SHUN THE LOVE KILLER
by Christine Wyrtzen
Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:15
Love and trust are the foundations of any relationship. If either one is destroyed, a deep fracture threatens the future of that bond.
Now, our enemy knows how relationships work. He knows that if I’m secure in my Father's love, I am dangerous to his evil enterprise. He knows that I will burn brightly for the advancement of God’s kingdom. He knows that I will give my life without much thought. How can he win against such undying loyalty? He devises a smear campaign. He invents schemes that breed distrust and splinter security. He levels accusations that make perfect sense to me if I rely on logic and circumstantial evidence to determine my perspective.
There have been times in my life when God ‘appeared’ to be guilty. Satan had rallied his troops. Venomous thoughts came at me like arrows and tormented me. Instead of shunning them, I fed them. They lodged in my heart for a long season and distrust grew from seeds to weeds. They overtook the landscape of my heart and choked out all remnants of my faith.
Without truth, faithlessness was irreparable. I had to be willing to stand in the truth of God's character when it didn't appear to be genuine. When prayers weren't answered the way I thought they should be, I had to be willing to stand in the truth that whatever God’s reason, He was still trustworthy. In a climate of disappointment and against the backdrop of perceived damning evidence, everything human in me protested. But the Spirit in me, the One who fans the winds of faith across the panorama of my faithlessness, rose up to inspire belief instead of doubt. He offered me the grace to believe in God and furnished me with the courage to walk toward Him.
My love for God is in tact and I’ve learned that love is more than feelings. Love has an iron will that is fueled by faith. I trust God even though I live in the middle of my story and His glorious resolution is out of my range of vision. Today, I shun the love-killer and rise up to renounce every lie that threatens my security.
Lord, the foundation of my faith rests upon the pillars of Your righteousness. Amen
Originally published Monday, 09 July 2018.