Satan wants you to straddle the fence.
Sitting there...perched on the in-between...indecisive...incapable of fully committing.
Because he knows that if he keeps you in the middle - your life will journey toward nothing - and your life will count for nothing, as well.
It's safer for him and his agenda - if you simply sit on the hedge.
Many of us live stationary lives. Not because we are called to it, but because we are caught in it. Whispers from the enemy make us waver between this and that, here and there. This teeter-totter continues and we end up spending all our days smack in the middle - withholding from total engagement.
And this renders us useless.
Satan knows it. And Satan likes it.
If he can just keep us from full devotion - he can keep us from all fruitfulness.
Want an example?
Take motherhood. I unexpectedly entered into this arena 6 years ago. And while I love my children and I love what I do - I've wavered.
And I've found myself thinking these thoughts:
"What if I'm really suppose to be out in the workforce? What if all this is a mistake? What if I should actually be a working woman?"
But in the depths of me...I know.
It's been spoken over me and clearly seen - that yes - this is what He has called me to. Yet - these questions rise to the surface. And they are just loud enough for me to take a pause. They are just enough to make me hesitate. They make me question what I know.
And they cause fence-sitting.
I've discovered that these wanderings keep me from going all out as a mother. They keep me from going all in as a house-wife.
And the result? Half-hearted efforts and piecemeal offerings.
And this kind of floating - takes place not only in motherhood, but in ministry (Did I hear him right about this service opportunity?"), in marriage ("Did God really want me to marry this person?"), in moving (Did God really say to go?"), in relationships ( Did He really want me to befriend this individual?").
If all this sounds familiar....it should. It's a tactic the enemy has used from the beginning:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD
God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1)
And the fallen angel knows that all this questioning makes us discontent.
It makes us 'kinda sorta' people.
It makes us......lukewarm. Not hot. Not cold. But gross in-between.
All this...it's been heavy on me these last few weeks of the year. So this weekend - I'd love for you to join me in wholeheartedly asking the Lord:
"Where am I caught.....coasting in the middle?"
"Where do You want me to fully commit?"
"What lies am I believing about my life?"
Ask Him to pinpoint and highlight just a few areas. He'll show you.
And on Tuesday - we will reconvene. And I'll share what I feel like He's wanting me to focus on in this new year.
And together - we will dive in........COMPLETELY.
2013? I'll see ya then.
