"But take heart, for I have overcome the world."

     Not until recently have I noticed how real the presence of Satan is. While of course I've known Satan is real, I've never really put much thought into it. I kind of considered him like one day he's going to go tempt Sam, and the next Lilly, and every once in awhile he'll get around to me and I'll need God to fight him off. Not like "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour"1 Peter 5:8 He has such a bigger presence than I realized! Satan is crafty. He knows your insecurities, and he knows how to use them! "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..."(The first half of John 10: 10) He only comes to destroy you; your soul.

     Ask pretty much any teenage girl you meet, and they'll tell you they have/had insecurities about their appearance. So of course, I, a teenage girl that's over-weight and built like a wall, have many insecurities about myself. It's always the same cycle:

Satan knows how to get in my head and tell me that the world's opinion of beauty is what counts. That unless I'm super skinny and gorgeous, I worthless. BUT IT'S SO UNTRUE! Genesis 1:27-"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." 1 Samuel 16:7- "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
     My other, big momma, always-bugging-me-no-matter-where-I'm-in-with-my-walk-with-God insecurity is with relationships. If you've noticed, the thing that is most important to me in this world is my family. Not only biological, but the one that I got to choose. The people I'm closest to, the ones I love uncontrollably and unconditionally, the people that make me cry just thinking about how much I love them, yeah Satan attacks every big relationship I have; whether it be my best friend or my "pack of mommas." Every single day, at least once but usually way more, Satan slips in horrible thoughts. "They don't really care about you." "You mean nothing to them." "Their too nice to tell you that they wish you'd just leave them alone!" "You're so annoying; stop bugging them." These bring me to tears a lot. Today even. Satan knows how to go straight to what I care about most and "steal, kill, and destroy." Luckily I've been learning to turn to my bible and just talk to God through these times. Mostly I go read about his love.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

1 John 4:9-11 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,  casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

     And I look up verses to give me strength:
Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

Isaiah 41:10 "fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

John 16:33"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

     Fighting off Satan is a constant battle, but with God on my side "Whom shall I fear?"