Grace for My Home | Christian Women, Growing in Faith, Spirit-Led, Hearing from God, Sowing Truth

Four Things That Can Keep You from Fulfilling God’s Plan for Your Life

• Audrey McCracken | Mom Encourager • Season 3 • Episode 110

Share episode

Text me a message! I would love to hear from you!



Check out my new book! Covered in Prayer: 31 Prayers to Cover You and Your Children in God's Grace

If you enjoy this episode and want to buy Audrey a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ajmccrac73d

For more mom encouragement visit graceformyhome.com
Join My Email List!
Follow me on Facebook.
Follow me on Instagram.
Contact me via admin@graceformyhome.com

Audrey:

Hello friends, welcome back to Grace From my Home. This is Audrey McCracken and I'm so glad to be back with you again this week. Merry Christmas. As I'm recording this, we're about five, six days out from Christmas and, to be completely transparent, I must tell you I am completely unprepared for Christmas. Must tell you I am completely unprepared for Christmas. I'm embarrassed to tell you how little shopping and planning I have done. Our life has just been a whirlwind. But it's okay. Christmas is going to come, whether I'm ready or not, and I have a week a little less than a week to get things together. So it will be fine. But I was feeling a little stressed today and I thought take a deep breath, it's going to be okay.

Audrey:

We've had band concerts, wrestling matches, basketball games, all kinds of events going on at our coffee shop, people having their end of year Christmas party, and so it's just been. It's been busy, but it's been good. It's been good and I am looking forward to Christmas and the new year. And I look forward to the new year because to me the new year always has this sense of hope in it. It's like a notebook with nothing written in it. You know it's all fresh and no mistakes yet, and so it's like a new page, and so I enjoy the new year. I enjoy anticipating the new year and making plans for the new year, even though I know I won't keep all my plans.

Audrey:

This week, I want to share with you a message that I shared with my church back in October. It's called four things that can keep you from fulfilling God's plan for your life. Also don't forget if you have not done so yet my new book is for sale on Amazon, and if you order it, like right now, you may get it in time for Christmas. It's called Covered in Prayer 31 Prayers to Cover you and your Children in God's Grace, and I love when people come in the shop and purchase it for a Christmas gift. That's such a blessing to me.

Audrey:

I had a young customer who came in. She's been a customer of ours from the very beginning, since we opened up the shop about a year and a half ago, but when she first started coming into the shop, she was expecting her first child and that child is almost one. And today she came in the shop and it was evident though I did not mention it, let her mention it it was evident that she is expecting again, and she purchased three of my books and she didn't even know I was the author. So I had an opportunity to share with her that I wrote this book and it opened up a conversation which I really enjoyed, and so the whole point of me telling you that story is to say, if you have not purchased a book yet, you can go to the show notes and click on the link and it will take you to Amazon and the name of the book is Covered in Prayer 31 Prayers to Cover you and your Children in God's Grace. I'm going to go ahead and get into the message this week, and the title of this message is Four Things that Can Keep you from Fulfilling God's Plan for your Life. Hope you enjoy.

Audrey:

I want to start off with something that I share a lot about. I might say this and you might be like why is she talking about that again? Why is she talking about that again? Because for me, it is bedrock. It is bedrock in everything that I do or try to do, and that is that God has a plan. Amen, can you say amen, god has a plan, he has a master plan and he has an individual plan for each and every one of us and I need that. I need to know that there's a plan, that I'm not just dropped on this earth and happenstance, whatever happens, happens and I'm, like you know, a ship without an anchor on the waves back and forth. I need to know that there's a destination. When you have a vision, it says.

Audrey:

Without a vision, people perish, they cast off their strength. It means they do whatever they want to do Without a vision. That's how we live. We're tossed to and fro, we do whatever we want to do. Whatever feels good at the moment is what we live. We're tossed to and fro. We do whatever we want to do. Whatever feels good at the moment is what we do.

