The Adversary
Have you ever been involved in doing something, when all of a sudden something pops into your head and you think” where did that come from.? Or have you ever started thinking about certain things in your life or things that have recently happened to you and those voices in your head start saying, worthless, stupid, dumb, unlovable, I am not good enough or there is nothing in me that God or anyone else finds good about me?” What about a subtle thought that gets you to thinking and you know it is not right thinking and it leads you to do something you will be deeply sorry for or regret? I Peter 5:8-9--your adversary the Devil is as a roaring lion walking about, seeking those whom he may devour. Over the past weeks I have been more aware of this than usual. As I have visited with several friends this week, they have spoken things about themselves to me that are out and out lies about themselves. The evil one has been prowling around in the dark looking for ways to use his wiles to disclaim God’s perfect love for us, His forgiveness, mercy and grace. His game plan is to come and steal and take away from us, to torment us and to make us miserable. He is trying his best to divert our attention away from God. He wants to tempt our faith, to make God look less loving, less fair, unkind, unmerciful and take away our hope. Are you aware of his lies? How many times do you find yourself in a self condemning conversation with yourself? Many of us struggle with it and some still struggle with it all the time. Have you told yourself, “ God could never love me, my sins are too horrible to be forgiven, I will never be good enough, there are other people more worthy than me, and so on.” The one I have heard most often this week and has just broken my heart is --” I am not good enough and God just doesn’t love me.” When you stop listening to God and only listen to Satan’s lies-- then what happens is you begin to perceive what he says about you is the truth. What happens then, Satan stands back and laughs at you. You are emotionally hurt, spiritually deceived, you are left with a sense of worthlessness, a feeling of less than, and the inability to see yourself as a child of the Most High God. A child who has been bought with a price, redeemed, saved, justified, loved by The Most Holy God. We can’t stop the adversary from whispering in our ears, but we can refuse to listen. Don’t believe his lies. How quickly we forget that God has given the tools we need to use against this wicked one. Are you in the word daily so that you won’t be fooled? God has given us His Spirit to empower us and His word to strengthen us. James 4:7 --submit yourselves to the Lord, resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Are you comparing all that negativism that you feel to the word of God? We all have had encounters of this kind, but why do we sometimes go back to that “ stinkin thinkin?” When we have stinkin thinkin we are actually saying what God has given us and does for us is of no value. God is perfect and all that he does is perfect. If you think about it, from the very beginning Satan wanted everything that God had-he was selfish, deceitful, and all the ugly things that you can think about. He still wants what belongs to God. As a child of the Most High God you belong to Him. Why do you think that Satan is trying so hard to get at us --he still wants what God has! We cannot physically see him, but he is here. He is still as real today as he was real with Christ in the wilderness. I Peter 5:8 -he is looking for anyone he can devour, II Corinthians 2:11-we are told to be warned against his devices. James 4:7- says to resist him and he will flee. Have you thought about how he is affecting you today? I pray that you begin to recognize those “lies” that he tries to get you to believe. The Most High God has given you the power and authority to rebuke Satan. Don’t let him cause you to take your eyes off God. Be bold, speak with authority to him, call him what he is to his face, liar, deceiver, destroyer, thief, Stop him in his tracks. Take all thoughts captive to the Lord. Tell Satan to leave you alone and to leave in the power of Jesus’ name. Do not be afraid of him or let him destroy with his wiles. We have The Most High, The All Powerful God backing us. Also Satan thinks he is so smart -- the obvious has escaped him -- God is in control and Satan is still going to the pit of eternal fire. Look for the different ways he is affecting you and then do something about it -- act on what you know about God, be in the word, whether your heart and head are together or not about God’s love for and you being good enough, go with your heart, because sometimes your head will deceive you.
Most High God: we are weak and you are strong. Everyday you are faithful to us. Everyday you love us and call us your beloved. Glorious One, help us not to be deceived, Help us to see the deceiver clearly when he comes to call. Help us to submit to you and to resist the evil one, the liar who has come to steal, kill and destroy. Help us to remember your love, goodness mercy and grace. Help us to look past him so that we may see your glorious face. We ask these things in your precious name. Amen.
Fellow believers - my brothers and sisters: as you walk on this journey called life, be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the Devil is walking around watching you, waiting for you to have a moment of weakness to come and visit with you. Have a blessed week. Janice- CR Encourager Coach
Most High God: we are weak and you are strong. Everyday you are faithful to us. Everyday you love us and call us your beloved. Glorious One, help us not to be deceived, Help us to see the deceiver clearly when he comes to call. Help us to submit to you and to resist the evil one, the liar who has come to steal, kill and destroy. Help us to remember your love, goodness mercy and grace. Help us to look past him so that we may see your glorious face. We ask these things in your precious name. Amen.
Fellow believers - my brothers and sisters: as you walk on this journey called life, be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the Devil is walking around watching you, waiting for you to have a moment of weakness to come and visit with you. Have a blessed week. Janice- CR Encourager Coach
Gail McConnell: As I reflect back on my life before Christ and even after Christ...and even before CR and after CR, I see clearly that who I am is based on the death to self process that takes place as I choose by faith to meditate on God's Word day and night, spend time talking with the Father, and ask humbly for God to be my rescuer for everything that comes into my personal circumstances to attempt to keep me in self-loathing or bitterness.
ReplyDeleteWho I was before Christ was lost, sick, self-centered, and a sinner (saved by Grace although I had no clue). My deceptive mind followed the lie based thinking of the adversary. The Holy Spirit did not live in me. Who I am after Christ is found, becoming progressively well, Christ-centered (with self-centeredness still tempting me) and a saint (because Jesus says I am). The Holy Spirit lives in me. My mind is restored and follows truth based thinking of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers me to walk in victory.
None of this is logical. My desire to walk intentionally and humble myself before the Lord Who is my High Priest is the simple act of a child to a Father and a servant to a Master.
I no longer look to man (believer or unbeliever) to save me or rescue me. I look only to my Lord and my Father. They are the only Ones Who are omnipotent and who are God.
I obey; I learn discipline by obedience. And I obey because He in me moves me to desire to obey.
If I serve, I serve because He tells me how to serve; not to burn myself out in ministries or committees etc. that He is not calling me to serve in. (which can be another strategy of the adversary). He calls me to be an Intercessor. He calls me to lead a group on Friday night at CR. He calls me to be a writer of the heart for His glory. He calls me to be a speech language pathologist at the place I presently work.
Here is the thing: No one (no man, woman or other leader) can have my personal intimacy with Jesus Christ for me. I have to go through the fire of purification in order to be cleaned out and become completely satisfied with who I am and who He continues to make me into as His bride. There is no "easy way to go through the fire". Death to self...death to old thinking and old programming of lie based thinking hurts....it hurts real bad. Denial runs deep and rules deep. There is a huge mourning before the joy can come. Oswald Chambers calls this the "white funeral."
As for a new way of life, God is teaching me to be silent....this is not human. Human beings are busy busy busy, analyze, analyze, analyze. To be still and know that He is God is a spiritual discipline. No one can do it for me and I can't do it for anyone else. And yet the fruit bearing that comes from this practice is closeness to God. There is a time to be quiet and a time to not be silent anymore. It is good to be silent before the Lord until such time that He says "Now be a voice and act".