THE DEVIL’S TRAP

 ¹³Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Do you know what I have been through in this life?  Do you even have any idea?  I was abused at the age of 12 by my father. I grew up in an orphanage because my mother never wanted me, I never had straight A’s in my academics, no one wants to be around me, I have been in and out of the hospital all my life… life really isn’t worth living, don’t seat there telling me God loves me or there is a God because you can never understand how I feel, neither can God.

Have you ever been around such people or even uttered such words before?  I know I have.  I have been angry with God, my parents and everyone around me because I just could not understand why life was so cruel to me and why my life was so difficult.  Then I read the story of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11.  Paul had a long list of all he had been through in life and yet, he still moved on and held on to his faith in God.  He never questioned God but always praised God for all he was going through.  Paul was just like you and me, he was a great if not the greatest apostle that lived.

From further study, I discovered his secret in Philippians 3: 13-14.  Then it dawned on me that all I had been through had to be for a reason, God is not one known to make mistakes.  The enemies knew the influence Paul had over the people, they knew that people believed him and soon he would turn the people against them so the enemies had a conference over Paul and decided to make life hell for him.  Their ultimate plan was to make him forget who he is in Christ and depart from the path God had destined for him to walk.  If they had succeeded and Paul forsook the pursuit of Jesus because of all he suffered, we would never have all the great epistles he wrote or God would have found someone else to take up the work.

Bishop T.D. Jakes said “If you are going through hell in your life, it’s not the time to give up; rather it is a time to persevere.  It only means that there is something really great God has planned for you and someone (definitely the devil) doesn’t want you to get there.  I can assure you that the heavens are having constant meetings over your life to help you pull through”

We must realize that the devil does not want us to become who God wants us to be because if we do, we will become a threat to his kingdom.  Being the coward that he is, he begins to attack us with different issues, especially when we are growing up.  You get abused (physically, emotionally, sexually, verbally) and lose your self esteem, you never pass examinations and you are tagged a failure, your mother dumps you in an orphanage and you label yourself a reject and all other things that mess up our minds.  If we give in to these labels and give up, we make the devil rejoice because he would have taken care of another threat to his kingdom and their activities.

I encourage you today to press on, forget all that you have been through and hold on to God.  Do not be another trophy the devil can boast about; rather strive to be a vessel God can rejoice over.  You may be at the brick of breakthrough just when you decide to give up.  Joseph persevered even when he was accused falsely by his own brothers and Potiphar’s wife and thrown in prison and he helped his father and brothers when there was famine and paved way for the children of Israel to prosper in the land of Egypt.  Paul persevered in prison, through strokes of cane, starvation and a lot of things he listed, but he never gave up and today he is one of the greatest apostles that ever lived.  He’s teachings are a major guideline that Christians follow.

I dare you to persevere; your breakthrough is just by the corner, do not let the devil cheat you… Press on and be who God wants you to be.