"Here's the thing - God is not the only one with a plan for your life. The enemy has one too. And if he can't get you to rebel outright, then sidetracking you and getting you outside of your strengths is a pretty good alternative. You are of incredible worth to the Kingdom. Dare to be who are you, who GOD created you to be.
My reflection:
I have always known that God had a plan for me and like I shared in my last blog, learning to Let Go and Let God, has been what I have always strive to do. But I really never had the thought that the enemy had a plan for me too. But at the same time, while I had never thought about the enemy having a plan for me, but maybe if we look at it as not following God's path is the same as following the enemy.
As children growing up, we are taught in Sunday School and in Church that has long as we following the guidance and path that Christ has for us, then we will not be lost. But if we are to wonder off, like a sheep, then he will come for us and bring us home. Focusing on letting God, and letting go, seems to be something that is manageable, but now with the idea of knowing that the enemy is trying their best to get us on their path is scary. It is like in the game of Candy Land. Think of God's path as the colored squares that you move along, but the enemy is the slides and the ladders. In the game, it is fun to get the chance to climb a ladder or annoying when you get stuck sliding down the slide, but if we use this as a analogy for the enemy of Christ, it is easier to see how easily the enemy gets in your way of following the path of Christ. Just imagine, the ending of the game is in sight, just one more curve to go around, but their is a ladder between you and the end. Do you take it? of course. But after you do, what did you miss along the path? Now taking that into a reflection of our lives with God, if you climb that ladder and not follow the path, what did you miss? Who did you miss coming in contact with? Was that the enemy leading you around and away from the path that God had provided.
The thing is, no matter how old we get, or how good we get (or think we get) about staying on the path that God sets for us and letting go and letting him lead, the enemy is always working to find ways to get us on it's path.
Dear God, life is complicated and we can so easily mistake a shortcut for the enemy working to get us on it's path. Thank you for always working to bring your wandering sheep back home and back to the path you have provided. In Jesus Name, Amen.
