You are Free

I don't know about you, but I am over this 'new normal'. Frankly, I am furious. I am furious about all the pain this disease is causing, the confusion, the division, the fear. I am also over those words 'new normal'. There is nothing normal about the world right now. We have been thrown into a year that most of us were not prepared for. I mean the immense amount of toilet paper purchased proves that I think! ;) Of all the things we may or may not have stocked up on, we definitely were not prepared for the mental, emotional, and spiritual strength it takes to not lose your sanity. There are so many aspects of these past few months I could write about, but one, in particular, is wreaking havoc. Isolation.

We already know isolation isn't good for our mental health, but what about our spiritual health? Most of us have lost touch with friends, are not seeing others as much face to face, and spend a lot more time alone than before. So when these things start to decrease, whose voice increases? It's a lot harder to tune out Satan's whispers when we are not prepared, guarded, and around other truth-tellers to help us combat lies. And if you are already battling things like addiction, depression, or mental illness, well, life starts to get really hard.

We have all heard these whispers from Satan that are fearful, negative, accusing, yet intertwined with enough truth to make us stop and think on them. When we sit on these thoughts we can start to believe them. But, it is important that we do not treat these thoughts like they are words from our best friend. If they do not line up with God's word or character, they need to go straight in the trash. You are whom you spend most of your time around and this includes your thought life. If you are spending most of your time listening to lies and misdirection, you will get caught off guard. Galatians 5:7-9 says "You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you." Satan is like a hidden Paparazzi insta-follower. He reads every single thing you “post”, watches everything you do, waiting to attack knowing what you fear, what your weaknesses are, what will weaken you. But, what he doesn't want you to know is that he doesn't have access to what is hidden. The God-gifted spirit inside you is inaccessible to the father of lies. And the power that lies there? Life-changing. You must use Satan's attempt to make you fall as an opportunity to show him whose you are. As His, you are the light in a world filled with so much darkness. You are chosen, never without a home, you are royalty, you are purposed, you are free. But most importantly, you are God's. And God is clear. Those who are on the side of the things of Satan will not last. But those who are God's children? We get to live an eternity in our great and precious Father's presence. We get to know what it will be like to be free of pain, evil, and sickness. We are free. I pray that you will remember this when life feels suffocating, hopeless and like this "normal" will never end. Take courage, for Jesus, has overcome the world.