Audrey:

I heard this illustration one time. I thought it was an excellent illustration. You know, we're getting ready for the Olympics, right? Everybody's talking about the Olympics. If you get on, if you see somebody training for the Olympics, they have like zero percent body fat, right? I mean they are in it. They watch everything they put in their mouth. They exercise with precision. They've got trainers. Why? Because they got a vision, they got a goal and they want to perform at their best to reach that goal, and so they make sacrifices every day to reach that goal. And that's what happens when you've got a vision. When you've got a vision, you do things that get you closer to that goal, to that vision. But when you don't have a vision, it doesn't really matter, right, I can have that second or third or fourth piece of cake, because it don't really matter. But if I got a vision it matters. I put some stuff aside, I go to bed a little earlier, I do the things that are right because I have a goal in mind. And that's why we need to know that there's a plan, that there's a master plan. God has a great big plan and then he has an individual plan for each one of us and somehow, because he's the master, it all weaves together. Have you ever seen like a tapestry? We went to Biltmore about two years ago. We went to Biltmore.

Audrey:

Ephesians, starting in verse 3, says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. Holy and blameless before him in love. He chose us when, before the foundation of the world. Before he built anything, before he made anything, he chose us in him. Verse five he predestined. What does that mean? He determined before he started the outcome?

Audrey:

He predestined us, me and you, to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of his will I like the way they put that in this version the kind intention To the praise of the glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us. He's lavished grace on us In all wisdom and insight. He made known to us the mystery of his will. His will is a mystery, but he makes it known to us, right, according to his kind intention, which he purposed, which he purposed in him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of times. That is the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things in the earth, almost done. Bear with me. In him also we have obtained an inheritance. You have an inheritance in him, having been predestined there's that word again according to his purpose, who works all things after the counsel of his will, amen.

Audrey:

So he predestined you to work everything out for his will. You're part of that. You're in there. Before he formed the first thing, before he spoke light, you were in his mind. He predestined you. Now, I know most of us in here have heard this before and know that, but it doesn't make it any more or any less powerful, isn't that awesome? You're that important to him that he made a plan and put you in it, and his plan is going to come to pass. Amen, his plan is going to come to pass.

Audrey:

And I want to just say this to you today there's no person, there's no situation, there's no circumstance. There is nothing in this world that can keep you from doing what God puts you here to do, except one person. Do except one person, and that one person is you. There is nothing, nobody, no enemy, no devil, no circumstance, no father, no mother, no husband, no wife, no ex, nobody that can keep you from doing what God's called you to do, except for you and me. Do you believe that this morning? Do you believe that this morning it's true? If Jesus is on your side and he's called you, even when you mess up big time, he's still going to make it happen. He still will make it happen, amen. I am so thankful today that I cannot mess up so big that I messed it up. That doesn't. I mean that just oh, that gives it's something I rock.

Audrey:

You know, I think about Peter, peter, I often think about Peter. I relate to Peter because a lot of times I'll act before. I think, and Peter reminds me of somebody like that. He, he did it. And then he thought, well, I probably shouldn't have done that, maybe I should have thought that one through. And Peter did it. He jumped in there, he did it, and often he messed it up. And I think about Peter.

Audrey:

What was going through his head while Jesus was in that grave? I had really messed up, I had really blown this, I had made a mess. I told him I'd be with him to the end and I ran. And he's dead and it's over. You ever felt that way. I messed up big time. You get a second chance, amen. You get a second chance, and there's always a second chance with Jesus. There's always a second chance with Jesus. Isn't that good? You know, I think about let's read it.

Audrey:

Okay, let's read it, because there's power in reading the word Luke 8. Turn with me to Luke, chapter 8, starting in verse 26. Jesus is traveling with his disciples and he's going through different towns. He's preaching the word, he's teaching his disciples as they go, he's healing people. But in Luke, chapter eight, starting in verse 26, it says then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee, of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Audrey:

And when he came into the land he was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons and who had not put on any clothing for a long time. He was a mess and was not living in a house but in the tombs. He was a big mess. Verse 28,. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and he fell before him and he said in a loud voice what business do we have with each other? Jesus, son of the most high, I beg you, do not torment me, for he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, for he had seized him many times and he was bound in chains and shackles and he was kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him what is your name? And he said Legion, for many demons had entered him and they were imploring him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

Audrey:

Now there was a herd of swine and I'm going to skip on down, because Jesus casts out the demons and they go in the herd of swine. The swine run over a cliff. The people of the city come out, they ask him to leave because it's pretty scary, right? I mean this man that they knew they could not contain. He was demon-possessed. He wore no clothes, it says. He cut himself.

