God's Pure Love for You

Ever have words said to you that caused great discouragement, depression, and a desire to give up? It’s happened to me.

Examples: “No one cares what you have to say,” “The things you are writing on your blog, they’re just you talking to yourself. No one reads it,” or when I was taking piano class in college, the professor told me (for the first time) after a piano-playing test on perhaps the last day of class, “I can’t do anything more with you until you quit looking at your hands.”

I did graduate with High Honors, but I gave up piano shortly afterward. Now the test at hand is writing. I mustn’t let the words of meaningful people in my life destroy me. I must pin down the real source! Besides, they who said the words probably don’t remember saying them or have also said helpful things. I need to forgive and move on! If I…or you… don’t in your life, loving relationships are at stake!

Satan loves to discourage! In fact, 1 Peter 5:8-10 says:

8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Isn’t God’s Word awesome?

Satan is the source of my personal discouragement, affecting my conscious thoughts and sub-conscience - my very  core, changing the course of my life! I choose to stop dwelling on people’s hurtful words and stop bearing grudges. As I face the reality of Satan behind their words, I can forgive these folks, and resist the devil. I can once again stand firm in my faith (1 Peter 5:9) and in Christ, as I consciously don the full armor of God!

That’s the:

- Belt of Truth (in this instance, what God has to say about me),

- Breastplate of Righteousness (guarding my emotions with Christ-righteousness),

- Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace (peace with who I am in Christ and what He has planned and called me to do –    share the Gospel),

- Helmet of Salvation (guarding my thoughts, the very battleground of Satan),

- Shield of Faith, which guards my entire life and started me on this journey of Christian and also writer,

- and finally, the Sword of the Spirit (the spoken Word of God). It’s in God’s written Word that I see who’s behind all this trouble –      Satan, and that “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world” – 1 John 4:4. I’ll hear God speak these words to me when I need  His blessed comfort and encouragement the most! So will you, if you’re listening!

In conclusion, Satan’s company equals discouragement, but God’s presence equals encouragement! Let’s stick with God! How about it?