Satan's minions have been working overtime to steal some things that are rightfully mine. And these aren't the cute little yellow minions we enjoy in a kid's movie! These are the kind that spy on us and lie to us. Their boss is called the father of lies and he knows how to use those lies, REALLY well!
In Ephesians 6 (the Whole Armor of God) we're encouraged to hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery darts our enemy shoots at us. I believe there are thousands of different kinds of darts he uses. But his lies are some of his most affective.
Yes, satan lies to people to try and trip them up. These are the lies that say, "Oh come on, the government already gets so much of your money, it's ok if you hide this income." Or "Nooo... it's fine, you deserve happiness, so go ahead step out of that marriage where you don't feel fulfilled." Those could be considered the obvious lies.
The dart, the lie, that Satan likes to use most on me is condemnation. Even when he lies to get us to rationalize bad behavior... it's to use condemnation to paralyze us. For decades, I didn't understand... didn't believe the full scope of God's love for me. I believed that because I wasn't the "perfect little Christian girl" that God was mad at me... or at least was holding a grudge because I had sinned after making my decision to believe in Him. It didn't matter how many times I'd asked forgiveness for the same thing... I still felt condemned. Aaaah, there it is... the word "felt". And every time I messed up, I felt more condemned. I'd read Romans 8:1 many times, so why did I still feel condemned?! Lies... believing lies! It was logical, in my head, it was because I wasn't "perfect" that a perfect God would be mad that I have not been able to live up to "His standard". That is a total, satanic lie!!!
The book of Isaiah is a book of prophecy. In Isaiah 53 we can read details of Jesus' life and death, His sacrifice to redeem us. Then in Isaiah 54 we see how we reap the benefits of this sacrifice. Isaiah 54:9-10 is a passage that talks loudly... no, I'm gonna say it screams to me!! God's not mad!! He no longer looks at my past, my mistakes, my sins... I'm redeemed, I'm HIS!
I still struggle with hearing and believing the lies. And I eventually realize it and tell satan to, "Back off sucka! You have no power here!!" I look forward to the day when those lies are nothing but an ignore-able whisper.
Now, when people tell me I'm strong and I remind them I'm not... I don't want to make them feel bad or silly or make them think I don't know what they mean. I do understand. I probably would say the same thing. But the fact is; I am weak! And it's ok, because I know where to go when life gets really heavy!
No comments:
Post a Comment