Audrey:

In another version, he just got set free and all the demons that were in him went into the swine and the swine ran all over the place. They'd never seen anything like this, so they asked him to leave. When the city folk come out, he's sitting, dressed like a normal person, having a conversation with Jesus, and they're scared and they say just leave. You know, just leave. And he wants to go with him. He says Jesus, let me come with you, and Jesus said no. You go back to your home and your family and you tell them what God has done for you home and your family, and you tell them what God has done for you, and that's a powerful message. That's a powerful message.

Audrey:

I want to tell you something Legions of demons can't keep you from Jesus. He was full of the devil. Legions, legions, legions are thousands, thousands of devils can't keep you from Jesus, it says when he saw Jesus this is in two other gospels when he saw Jesus, it says he ran to him and he fell at his feet. He ran to. The devil is not running to Jesus. Let me just tell you that that man ran to Jesus and fell at his feet and Jesus set him free. The devil cannot keep you from Jesus. It cannot keep you bound. If you run to Jesus. The enemy cannot stop God's plan for your life. He does not have the power to do that unless we hand it to him. Amen, that's powerful.

Audrey:

I want to read for you Isaiah 54. I'm setting the base. I'm setting the base. I know this is a lot of scripture. I'm setting the base, isaiah 54. I'm setting a base. I'm setting a base. I know this is a lot of scripture. I'm setting a base Isaiah 54, starting in verse 16.

Audrey:

I guarantee you 95% of the people in here know this verse. It says behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth. Now I want you to look at from me, says the Lord. Now I want you to look at verse 16, the first verse. Behold, I have created who's talking, who's saying this? The Lord. Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals and the fire, who brings forth the weapon from his work. So who created the blacksmith, god? What's he doing? He's forging a weapon.

Audrey:

In verse 17, it says no weapon forged against you shall prosper. So the Lord is saying you're afraid of the enemy and you're afraid of his weapons. I made them. God's in control. You're afraid of this weapon. You're afraid of these words that they're speaking to you. You're afraid. I made them. I made the enemy. I have given you power.

Audrey:

It says no weapon that he can form will prosper. It will not do what it's been sent to do. Every tongue that rises against you in judgment, you, he didn't say I, he said you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. Remember, earlier we said there's an inheritance. This is inheritance. This is part of the inheritance. This is part of the inheritance. This is part of the inheritance that when the enemy rises up, you shall say no, it will not prosper. No, I know you sent this for evil. I recognize this is from the enemy. I know this is sent to destroy me and to stop the plan of God from happening in my life. But in Jesus name, no, I resist it and I cast it down in Jesus' name. That is part of your inheritance that you can do that, that you can say. You can say with your tongue I cast that down, you shall condemn it. You have to open your mouth and say no, I choose God, I believe God. This may be sin against me, but it will not do what it's been sent against me to do. It will not stop me from walking with God. It will not stop me from doing what he's called me to do. It will not stop me.

Audrey:

Remember when I said in the beginning it takes participation. It's one thing for it to be true. It's another thing for it to be true in my life. Amen, you. That is part of your inheritance. And he says and your righteousness is from me. I love that. Your righteousness is from Jesus.

Audrey:

Your righteousness, your right standing with God, is not because you're good. Your right standing with God is not because you're good. Your right standing with God is not because you worked it out and you worked hard and you cleaned yourself up. How many times does the enemy come to you and say who are you to do that? Who do you think you are? Who do you think you are? Who are you to think that God has a plan like that for your life? I know what you did, I know where you went, I know what you came from and it sounds like you talking to you and it might be a part, but there's an enemy behind it saying not you, not you, not you. And you have to rise up and say my righteousness is not from me, it's from Jesus. I receive his righteousness so I can do what he's called me to do, and that's the only way you will ever walk upright and standing true with God is by faith in the righteousness that he has given you. Otherwise, you will be condemned and condemned.

