Chapters of My Life: No Weapon Formed Against Me

     Don't let them manipulate you. But love does that; doesn't it? When you love someone or something you seek to please them; and you seek love in return. The problem is we don't realize that we are pouring ourselves into a bottomless pit.
     I know that sounds rough to the ears, but let's be real, for the first time in our lives! There comes a point in time when even Jesus tells us to "shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house." (Matthew 10:14) When do we stop beating a dead horse and face the facts; some people do not want to love you back- no matter how much you keep telling yourself they might. These kinds of people only want the benefits of your love; they have no desire to love you in return. They love the things you do for them, and the way you please them- but they do not love Y O U.
     As my wise, beautiful, mother of my grandchildren once said, "Beneficial love is not love." She is wise beyond her years! That is when I realized that I was allowing myself to fall into the same pattern all over again. Becoming someone I am not, for someone who loves the benefits of me, but not the core of me. So I walked away. Truthfully, I ran away. Master manipulators won't stop until you take a stand for yourself and arm yourself for battle. They will change tactics. Once they realize they cannot manipulate you, they try to scare you to coming back. They threaten you, say false things about you, all kinds of evil speaking. Unfortunately for me, I have fallen prey to this too many times.
   

Pinterest

 One thing I am learning is that when God says He is for you- He is For Y O U. When He says "No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:5) He means it. You can rely on it, depend on it, trust in it and rest in peace tonight knowing this truth. He is for  Y O U, not against you.
     Once they have you backed into a corner, they promise you everything. They promise to change, to work harder, to pray more, to read more, all the things they said the last time and never carried it through. But do not bring it up or point it out, because somehow it will be all your fault.
     If you asked any of the manipulators I have come across in my life, I am sure they would tell you I was a liar, a cheater, a fake Christian, a thief, possessed by the devil, a drug addict, using them for their money, and a multitude of other things, it would not surprise me at all. You name it, I am sure I have been called it by at least a few. But the harder they tried to scare me, the more dependent I became on God. You see, we too have a problem with love. What I realized was that I seek love from God because of His benefits; the things He does for me. He answers my prayers, He blesses me, He helps me when I am lost, and scared. But the question I have had to ask myself is, will I still love Him when it gets bad. And we all know, there are bad times ahead. No matter how secure we are in Him- trust me, that black tunnel is coming. But don't forget what He has already said- He will never leave you, nor forsake you. (Amen!)
     God used the simple words of my daughter to sprout a truth in me that was buried deep. He has been showing me, (and I pray Lord, you keep showing me) that true love; sincere, pure, treats you the same way you treat them. If I keep my word. If I walk in integrity before man and God, then my word is true and can be trusted- just as we can trust God's Word because He walks in integrity. But if I lie, then I stumble and we both fall. That is what James means when he writes, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." (James 2:10) If man tries to keep the whole law, obeying every letter of it from the beginning to the end, yet he sins against his neighbor, he has broken every single law in the whole book. Which is why this truth from God hit me so hard....."You can't save them, because you cannot even save yourself."

Pinterest

     We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our strength and with all our soul, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. How we love others is how we are expecting them to love us back. We have to come to the harsh reality of grace- that even though we love them unconditionally, without strings, or without seeking benefits- they do not love us the same. Imagine how this must have hurt our Savior as He clung to the hope that many of us would be saved. That we would come to the realization that we can never truly love our neighbor until we love our God.
     Love God, then you will know how to love your neighbor. And remember, there are some that even Jesus said walk away from, do not cast your pearls to the swine- walk away and trust that the same God who brought you to life will never leave you, never forsake you, and will fight for you for the rest of eternity. They can drag you to court, you could lose everything you own, you could go to jail, or you could be persecuted, burned at the stake, dipped in oil, sent to a remote island.....the point I am trying to make is who cares if they do? No weapon my friends, no wiles of the devil can ever take away the glory we shall have in the days to come. Have faith. Trust. Walk and Obey. It really is that simple. Amen?