“Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”  (Song of Solomon 8:6)

Love is not as strong as death.  Jesus Christ has proven that love is STRONGER than death.  His life overcame the grave.  He is the victorious risen Lord.  Life has triumphed.  Love has won.

And the enemy is furious about it.  Vengeful.  Hate filled.  The enemy of your soul is a jealous entity.  And since he cannot harm the King of Heaven, he targets those most precious to Him.  You.  The enemy targets you.

A friend of mine is struggling with suicidal thoughts.  They are cruel, taunting and seem to have a life all their own; a life of proclaiming death.  He is battling them fiercely, and wisely, not battling them by himself.  He has sought counsel, prayer and the linked arms of allies to fight the diabolical one who longs to destroy him.  Looking at this man and the power and glory of his life, you would never dream that this is a battle he would be fighting.  You would wonder, “Why in the world?”.  Yet, he is not alone in fighting this kind of assault.  Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for men in the world.  And certainly women are targeted as well.

The devil is cruel, unrelenting, savage and rules a kingdom of death.

1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Devour as in shred, maul, destroy. In the wild, a lion will stalk its prey up to two weeks before attacking.  It is studying its habits – looking for weaknesses, searching out vulnerabilities so it will know when best to strike.

Do you ever feel that you are being hunted?  Kicked when you are down?

Me too.

God urges us to stand firm.  He promises that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us.  Meaning that if we will hold our ground – holding up the truth against his lies – that we are loved, that we are chosen, that we are children of God, that we are set apart with a holy calling, that we are not alone, that we are needed and valuable and strong – he will flee.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Friends, submit to God.  Worship Him.  Exalt Him.  Align yourself with Jesus.  Proclaim Him your Savior and your Lord.  Invoke His presence.  Dive into Union with Him.  Agree with the Truth of who He says you are.  Pray. Seek out the more.  Hold on.  And know that…

He is holding on to you.

He crafted you intentionally.  With a purpose in mind.  First as His beloved – to know Him, experience Him, enjoy Him.  Then…in a unique blend between the two of you, to bring His kingdom to bear on a hurting world in your sphere of influence with your specific gifting.  You are here – now – because you are needed.  You are powerful.  You are the incarnation of the Living God.  You bring the Kingdom of God wherever you go.  You are loved and pursued and wanted and seen and delighted in by the One who knows you best and loves you most and wants to win all of you to Himself.  To heal you.  To restore you.  To bless you.  To live life with you.

And you are hated.  By one who would like to steal, kill and destroy your life because he knows who you are and what you can accomplish in Christ.  If you’re feeling hunted, you’re not wrong.  If you’re feeling vulnerable to negative thoughts when you are hurting or overwhelmed, you’re not alone.  There is not something wrong with you.  You are being targeted because there is something RIGHT with you.

STAND FIRM.  HOLD FAST.  HANG ON.  BREATHE.

Invite Jesus into this very space and this very moment and receive His life and His love more deeply into your soul and then

TRUST HIM.

And ASK FOR HELP.

When we are at our lowest, it is extremely hard to reach out and speak the truth that we are sinking; to say out loud that we need help.  Sometimes just voicing our pain will relieve a part of it.  We are not meant to walk through life without allies.  We will not last long on this journey if we continue in a solitary fashion for too long.  Yes, we need “alone” times.  But we need the company of others to draw strength from when we need it and to offer it to others when we can.

If you are struggling, speak out.  Call a friend.  Call a trusted pastor, counselor, a hotline, someone.

YOU ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

Jesus thinks so.  So do I.