Audrey:

Y'all got a pass. Anybody here got a pass. Some of you aren't old enough yet to have a pass. Amen, I got a pass. I got to go pass my past to get to what Jesus wants me to do, and if I let my past hold me up, I won't ever do it. Amen.

Audrey:

But God says here Audrey, here's your gift. I give you my righteousness to do what I've called you to do. That means the past doesn't matter, and when the enemy comes up and says I know what you did, you can say that weapon's not going to work anymore. But you've got to open your mouth. I can't do it for you. God didn't say he would do it for you. He said you will condemn it. God didn't say he would do it for you. He said you will condemn it. Amen, isn't that good? Isn't that good? You will condemn it, you will condemn it.

Audrey:

God has promised to give us all of the wisdom, all of the strength, all of the grace for every and any situation that comes our way. Amen, isn't that awesome. He said. If any man lacks wisdom, you just ask of me, I'll give it to you. If you don't know what to do in this situation, you ask of me, I'll give it to you. If you're weak, you ask me for strength, I'll give you strength. Amen. And every. In any and every situation. He's on our side to do what he's asked us to do.

Audrey:

But Paul says don't be ignorant of the enemy's devices. Don't be ignorant of the enemy's devices. The enemy has devices, amen. He has tricks, he has plans. He is an old enemy, he's been around for a long time and he knows. Not only does he know your issues, not only does he know your past, not only does he know your weaknesses, but he knows all mankind's weaknesses. He's been observing us for a long time and the word says don't be ignorant of his devices, of his ways, of his sneak attacks.

Audrey:

Now, I can't go through all of them because number one, I don't know all of them. I'm still trying to figure them out. But I know a lot of them, and not because I got it right, but because I got it wrong. I think I've learned more by the things I've gotten wrong than the things I've got right, because things I got wrong burnt and hurt and I won't do that again. God wants to teach us the devices of the enemy so that we can pass the test, so we can do what God's called us to do.

Audrey:

We, at any time, can fall and we can turn our back on the Lord or turn our back on what he's asked us to do and say it's just too much, it's just too hard, lord, you just ask him too much. We can do that, but we don't have to. But we're not going to win, because we can't lose. We can lose, but with God there's always another chance if we get back up. If we get back up, I'm going for it. Lord, he got me. I learned his device right there. I learned that I'm not going to do that again, lord, I learned wisdom in that.

Audrey:

But today I want to share with you three things, just three things that I think will help you when it comes to fulfilling God's plan for your life. Three areas where we often get tripped up. The first one is we fall into the plan that has been laid out for us by life. You know, god has a plan. I just read it to you. Right, he's got a good plan for your life, but there is a plan for your life that is unwritten, but you fall right into it. You know what I'm talking about. It's what is expected, it's what you know, it's the life that your parents have lived. Do you know, unless there's a, unless there's a revelation, you will become just like your mom and dad and you're going oh no, I won't. Unless there's a revelation, you will fall into the same traps they fell in because we reproduce after our time, we follow and you think, oh, I'll never. Oh, I'll never do that. I'll never do that. I have said things and I'll be like. That sounds just like my mama. She's sitting right here, so they weren't bad things. But I thought that was my mama, up and down right there. I thought that was my mama Because we reproduce after our kind. I thought that was my mama Because we reproduce after our kind. But see, now we have another kind to reproduce as Amen. We've got another kind. We've got another seed to reproduce as.

Audrey:

So one of the catches is not getting off the path that you're currently on. See, we have to choose. I'm going another way. I'm not going the way that my family went. I'm not going the way that everybody around me thinks I should go. I'm going to choose God's way. Now. I'm not telling you that your family is evil. I'm not telling you that they're out to get you. I'm just telling you it's really easy to follow the course of the path of least resistance.

Audrey:

Do you remember Mary and Martha? Mary and Martha loved Jesus and Jesus loved them, and Lazarus was their brother and he would come, and he would come to their house and they would make a meal for him. And people would come to their house and they would make a meal for him and people would come over. And then one day there's a bunch of people coming and Martha's mad. Why? Because Mary is at her feet. And guys, I want to tell you I feel for Martha because it's a lot of work when people coming over, but it was not Mary's place to sit at his feet.

