The Battle for True Freedom
© karenjoy
"For every provocation against God's cause there is a provision for victory." R. Arthur Matthews
"It's a secret battle I'm engaged in, not fought on any physical battlefield. In fact, most people have no idea I'm involved in such a conflict at all. I wake in the morning and the battle is in full force. I ready myself to go out into my day, carefully putting on my "Okay Face" before I do so. I show up at work (or church, or the grocery store, or the PTA meeting, wherever) with a plastic smile, delve into the task before me with that determination that no one must know, no one must ever suspect, these things must never be spoken about - who would believe me anyway? And even if they did, who would understand? My shame and fear keep me silent, constantly engaged in the battle - alone."
How may of us live this way? How many are overwhelmed at even the thought of getting up in the morning and facing one more day of such internal turmoil and conflict - not to mention all the outside commitments and responsibilities that keep us running on fumes (who has time to stop for gas?). For those in such a quandary it takes an incredibly intense effort to face people, work, and the endless list of daily to-dos (that cannot possibly get done in time for us to tackle the things that will surely come up that are not even on the list!) without falling prey to the internal panic raging within.
The battle began back in Genesis, when Satan came to accuse God in order to separate us from Him. The battle continues as he points God as the cause of our pain, grief, suffering, sorrows. Remember when Job's servants came running to him with the awful report of what had befallen his children? "A fire from God came. . ." Yet the fire, according to verse 19 in chapter two was clearly caused by Satan, not God, with the clear intention of destroying Job's family and possessions. How quickly those same accusing whispers against God come when something happens that we cannot explain! God can do anything, after all - can't He? My answer to that is an emphatic NO! For example, God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2). God cannot break His promises (Ps. 89:6). He cannot be tempted with evil nor tempt us (Jms. 1:13). He cannot be unfaithful (II Tim. 2:13). He cannot be any other than Who He is, He cannot stop being God (Mal. 3:6, Ps. 90:2). Because of all that and more He cannot cease to be true to His character, which is only good, only just, only pure, and only true, whether to our very limited perception and finite understanding it appears to be different or not. The Word of God reminds us that we live in a world that lies, at least for now, under the power of the evil one. Let's make sure we put the credit for evil and destruction in our world right where it belongs - on the deceiver, the adversary of our souls, the father of all lies, the destroyer himself.
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