Satan

I'm convinced there are people brought into our lives to test our faith. Satan knows when you have struggles and knows when you are leaning on Christ to see you through them through Him. Satan knows it and that's when he wants to step in and mess it all up. I think there are people that breeze into your life to shake you up, to help Satan with his big plan (even if they don't know it).

I know we are told of this when we read the scripture and when we hear the sermons, but when these people come into your life, it hits you hard. You'd think being fully aware this could happen, we'd have our dukes up ready to fight at the first sign of their face. These people can be sneaky. They can be your friend. They can be a relative or coworker. They can be a fellow Christian. They can have your trust and without you realizing it, they can send you down a path you never intended on taking. These people are leading you away from Christ and sometimes you don't even realize it until you have a second to look back and not recognize the path you're on. Satan. It happens to so many people.

In the midst of a struggle, you pray. You listen and trust in Him. You start to see the light. You start to hear God's word and feel like your pain is lifting and His love is brighter than you ever remember it. This person can swoop in and say or do one thing to set you backwards and put you back in dimmer light in seconds. Maybe this is why our world is in the condition it's in now. It's easier to be angry, mad and bitter than it is to fight.

God has given me hope, love and courage. I'm not perfect and can't always tell when one of these people comes into my life until I'm back in dimmer light, but there's always a way to fight. We are never alone in this fight. We can't fight alone. Call on Jesus. Pray with all your might. Put your dukes up. Remove this person from your life (if you can) and see the bright light again. It's a lot easier to trust in Him than it is to worry about worldly ways and people who are not Christ-like. There are too many people that want to bring you down, hurt you and your family. Surround yourself with people who praise Him, respect His word, respect you, respect your family and want to encourage you. We are an army. Satan will never give up. He will never wave a white flag. We will continue to fight until we meet our Lord.

If you see someone struggling or being effected by one of "these" people, pray for them, pray with them, lend them encouragement and love. Times can be hard, but through Christ, it can be beautiful.