The Spirit's' of Christmas
Its the most wonderful time of year.....for some. While the air is filled with joyful carols, great anticipation for the big day, and a spirit of giving not often seen in our society, there are those who are mired in a very different place around Christmas. It's no surprise to me however that during a celebration of God giving His only son as the plan of redemption for all humanity, the enemy of our souls is actively attempting to steal the joy of the holidays from many. That's right, we hear of 'the spirit of Christmas', but there are other spirits sent to rob us of our joy and take our thoughts away from the true reason we celebrate.
The old cliche' "Jesus is the reason for the season" doesn't even scratch the surface of the true meaning of Christmas. You see, Jesus isn't just the reason for the season, He's the reason for it all! Acts 17:28 says "In Him we live and move and have our being". Everything I am, everything I have, everything I will become is because of Him, and He is all I truly need. He is my hope, my strength, my healer, my restorer, and most importantly, my savior. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17).
So how could anyone be discouraged, depressed and defeated during this time of year when we celebrate the hope for all mankind coming to earth, living a perfect life, and dying on a cross so that we could escape the penalty of our sin? It's because while we are reminded of the hope we have in Christ, satan is reminded of the fact he was and is defeated, and he doesn't like that one bit. So what does he do? You've heard the old saying "misery loves company", well, satan wants all the company he can get.
So that explains why he works so hard to divide families at Christmas, why he works to remind us of the most unpleasant memories we have of the holidays and rip scabs off hurts we have been trying to heal from for years. The enemy spends his Christmas trying to destroy yours! Don't let him! Rather than focusing on all the things that seem to be going wrong, or the money you don't have to by that gift, rather than comparing yourself to everyone else and how great their Christmas appears to be, remind yourself that you have been freely given the greatest gift of all time. Think of it as though you opened that gift that you wanted so badly but wasn't sure your parents would be able to find or afford it. Think of the joy and excitement you would have when you realized you got that gift, and how you couldn't wait to tell your friends. I'm here to tell you that you did get that gift even though you didn't deserve or ask for it, and you need to tell all your friends about how great God is! That alone would kick satan right in the mouth and change your whole perspective this holiday season.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and people need to be reminded of that. When you see someone discouraged or down in the dumps this Christmas, tell them about the best gift you ever got. Help them to see the hope and freedom that is found only in Jesus, and ruin satan's Christmas by making someone else's the best ever!