I have two equally impactful songs on “scars”.  I couldn’t choose which one to develop so I decided to use one today and one tomorrow.  So here goes nothing something: What the devil does to try to destroy us God uses to bring victory in our lives; and if we are walking by faith, when the dust settles and the smoke clears, we are closer to God.  Then there is an added bonus because God can use the plight of our past to help others if we’ll let Him use our “life scars”.  Look no further than the scars in the hands and feet of Jesus.  Satan thought he’d won a great victory; however, he suffered his worst defeat ever as Jesus brought salvation to all mankind through His suffering on the cross!  Take an example from everyday life: A child has been raised in a home full of alcoholism and violence, then proceeds to follow in his parent’s footsteps.  As he grows up he searches for stability in life and finds that the only real, right solution is Jesus.  He becomes a Christian and allows the Lord to use him to help drug addicts and alcoholics find freedom from addiction plus find salvation through Jesus in the process.  What appeared to be an unloving God turning a blind eye to a child suffering in a dysfunctional and dangerous home resulted in victories in peoples’ physical and spiritual lives.  Satan loses when we let God use our scars to serve Jesus for something good.  Read I Peter 1:3-9; 2:11-12; 3:13-18; 4:12-16; 5:8-11 and then listen to What Scars Are For by Mandisa.

1 Peter 1:3-9 New International Version (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

1 Peter 3:13-18

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

1 Peter 4:12-16

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

1 Peter 5:8-11

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.