A Target Placed

There are some things we believe as children that are pretty harmless. Let’s take the Tooth Fairy. When I found out it wasn’t real (Grandma let the info slip), sure I was a little disappointed, but when my parents said they’d still give me candy & a dollar when I lost a tooth, the disappointment faded fast. Now the lie I believed that had far more serious repercussions, one I don’t know when or where it originated, is the lie that life is supposed to be easy. Somehow, we come to believe this early in age. When something hard hits, we ask the question, “why?”. Why do I have to go through this? Why is life so hard? Why does so-and-so have an easier life than me? And you want to know what I find fascinating? While life certainly had plenty of struggles my first four decades on this earth, it reached a whole new level the moment I started living for Jesus.

Now for those who don’t know Jesus, you may be saying “see, not only does this stuff sound boring, but now you’re telling me life is going to get harder if I follow this Jesus guy, and I should do it anyway? You people really are nuts.”. Stick with me friends. We know evil exists. The people in my life who don’t know Jesus wholeheartedly agree with me on this fact. They don’t have a source of the evil but take one look at the news and the evidence is there. But why would life get harder if you follow Jesus? 

When I asked my son this question, his response “because it’s hard to do the right thing.”. He’s not wrong. If we’re honest, our nature wants to do the wrong thing. We want to hold onto anger, retaliate, focus on ourselves. But that’s true whether we believe in Jesus or not. So why would life get harder when you follow Jesus? Here’s the answer – when you live for Jesus a target is placed on your back. Satan is real. He is the source of evil. He has an army. He took 1/3 of the angels with him when he fell from Heaven. Now Satan wants to destroy everyone. His goal is to “steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10). When you’re living in the world, you’re not a very interesting target to the enemy because you’re not a threat to him. But when you follow Jesus, when you live your life knowing who you are in Him, loved, forgiven, free, a daughter or a son of the King, you become a light for the Kingdom of God and a threat to Satan. And Satan hates that.

Now, honest confession, I believed in Jesus the full 40 years I was uninteresting to Satan. While I believed in Jesus, I wasn’t living for him. I was chasing the things of this world, my dreams, money, possessions, etc.. I wasn’t a threat to Satan. When that life came to a crashing halt and I realized my way of doing things ended in pain and loss, I put Jesus in charge. I decided I would seek Him to guide my life - where I worked, where I lived, if I found love again, it was in his hands. The target on my back was placed. Each step I took in my relationship with Jesus, going to church weekly, spending time with Him reading the Bible, trusting him with money and giving to the church, helping out at church, the target seemed to get bigger and the battles, if I’m honest, became more vicious. My kids would face harder situations, my health would suffer, issues with my ex would arise and become more intense. 

I imagine you’re asking, “again lady, none of this sounds good. Tell me why I would want to step into this?”. 

Reason 1. We don’t fight for victory against Satan. We fight from victory. Jesus defeated Satan when he died for our sins. Yes, we will face hard times in this life. That’s true whether we know Jesus or not. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we become “heirs with Christ”. We are sons and daughters of the King. It is in Jesus we are forever saved. No matter what Satan does, how many attacks he launches against you or your family, he can never take that away.

Reason 2. It’s worth it. There is peace, hope, joy, strength in Jesus that only exist with him. No matter what battles I’ve faced, and there have been many that have brought me to my knees, Jesus has seen me through. He has given me hope when all looked hopeless. In him I found strength when on my own I had nothing left. He has given me peace in the midst of suffering, knowing Jesus was there and he would make a way when a way didn’t seem to exist. 

I tell you all of this so you know what’s happening when you take those steps of faith. You will experience push back from the enemy. A target will be placed on your back. And if you invite Jesus in, you will see Him show up in every battle. He will see you through. He will take the brokenness, he will take the pain, and he will redeem it. He will restore you. He will give you hope, peace, joy. Indescribable, immeasurable, joy found in Him. If you haven’t met Jesus, I encourage you to meet him today by clicking here. If you know Him and want to take a step closer to him, I encourage you to visit here. Friends, as that target gets placed and the battles begin, please know you are not alone and weren’t meant to fight alone. We are here for you and to pray alongside you. Just email prayer@calvarylg.com and we will lift you in prayer, bringing the power of Jesus into the battles you face.

Blessing you with knowing who you are in Him.