During staff prayer yesterday...Pastor Kurt talked about the lies of the devil that we all too often believe. Lies that creep in slowly...quietly...conniving. Lies that are easier to listen to and believe when we are tired, stressed, hungry, overworked.
When do you feel the devil attacking you?
Then he asked us to name 2 lies that are easy for us to believe...and find scripture as an antidote.
My two lies were:
1. I am not worthy of God's love
2. I am not forgiven.
Both of those I feel can go back to acceptance and comparing myself to others. Feeling like I am not worthy of God's love...not worthy of love from others...because I am not good enough. Not good enough because I am really not forgiven. How in the world could the God of the universe love me? How could He love me knowing all of the bad that I've done...knowing that I knew right from wrong most of the time and still committed my sins? Feeling like I am not forgiven for those sins. There are plenty of other people who have done way less...how could He possibly want to forgive me? How could He possibly want me?
But He does...and it says it in Isaiah 43:25...
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more...
And in Romans 8:1...
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...
Then in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The master plan of the enemy is to separate us from others, ourselves, and from God. He has worked hard down through the generations to sow hurt, trauma, deception and every sinful reaction he could into us.
Something that I learned from P.F...when I start to feel the weight of satans lies creeping into my head is saying, "So what."
"You aren't good enough." So what? My God makes me good enough.
"You don't have the skills to do that job." So what? My God will equip me.
"You can't handle that situation." So what? My God will be with me every step.
"You're not strong enough." You're right. I'm not...but so what? He is. And He is enough.
Whatever your 'lie' is...follow by saying, "You're right...but so what!"
