It’s been a while since I’ve felt any words trying to come to the surface, and I can’t issue a guess as to the extent of my words today. I have found the enemy so adept and efficient in his use of anything and everything against us, that I’ve been caught under the waters of life, as if overtaken by wave after crashing wave.

“Then He gave the disciples strict orders to tell no one that He was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples [clearly] that He must go to Jerusalem, and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be killed, and be raised [from death to life] on the third day. Peter took Him aside [to speak to Him privately] and began to reprimand Him, saying, “May God forbid it! This will never happen to You.” But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].” MATTHEW‬ ‭16:20-25‬ ‭AMP‬‬

It has been no secret that Satan will use even Godly people against us, albeit without their knowledge or willing participation. He can convince us that someone who truly loves us is not trustworthy or worth forgiving. He can use one mistake made by a trusted and loyal friend to drive a wedge of destruction into the relationship.

When we allow ourselves to be played by the enemy, we risk losing ourselves to his chaos, and we risk losing the blessings God has sent to our lives for a reason. There are things done in this world with truly malicious intent. But we are not to assume that every mistake made that causes us pain is done out of intended harm. If we are unwilling to sit down and at least try to talk about what has occurred, then we are choosing to take the path Satan is offering us, and not the path God has given which will grant us freedom.

Do you want to live free and loved on God’s road, or shackled and isolated on Satan’s?