Thanks for the reminder Toni. I'm in that place now.

Spot on Toni; it really helps to be reminded of this every now and then. We tend to lose track of this when we're under assault.

Hi Toni,

You couldn't have come up with this blog at a more appropriate time for us. Satan is everywhere, plotting, scheming, and determined to undermine and destroy all of the wonderful things God has in store for Christians around the globe. It is good to know that , while we have to do our part in staying vigilant, God does help us, when we are too weak, to fight off the evil one ourselves. We just have to listen to His Instructions when they come. Some times it is in the form of a small voice in the back of your mind that say's"turn around and go to that flower shop and buy someone a boquet of flowers for $10.00, and throw in a card for the fun of it. You know that it is going to be a hassle to do a u-turn, (especially a legal one), so it is easy to ignore the voice and keep going. Sometimes it is in the teachings of our wonderful pastors, like last Sunday when Pastor Mark talked about the "Year Of Jubillee". Many of us are, or are going to be, business owners and have we ever considered doing something similar, like picking out a random invoice and sending it to the customer with a little note that says "this ones on us"? Along with a reference to the scripture verse that explains what this means? But being a Christian isn't about taking the easy way at all. If it takes effort and a concious decision to do what's difficult, it is probably the right one.

Thanks Toni! Yes, the work of "The Accuser" and "The Deceiver" is everywhere. Our small group had an incident over the weekend where he took simple misunderstanding and tried to make it into much more. Fortunately God was glorified in the end through several folks' decision to pursue humility instead of what "seemed right to them."

Our small group read a fantastic book by Charles Stanley, When the Enemy Strikes. I HIGHLY recommend it!!! You are right, we MUST be alert!! ~mike

In our society (mostly north american middle class, i suppose) I see two areas where the enemy is attacking most:

 1.  Complacency - there is a certain illusion of comfort and security that comes from not having to worry too much about where your next meal is coming from;  it makes us not worry too much about our brothers and sisters that could benefit from our resources.

2.  Selfishness - We are selfish with our material resources, with our time, and with our hearts and energy.  I feel like the biggest problems we have in relationships (especially marriages, but all relationships) is that we are allowing the enemy to tell us that we are the most important people in the world, that the purpose of these relationships should be to meet OUR needs and desires. And that there shouldn't be too much work involved, which is one of the main reasons we don't try harder to understand others before trying to force our own messages across.  

 God is not focused on Himself, and neither should we be;  our spouses, our families, and our brothers and sisters around the world deserve more of our attention and more of our generosity.  Satan wants very much to distract us!

yeah thats true