Grip. That’s the word God whispered to me yesterday. And since that moment I’ve been asking Him to make it clear because there are so many ways to look at it.
I thought about all the times I went on roller coasters and my knuckles were white and bulging because I had a death grip on the bar just in case the seat belt gave out. I remember the tight grasp I had on my daughter’s hand every time we crossed a busy street when she was little. And I remember the strong hold of my husband’s hand when he grabbed onto my own to help me across the rocky terrain of a gushing river. There are so many ways we grip onto something or someone, but I don’t believe that’s the “grip” God was pointing to.
The idea here is not about what we grip onto, but what grips us.
So let me ask: What has a grip on you? Something harmful like an addiction or fear? What are you allowing to dig, claw, and tear its way into your life, into your thoughts? What’s stealing your time and health because it’s got a death grip on you and it’s all you can think about so you lose minutes or hours of your life or even sleep as it torments you? What’s killing your smile because you’re allowing it to hang around, to taunt you and remind you of some shame, guilt, or past failure? Do you sense you’re on the verge of some sort of destruction, a break-down of sorts; mental, physical, or spiritual?
As you may or may not know there is a thief who wants to get his claws into you and steal your life away: Satan. You have to realize he’s not the little red guy with a pitch fork you’ve seen on cartoons but a very real, very evil being who wants to trick you into walking right into your own destruction. And he’s going to make you miserable so you’ll hurry along to get there.
You see, God has a purpose for you. There’s a reason you’re here, and Satan is afraid you’re going to go to God and ask Him. Satan’s doesn’t want you to know how important you are and how much God loves you. The enemy would rather you wander around lost and confused and feeling alone, so he can get a tight grip on your mind; prying into it and filling it with his lies. That makes you an easy target. And then he’s got you.
But you can stop Satan’s tight grasp from cutting off your circulation, keeping you numb or oblivious to what he’s doing. Ask God to help you; He would love to free you from Satan’s clutches.
With God, He doesn’t want to grip you painfully in some way, to control you and walk you around on a string like some puppet. Rather, He wants to hold you. He wants you to know you don’t have to do it all on your own. He’s with you.
And as your loving Father, God longs for that moment when you slip your hand into His as His little child. All you need to do then is stay close to Him and hold on tight as He leads you to the full life He has for you.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV.)
Training for Eternity 