Take What We Are Given

I have played sports my whole life and one thing I've learned is to take what the other team gives you. Every team will make mistakes. If we capitalize on their mistakes, we could come out victorious. Usually in a ballgame, it comes down to mistakes; The team that makes the fewest normally wins. But even if the other team only gives us one mistake, we can always use it to our advantage. By making as few mistakes as we possibly can, and utilizing their mistakes to our gain, it could all add up to a win for our team.

Satan is a mighty foe! He has many weapons in his arsenal bag but none that are more effective than guilt. There is no telling how much of our joy he steals by making us feel guilty when we sin against God. Should we feel guilty when we sin? Yes, but only until we have asked God to forgive us. After that, He promises that our sin is removed from us "as far as the east is from the west." If God is not holding onto our sin, why should we? And instead of allowing Satan to use guilt against us in the first place, maybe we should turn it around on him. Maybe by using guilt, Satan is making a mistake on which we can capitalize. Perhaps we should allow that guilt to motivate us not to sin. Now I know we can not be sinless, but we can sin less! Although Satan is mighty powerful, he does make mistakes. By putting on "the full armor of Christ", God can help us to use those mistakes to our advantage.

I Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Father, please help us fight Satan. We can not do it alone. Teach us to use guilt as a motivator, not a destroyer. In Jesus name, Amen.