Audrey:

Women were not allowed to learn. Do you know that Women were not allowed to learn that a man would sit at the feet of a rabbi and talk and discuss and learn. The rabbi would teach while the women prepared the meal for the men. That was her place. That was her place. Martha was right. You know you can be completely right and completely wrong at the same time. Martha was right.

Audrey:

What does she think she's doing? We got people here. What does she think? She thinks she's a man. Now she thinks she can do that. Jesus tell her she needs to get her place. Who does she does she do? She thinks she's a man. Now she thinks she can do that. Jesus tell her she needs to get in her place. Who does she think she is? And Jesus said you leave her alone. She's chosen the best part and it will not be taken from her. You can choose the best part and nobody will take it from you. But you can give it up. You can do what God's called you to do, but you've got to get out of the social norms of what's accepted and what people expect of you. Jesus broke out of the mold. He got out of his place, he got out of his lane. You could say that's the way we see it today. Right, jesus got out of his place. Who does he think he is? Who do you think you are? You're a carpenter, son. Who are you? But he was doing what his father sent him to do.

Audrey:

It's really comfortable, on the path of least resistance, when you're pleasing the people around you because you're staying in your place and you're not rustling anybody's feathers. But when you decide you're staying in your place and you're not ruffling anybody's feathers, but when you decide you're going to walk with Jesus and he calls you to do something that is out of your character, that nobody in your family has ever done, who do you think you are? It takes courage and it takes faith and it takes the willingness to fall flat on my face and look ridiculous until I get it right. Amen, but it's so good. It's so good, it's so worth it, because that's where Jesus is. Amen, that's where Jesus is. So the number one thing I want to tell you is Amen, that's where Jesus is. So the number one thing I want to say is don't stay on the path that's been set out for you by other people, by your history, by your family, by where you are in the world. God has a different path if you've got the courage to take it. Amen.

Audrey:

Number two is the word spoken over you. The word spoken over you will keep you from doing what God's called you to do if you believe them. You know it says in Proverbs 18, 21,. Dead and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. If we believe words that have been spoken over us that are contrary to God's words, then those things become our truth. That's not who God called you to be. That's not who God calls you right now. If you believe the lie over the truth, then you won't do the things God called you to do. You've got to find out who you are in Christ. You've got to get in the Word and say what does God say about me? Things that people have said over you. They're very powerful, especially if that person is in an authority over your life Things that parents say of their children. It's very powerful, but we have to be careful. We have to find the lies that we believe that aren't true and we have to replace them with truth so that we can do what God's called us to do, because a lot of those things will limit what God wants to do in our lives. Amen. We've got to be careful what words we come under agreement with, because if we don't think we can, we can't. Amen, amen. So the words that have been spoken over us. The third thing actually I've got four, but I'll make the last one short. The third thing is the hurts that have been inflicted on us, either knowingly or unknowingly, will keep us from doing what God called us to do unless we deal with them.

Audrey:

Matthew 18, I'm not going to read it for time's sake, but if you're taking notes, matthew 18, verses 21 through 35, it talks about a man who had a servant who owed him a debt that he could never in a hundred lifetimes pay back. It was huge Today's standard you might as well call it millions could never work it off, and this man begged him for forgiveness. He was going to sell him and his family and pay back the debt. And the man begged him for forgiveness. Forgive me, I will work it out. There's no way he forgiveness, forgive me, I will work it out. There's no way he could work it out, I will work it out. And the man had mercy on him and said the debt's cleared, you don't have to pay me back. I'm not going to sell you and your family, just go in peace.

Audrey:

That man immediately turned around, went to another friend of his who owed him a small amount, something he could pay back in less than a year, and he said pay me back now. And the man said I don't have it right now, but if you give me some time I'm working it out. I'll work it out, I'll pay you back. And he said no. And he went and he had the man sold. He had the man sold to pay his debts. Aren't you glad they can't do that today? The master heard and he said I had mercy on you, I had grace with you. You couldn't extend that grace to your friend, to your fellow servant. So he said lock that man up until he's paid every dime denarii. So he's paid everything, lock him up and the Lord said you must forgive. God has forgiven you a great, great debt. He's forgiven you a great debt. Now you must forgive, and if you don't forgive, you go into jail, you go into prison.

