Shift in the Tide

Hey friends! Long time and definitely no see/hear, idk lol. I am currently here in Redding, CA, my new home. Praise God! Every moment has been nothing short of amazing!! The encounters and connections and sweet friendships already are so very good.

I actually just woke up, went to Whiskey Town Lake today (go if you ever get the chance, it is absolutely gorgeous). Before I went to sleep, I knew that I was to read Matthew 4, where Jesus is tempted by the devil. It had come to my mind twice already in the past days and so I decided to give in to the Holy Spirit nudge and just read it.

I feel like there is so much more to unpack on this section but I read Matthew 4:1-11 for context. So first of all, Jesus is coming out of a fast, out of a very vulnerable time with God. He is hungry and He has not been with anybody these days (He came off of a mountain). Then satan comes and tempts Him. I found this interesting in my reading: that it was not WHAT satan was saying, because at one point he was quoting scripture, it was WHO he was. That is why Jesus did not go along with what he was saying. Not to even mention the fact that this is the biggest example in scripture of quoting the Bible out of context and without the usage of other passages.

I also found this interesting:

That the first time satan spoke, he tried to catch Jesus up in His current situation. Jesus. was. hungry. It would have been so nice for stones to become bread. But Jesus knew that remaining faithful to the Father is so much better (for Him and us) than temporary satisfaction.

The Second thing that satan spoke was trying to get Jesus to test the authority in Him. The first and second time he spoke, satan went straight to Jesus' identity. He did not ask how Jesus was feeling or "If your day has been bad, let's complain together." No. Satan knew what authority Jesus had and he wanted to know if Jesus knew it too. Satan even quoted scripture in this instance. Just because they sound similar and have the same references does NOT mean that they are for you. It does not mean that they are with the King of King and Lord of Lords. Do not fall for traps and get stuck in scenarios because they know how to quote scripture. Be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Satan tried to be sneaky here (but my Jesus is sneakier haha). He disguised his voice really well, not well enough for Jesus because He is Jesus. But enough to try and throw Jesus off... thank God that Jesus knew who He was and scripture in order to rebuttal this instance.

The final time that satan spoke to Jesus, he stopped trying to hide. Satan came straight out in verse 9 and showed who he truly was and his intentions. He was no longer hiding. Isn't that how it feels right now? Satan tried to be sneaky and settle into our circumstance. Did we let him? He tried to come against our authority and blend in, sounding like a voice of "similarity" and maybe compromise? Did his tactic work? Now he is out in the open.... how should we respond?

WE ARE TO RESPOND AS JESUS DID.

"Then Jesus tolf him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship

the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'"

And what happened when Jesus spoke this?

Verse 11 says, "Then the Devil left Him and immediately angels came and began to serve Him." Wow. When we worship the Lord our God only, satan has to flee. Know your Word, know your God. Who is He? Who are you mighty son/daughter? Do you know, truly who you are and the power in which you have been given?

So with this:

I felt strongly that the Lord is turning the tide. Not only of this blog, everything about it is about to change in the sense of what is on here and how I write, but also in the spiritual. It seems so similar to that last instance, where satan is so blatant and out there, in the world right now. When sons and daughters of the King rise up, proclaim who their Father is and therefore what image they are made in. When we truly believe it. THEN satan will disappear, he has to. So know who God is, know who you are, and your breakthrough will come. I sensed that so strongly earlier.

What can we apply from this?

• We need to be careful what authority and power we submit to in desperation based on our current situation! If you are in need, do not take every bit of money that is handed out to you. The Holy Spirit is crucial in every part of life but He wants to be asked, He deserves to be asked, and the situation turns out better in the future when He is asked what we should do next. For every single step.

• Satan recognizes and knows what authority has been given to us, the authority that Jesus has, He has given us (Luke 10:18-20). He is not going to come against how your hair looks, he is coming against what is inside of you. Do you know your identity in Christ?? I said it a bit above too but know who you are talking to. Do not listen to everyone who sounds nice or has scripture on their lips, listen to Jesus!

• When satan comes directly after you, are you going to be able to give scripture to combat lies and stand up for the truth? Or are you going to bow to someone who has absolutely no authority over you? It is your choice. Personally, I pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen me in the Word so that I don't give keys that have been taken back to the person who tricked us out of them in the first place. And I pray that discernment for you as well.

• Remember always to respond like Jesus, and your situation will be turned around!

A little encouragement for you though:

After Jesus went through this temptation, then His ministry started. There is something on the other side of your breakthrough, it may not be ministry but it may be a promotion or even just another level of revelation of who He is (that is all we need and want). Let us rely on Holy Spirit, put in the work and studying, and get to the other side in accordance with His timing and Word. He is good, His promises never fail, and you are created in His image. Be encouraged, friends. Be encouraged.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-11

"But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing."

This is the new stance of the blog, encouragement. Super excited for these new changes. Wow, God is good. Praise Him!