I watched a documentary on television about large cats. It was horrible to see them kill their prey. What was even more disturbing was how they did it.
The lion, tiger or other large cat chases then catches its prey. The cat latches onto the neck along windpipe and carotid artery and clamps down. This cuts off the air supply and blood flow rendering the animal helpless and killing it within minutes. I know this shouldn’t bother me, the food chain and all, but it is so sad for the animal. However the basic instinct of a large cat is to hunt and kill for its food. When I saw this I thought of the verse in the Bible: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8
Have you ever had your air supply cut? You can’t breathe! That’s what happens when your enemy tries to defeat you. He cuts the air to your mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical supply. You feel smothered, closed in, with nowhere to turn. Like the lion, it’s his instinct to destroy you.
His grasp can be tight and restraining causing you to lose sight of the freedom you have in Jesus Christ. Christ came to set the captives free:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives,
freedom to prisoners…
~ Isaiah 61:1
Has the enemy pinned you down? Stopped your air and blood supply? Is he attempting to kill you from the inside out? Oh beautiful woman, let your Mighty God fight this battle for you!
Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude,
for the battle is not yours but God’s.
~ 2 Chronicles 20:15b
Surrender to Him now and tell Jesus you know you can do nothing without Him.
(John 15:4)
Feel the freedom from letting go.
Feel the release of the enemy and breathe again!
Abundant life can be yours. (John 10:10)
It may not be a life of fine jewels and lots of money but a life of peace, joy, trust, confidence, and love. It’s a life of promise and hope.
The Father in heaven loves you. Oh precious one, believe it. He values you as much as He values His own Son. If He didn’t He would not have given Jesus as a sacrifice for you. But God did that out of His amazing love and grace for you.
If there was ever a message I want you to get it is this one: God. Loves. You.
Even if life seems to have thrown you a curve ball don’t doubt it. This fallen world has much trouble; you and I are bound to get caught up in it at some time in our lives. It happens when someone sins against us, we sin and bring trouble upon ourselves, natural or environmental disasters and sicknesses come, or the enemy wants to smother us. However through it all God promises for those that are called according to His purpose (followers of Christ) He will bring good out of the bad. (Romans 8:28)
I speak from experience as one who thought she was unlovable and one who hurt so bad it was almost unbearable. God loved me through it even when I didn’t want to love Him back. He never gave up, He never stopped giving. He was and is the lifter of my head.
But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
~ Psalm 3:3
He is yours, too.
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