Day 10: Wednesday, January 15

"Intel on What Attacks My Family"

(Paty and Carlos Tena)

Recognizing the Enemy's Tricks
Many times, we start the year filled with faith and motivation, believing in what God has said He will do for us. However, as time goes by, we can completely forget those promises. God has good plans for us, as His Word states in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." This is the opposite of what the enemy desires for us.

It is important to stay alert and identify the enemy's tricks, as he will exploit our circumstances to his advantage. Life's struggles, trials, and discouragements can become his perfect weapons for creating chaos in our lives. As believers, these challenges can also cause us to lose faith, leading to doubt and a gradual cooling of our spiritual lives.

Luke 22:31-32 highlights this struggle: "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.'"

Losing faith can frequently occur in the life of a believer; that is why we need to remain closely connected to the source of life, which is Christ Jesus. In John 4:13-14, Jesus states, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." If we remain in Him, we will never thirst again. No matter what situations arise in our lives, we can trust that God is in control of everything that comes our way this new year. We can share this hope and confidence with a society that needs to be freed from the enemy’s deceptions.

What is happening in our society? Our society is crying out for help due to violence, addiction, abuse, conflicts, and the lifestyles prevalent in many homes. This society needs to know Christ, and it is through us that they can come to know the One who restores and transforms lives.

I invite you to stand firm this new year on the rock that is Christ, and you will find safety. Psalm 62:6-7 says, "He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my refuge; I will not be shaken. In God is my salvation and my glory; in God is my strong rock and my refuge."