Audrey:

Unforgiveness is a prison. It's a prison that you hold the key to. People hurt you. How do I know that? Because you rely, because you live here with me and we bump into each other, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. I've had people who hurt me, who didn't even know they hurt me. They had no clue they hurt me. They weren't trying to hurt me. I've had some other ones that I think they pretty much even know they hurt me. They had no clue they hurt me, they weren't trying to hurt me. I've had some other ones that I think they pretty much knew what they were doing. It was kind of obvious. But regardless, if I don't forgive them, I am the one that goes into prison. I am the one that does not. It is not free. I am the one who will not do what God has called and asked of me.

Audrey:

Unforgiveness holds us in prison and keeps us from doing what God's asked of us. Walking it out means when it comes back, you say I forgave, I forgave, I forgave. You start walking in more and more freedom and you see, this stuff works, this really works. And you start walking in more joy and you start walking in more and more freedom and you see, this stuff works, this really works. And you start walking in more joy and you start walking in more happiness and doors start opening that were shut before. In your heart, in your mind, in your life. Guys, this is real, it works. God doesn't want us hanging on to this stuff because it locks us up and keeps us from doing what he's called us to do. Amen. If you're in prison, you can from doing what he's called us to do. Amen. If you're in prison, you can't do what God's called you to do. Amen. Forgiveness brings healing, amen.

Audrey:

Last one are the hardships that you deal with. Sometimes we let the hardships that we deal with keep us from doing what God's called us to do. We just think this is too hard. This is too hard. If God loved me, why am I going through this? If God loved me, why is it so hard and we give up? Usually, that's right. Before we have a breakthrough, we just give up.

Audrey:

Remember the lady who came, jesus told a parable of a woman. He told a parable of a woman. She had been done wrong and she went to this judge and the judge, it says the judge did not fear God and he didn't care about men, didn't care about people. But she went and she knocked on his door every day. Give me justice, give me justice, give me justice. And finally he said, said, give her justice, so she will stop bothering me, so she'll leave me alone. And the point was, if this man, who is not just, would give her justice because she kept knocking at his door, surely God, who is just, will give justice to those who come to him. So he said don't stop praying, don't stop doing the things you know you're supposed to do.

Audrey:

All of the days of the afflicted are made evil. Proverbs 15 15. All of the days of the afflicted are made evil. But he that has a merry heart has a continual feast, regardless of circumstances. What does that mean? What does that mean all the days of the afflicted? Do you see yourself as the afflicted? Do you see yourself as the, as the victim? Do you see yourself as the victim? Do you see yourself that way? If you do, it's easy to give up, because this is just my life. I'm not made to succeed. I'm always coming up second. That's not who you are. That's not who you are. That's not who God called you to be A righteous Proverbs 24, 16.

Audrey:

A righteous man falls seven times, but he gets back up. But he gets back up. We have to if we're going to do what God's called us to do. We've got to have that mindset. I'm getting back up. Ain't nothing going to stop me. You are unstoppable. You are unstoppable. The only person that can stop you from doing what God called you to do is you. Ain't no person, ain't no devil, ain't no devil in hell can keep you from doing what God called you to do. If you decide I'm going to do what God's called me to do, ain't no hurt from the past, ain't no root of bitterness that can hold you back unless you hold on to it. Amen, that's good stuff. I mean that's good stuff.

Audrey:

So many times we feel like, well, I've just been. I just I say we, me, I'm talking about me. So many times you feel like I've just been given a bad hand. I've been given a bad hand. God says we can do this, we can do this. Amen. You can do what you've been called to do, but you got to deal with these things. You can't be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. Amen, thank you, lord. Father, we thank you for grace, Lord, your grace is more than enough. You've called us to overcome. Lord, we are more than conquerors. In Christ Jesus and Lord, I just thank you today, lord, for grace to do what you've asked of us. God, help us to not be ignorant. Lord, help us to not be ignorant or unwise of the enemy's devices. We thank you for it, lord, in Jesus' name, amen.