"You Can't Sit With Us"

Grind week has arrived. Suddenly, the months you had to complete the final paper, project, or study for the exam have disappeared and only days are left.

Something along the lines of "I am not going to survive this semester!" and other panicked thoughts flood your mind.

This weekend, driving back from Florida, I had the privilege of listening to some well-timed podcasts from Breakaway Ministries, a campus ministry at Texas A&M.

One of the podcasts reminded listeners to not allow the enemy to have a seat at their table.

What does that mean though? Who is our enemy? What table? And what does that have to do with finals week?

To place this statement in context, I want you to read Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; 

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

David is saying that while surrounded by his enemies, God has prepared a feast for David. God is our comfort and our leader, and he offers us peace in the midst of chaos and pain. 

The key, however, is that while we, like David, may be surrounded by the enemy, namely Satan, we do not allow him to join us at the table. 

Satan is not a little animated creature. He is very real, and he does not want you to succeed, to have life or joy. This is not meant to scare you, but to drive you to say "Not today, Satan." 

Today, he will not be allowed to steal, kill, or destroy, as John 10:10 says he has come to do. 

Allowing the enemy to have seat at your table won’t always look the same, but there are always lies he wants you to believe. If he has found a place at your table, he will try to convince you that the lies are truth.

This time of year can be tough, and lies are easily disguised as truth.

The sun does not shine as much as usual, which can impact your mood. It's supposed to be a time of joy and family, but sometimes it's that first Christmas without a loved one. Or maybe there are outside pressures weighing in on you, maybe you feel alone, and that no one cares. Maybe the people that should care, you think would prefer you were just gone. 

Satan wants you to believe these lies. He will sit at your table and tell you to be ashamed, that you are unworthy and unlovable.

Please, if you feel this way, reach out for help. I know it doesn't seem like it, but this world, and any pain it brings, is temporary.

There is more to life than this, and we don't have to try and be a superhero.

As 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

God created you, fearfully and wonderfully. He knit you together in your mother’s womb, knows you more intimately than anyone else ever could.

So, as you write that paper, take that final, interact with a difficult client, or struggle with thoughts of loneliness, don’t do it alone and don’t let lies of the enemy overwhelm you.

Pray, spend time RESTING in Abba, our Father. Take time to know his character. Did you know one name for God, Emmanuel, means God with us?

Lean on your friends, develop a strong community, be it 1 or 50 other people. A community that will point you to seek Christ, people that will pray for you and love you.

Talk with a mentor, someone older and wiser. Find a person who has already walked the path you are on, to remind you that though deep, this valley will not last forever.

Go ahead, tell Satan, “You can’t sit with us,” and embrace your inner mean girl.