Good Morning Girls (and Jeremy)!  Yesterday I told you the long story of my argument with Tom and how it took me 2 days to apologize.  By the end of the two days, the devil did in fact have his foothold.  I had given him my time, my sanity, my joy, and $7.12.  Praise the Lord I was able to see what was happening and was able to reclaim my position and give the devil a boot to the hiney.  I figured my story was a good enough example to help you Girls make better decisions the next time you were given an opportunity to hold on to some anger.  I assumed we would be moving on to something new today.  I assumed wrong..................
I just couldn't shake the word foothold yesterday.  I kept "chewing" on it.  I pictured Pastor Jim's visual of sticking his foot in the doorway as you try to shut it, and showing how that foot in the door prevents the door from shutting, and now gives the devil opportunity to bust on through.  Then I thought of football (probably because I was feeling the pain of the Vikings yesterday). I thought about how when a lineman gets a hold of someone's foot, the receiver almost always comes crashing down on his face.  I thought it another good visual, because really, when you think about it, when the devil has your foot you do usually ending up tripping in some area of your life.  That is when you have to jump back up (sometimes with the help of some teammates) and get back to the line of scrimmage.  You need to call the devil out on his penalty and say "do not rejoice over me my enemy, for when I fall I shall arise", just as it says in Micah 7:8.
I kept seeing these visuals throughout the day.  When I finally got home last night, I went to my buddy Webster and looked up the word foothold.  Here is what it says: A firm or secure position that provides a base for further advancement!  I don't know about you, but when I read that for the first time I got a little chill.  Then I got a lot of fire, feist, and fight in me.  You see, the devil likes it when we minimize the impact his devices have on us.  He also likes to magnify our troubles.  I like the visuals I had been chewing on all day.  I think they were good.  They were good at seeing how a foothold leads to trouble.  What they were not good at is showing the seriousness of the foothold.  They did not give me the same feeling I had when I read that by giving the devil a foothold, I was actually giving him a firm or secure position that provides a base for further advancement!
So Girls, if you've been hanging on to a little anger, thinking perhaps that it gives you an edge....... Leave that angry rock star angst for the rock stars, and lay it down.  I assure you the only one who has an edge when it comes to anger is the enemy.  And he will use it to the fullest!

Ephesians 4:26-27 (Websters Translation) Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a firm or secure position that provides a base for further advancement to the devil

Love you all-
Jen