“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” ~Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
My pastor is an incredibly gifted preacher. Not only are his messages spot on with the truth of the Bible, but they are also filled with practical application. I learn and grow on my walk with Christ every single week.
Last week Pastor Mark was talking about the spiritual battles we face every day. He said “There is a battle being fought to keep you from living the life God intends for you.” As a Christian I thought I knew this, but I clearly needed reminding.
This week marked the 18 year anniversary of when I (finally!) quit smoking. It was one of the hardest, most rewarding things I have ever done. Do you know how many times I tried to quit before it “stuck?” Me neither! I lost count, but I know I would need more than my own fingers and toes to reach the number!
I read books, got hypnotized, sucked on a nicotine inhaler, chewed countless packs of nicotine gum, and had patches adhered to my body. I painstakingly planned everyone one of those “quits” but erred in the most important piece of the puzzle. I was fighting the wrong enemy.
You see, I was battling my addiction as though it was a physical battle between me and nicotine. In reality, it was a spiritual battle against the enemy. He wanted me to keep feeling sick, to continue wasting God’s financial provisions, and to be controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God!
The moment of victory is one I will never forget. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face, and begged God to help me. I realized that, if left to my own strength, I would always be a smoker. I embraced my weakness and clung to His strength. It wasn’t an easy road, but together we defeated the enemy.
After hearing Pastor Mark’s message last week, I immediately thought of a particularly troublesome issue in my life. I don’t drink alcohol or do drugs. I don’t gamble or indulge in retail therapy. So, what, you may ask, is left? It is my arch enemy…the snooze button!
It may sound trivial but that menacing little button has tortured me for most of my adult life. Just as I did when trying to quit smoking, every night I lay my head on the pillow and think to myself, “yep, tomorrow is the day! No matter what, I am not hitting that snooze button!” Yet, every day, you guessed it, 9 more minutes or 18, or 27, or 36…
Pastor Mark’s message provided me with a profound “aha moment!” It struck me that the devil doesn’t want me to get over this bad habit. You may wonder why the enemy even cares. Doesn’t the father of lies have more pressing business to attend to? Actually, no he doesn’t. Let me walk you through the first hour of my day.
After hitting the snooze button over and over again, the minute my feet hit the floor I’m already frustrated with myself. I feel completely defeated before I’ve even brushed my teeth! Then, because I’ve repeatedly hit the snooze button, my valuable time with God is reduced to “Good morning, thank you for this day, catch you later!” Finally, while driving to work, I get every red light and by the time I arrive at my office, my anxiety level is through the roof! Defeat, guilt, anxiety….the accuser has scored the trifecta in the first minutes of my day and I haven’t spent any time with God! So you see, me remaining in bondage to my snooze button, is time very well spent for the enemy.
Before heading to sleep that night, I took an index card and wrote on it “The enemy wants you to hit the snooze button! Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you!” (James 4:7) I set it on top of my alarm clock and I’m happy to report that I haven’t hit that snooze button since!
Just because your struggle doesn’t seem significant, don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s not important to the enemy. Unhealthy eating, a bad temper, too much time on social media, and yes, even the snooze button, can all keep us from living the life God intends for us.
As followers of Christ, the enemy knows he can’t have you, so he will do everything he can to draw you away from God. He will wield his evil schemes to steal your joy. I encourage you to take some time this week to think and pray about your struggles from this perspective. I guarantee you it will be eye-opening.
Out Loud 