More and more I have noticed deception and lies in my life, little whispers and ideas of what I need, want or will make me happy. Now I know that I was not created this way, to question or battle myself, so I am left to wonder where do some of these crazy ideas come from? I took some time for me to figure it out; I had to go back to Genesis the beginning. It was there that I recognized my situation and that what had happened to Adam and Eve was happening to me.
I mean, I couldn’t actually see the snake (aka Devil), but his fingerprint was quite evident. Just like them, I too was never created to doubt, want, covet or envy and yet with his prompting we can. Our focus, our perception and our hearts can be tempted and tested. When God created us he gave us the ability to choose, it is just strange to me that we would choose so badly. We did so because we believed in a lie, we wanted more, and we didn’t think we were enough, or had enough. In Ephesians 6:16 it says, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Just in case you don’t recognize this passage, it is found in the writings of Paul to the church of the Ephesians warning them to put on the whole armour of God. It is a good warning to them and us.
He has always tried to have us believe the lie, and if we do so we supplant God as our focus in our daily lives. If we start to believe all of those things he is firing at us, like the promise of just one more BLANK and you will be happy or if you had X amount of money, your life would be smooth and if you had a better job, or another wife, a bigger car, or fancier house etc. You can see that there is a never ending list and how ridiculous each of the statements are, and yet we each fall for one of them seemingly every day. So what are you and I to do? We are called in 1 John 1:7 to “… walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”
Jesus said, in John 14:6 “…. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Reading the verse above gives us a revelation that Jesus is the way and answers what way that is, “the truth,” which is also, “the life.” So the key to battling the lies of the enemy, strange and simple enough, is with truth. And how do we get a hold of truth so that we are able to repel these fiery darts, these lies? We are called to put on the whole armour of God, as detailed in Ephesians 6:11-17. We are also called to “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” In John 17:17. It becomes quite evident that the most important part about reading the bible is that it gives us; it arms us with the truth. And if we have and know the truth, then lies will be seen for what they truly are, trivial, insignificant, false and empty.
So when you are down in the dumps, feeling unhappy, lonely, unsatisfied or any other negative emotion, then lift your heads and take a good look around. Listen closely to see what the root of your current state is, find the lie and then hit it with some of God’s truth and see how fast the lie disappears and how quickly your spirits lift. Do not be discouraged for even our Lord and Saviour was tempted in this way, for forty days and nights in the desert. This is a great example of how to live and deal with our enemy. It shows us that truth conquers lies and that Jesus Christ has triumphed over all things.
No comments:
Post a Comment