Each of us has an opponent. Much has been written in almost every religious adherence about this enemy. More than the understanding of God, a Higher Power or a Supreme Ruler, almost all religious teachings agree on an enemy of our souls.
Part of gaining victory over our opponent, which I understand and teach to be Satan, or Asatan in the Hebrew, is recognizing that he exists and looks for opportunities to torment us mentally and emotionally, which he fully understands will impede our growth spiritually and possibly misdirect us on our path.
These attempts by the Adversary are not always blatant frontal attacks, with a postcard signed, “This attack made possible by the Prince of Darkness”. His attacks work inside our ego, the regular grain of our existence. One big area he must operate in is our past. No portion of Scripture tells us that the Adversary has the knowledge or ability to know the future. So, he throws the past in our face to blind us from the Light of the Creator.
Unfinished tasks or goals are one of his favorite playgrounds. Unfulfilled promises, missed opportunities, being late to an event, forgetting a birthday, all these situations create the opening he needs to remind us of what total failures we are.
To squelch his attacks, we need to become finishers. Many people can start well, but there is great power in finishing well. The Apostle Paul addresses finishing well in the closing days of his life. Finishing well brings Glory to God, the sense of accomplishment and finality to you, and closes the door to the Adversary.
It is one thing to meet your goals when someone is standing over you shouting, “Get it Done!” But true spiritual growth, true connection with God gives us the ability to be our own “drill instructor”, to carry out the tasks we have in our life to help mend our souls and help repair this world. God’s plan for us is with His help, to work through our spiritual growth ourselves, gaining the valuable lessons from our experiences.
The good news, the great news is, that God, in His Highest Wisdom, accords us a Helper. This Helper was addressed in the teachings of Jesus as the part of God that will guide us. This Spirit of God, the Ruach HaKodesh, will give us the strength and direction to not only start well, but to finish well. We need to fearlessly and shamelessly evoke the Spirit’s influence in our life, making the Spirit of God a welcomed part of our development.
Here is a practical prayer to help us get started in finishing well…
(Think of an unfinished project that is an obstacle in your life. Decide you are going to finish it and follow through, and begin this prayer)
I see the unfinished project/work in front of me.
I am going to complete (enter it here), as I visualize myself (enter the process for completion here).
I feel frustration and procrastination drifting away.
I am getting closer to completing my goal.
With each breath I take, I feel the Spirit of God strengthening me on my path. I feel stronger, as the fiery darts of the Adversary are being rejected by my partnership with the Holy Spirit, who is guiding me to completion and certainty. Laziness and doubt are gone, and I see myself fulfilled, creating more spiritual space for more of God’s Spirit and even greater future accomplishments.
Lowe’s hardware store has a motto that says, “Let’s Build Something Together”. It is a great sounding motto, because once you buy their building products, they do not care whether you finish or not. Out motto for attaining the Light of the Creator should be, “God, let’s finish this together”.
I hope this helps…