here is the way I look at it, just as has been mentioned in our blogs this week and in our reading, this is not going to be easy. Why? Because this is A RAGING BATTLE!!! Not just over food, nicotine, television, the computer, facebook or whatever it is, but it is a spiritual battle!!!

Let me tell you what I have learned this week about God, myself, and Satan. I have been through this battle many times and I’m still fighting it! Yes, this time around, my perspective is new and fresh. I’m ready to resist the cravings with prayer and scripture and the power of God. But guess what? The cravings aren’t coming, at least not yet. Yes, I’m sure they will. Because Satan knew I was armed and ready for him to attack me with cravings, he changed his tactics. Isn’t that what a smart and clever warrior does in battle? A surprise attack, get you in your weakest place and where you are NOT defended. So I’m going along in the week and I’m amazed at how smoothly my food choices are. Then it hits me, or the Holy Spirit hits me and I realize, how much time are you spending on the computer? How much time are you watching tv? How much time are you thinking about me (God)? Then I realize, Satan has done it to me again! Sneak attack. Now I am keeping my eyes open and on my Savior, asking Him to help me see those temptations as they arise instead of falling for Satan’s tricks.

1Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The conclusion I’ve come to is I can’t ever let my guard down. Yeah, that was something I should have known, but I’m human and I slipped. The wonderful thing about Jesus and grace is He knows that about us and He continues to extend His grace to us every time I slip and fall. Just like this week, Jesus was there with His hand outstretched ready to pick me up. All I had to do was ask for His forgiveness and take His hand. He picks me up and I get back on track. I am so thankful for His Grace!

Living in Grace,

Angie