Friday Fight 105: Invitation or Inconvenience?

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF105.

How many of us walk by our desk or refrigerator where invitations hang so we remember to add them to our calendar? Weddings, showers, graduations, and birthdays are compiled with those sent on social media. The little squares that make up our calendar now dictate our availability. The closer we get to summer, the more invitations we will receive. But what about the invitation that isn't on social media or in our mailbox?

Invitation or Inconvenience?

There is another invitation we sometimes see as one we can wait to accept and it is looked at as more of an inconvenience. John 15:4 says, "Abide in me and I in you." This is an invitation from Christ to fellowship with God every day, not just for a particular event or hardship. This invitation is typically welcomed when struggling with relationships, finances, or illness but perhaps seen as an inconvenience when things are going well, and life is thoroughly enjoyed.

So what does an invitation to abide in the kingdom of God mean? It means walking in the freedom of forgiveness, the security of knowing our Heavenly Father is there with us all the time, that each morning His mercies are new, and we have the opportunity to begin again to walk as a disciple of Christ. This invitation is everything; the fullness of life, genuine joy, and peace that we can only experience through a relationship with Christ. This invitation to abide in the presence of God each day means we experience the power of displacement; the light of Christ displaces darkness through the acceptance of asking Christ to remain in our hearts, thus receiving the gift of eternal life.

Life can be full of challenges, complicated family dynamics, hurtful relationships, stress at work, coworker issues, financial loss, etc. Often a culmination of these things can stir up old hurts, and because of this, we sever all emotional ties with them or even those around us. This invitation to walk with God means we are guided by the Holy Spirit, who will walk with us each day and gently correct us as He patiently waits for us to learn. In all these challenges, God does not promise they will never happen, but He will always be there to comfort, protect, and love us unconditionally.

Darkness wants us to believe it is okay to rely on God once a week or seasonally as it fits in our calendar so that we never experience the fullness and joy that makes Satan tempting us more difficult. Instead, Satan wants us to perceive God as an inconvenience, preventing our fun. He wants us to rely on things that bring false security and temporary happiness rather than true joy and a life filled with fear instead of peace.

Let's accept the personal invitation from Christ to experience freedom by including Him in our daily calendar. This invitation means we see things from a new perspective, a clean heart, a mind that is still, and we are never alone; we belong to the body of Christ and experience His love.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert