This post is for anyone who finds themselves at times…..empty…worried…lonely…fearful….numb and living with anxiety….!
If you experience any of these feelings, I have bad and good news for you! Bad news first–Satan, the father of lies, is deceiving you! You are being had! Yep…you can be a Christian and be deceived by Satan and attacked. It is my opinion that too many times we Christians think we are safe…”covered by the blood”. We know we are going to heaven when we die.
Scripture is clear. Satan is alive and well and seeking to devour us while we are alive! Why on earth would we be told in Scripture to put on the “full armor of God” if we were not going to be attacked? Paul even itemizes the pieces of spiritual armor we are to put on in order to defend ourselves against “the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:12-17).
Many people discount what they cannot see–God and Satan. As long as you live on this earth there will always be the spiritual realm to contend with. The same power of forces that are recorded in Scripture in the first century are still evident and real in the 21st century. Until the second coming of Christ there will be an ongoing battle between the “Spirit of truth” and the “father of lies.” Peter instructs us to “be of sober spirit, be on the alert….resist him, firm in your faith, knowing the same experience of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1Peter 5:8-9).
If your study of Scripture and your Christian faith don’t factor in the kingdom of darkness and how to play offense…..then the “devouring will continue in your life (worry, anxiety, fear, emptiness)….and will render you ineffective and rob you of God’s plan!”
As long as we are taking a breath…the possibility of being tempted, accused, and/or deceived is continuous. Never in Scripture does it say we can take the armor off. Basically, I am saying we as Christians are not using God’s playbook for life! God’s word and applying it–executing the “plays” found in Scripture is the Good news!
In Hebrews it tells us that there is NO time that God is not present. “He upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). The world would have us discount the “unseen” because humanly we can’t explain it! Don’t buy the lie!
God is supernatural.
He exists.
He is all powerful.
BUT, we do have an adversary in Satan who is the deceiver of all deceivers. “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Satan’s subtle deception and invasion into the lives of “normal” believers is prevalent.
Many believers are being mentally deceived! In order to play offense, you have to read His Word. Know what it says. BELIEVE IT…. AND APPLY IT!!! We are walking around saying we are a Christian and we are NOT applying His Word….because
A. we are not reading it….or
B. we read it and we really are choosing not to believe it….because if we believed it…..we would be applying it!
Who wants to live in fear, worry and anxiety????? Christ desires for us to understand….HE. Has. US!!! He does. He tells us what to do and how to do it. We…including me here….have GOT TO READ…BELIEVE and APPLY God’s Word!
A simple analogy for all of us: If I were baking a cake…..and I put all the ingredients in the cake…and put it in a cold oven….what would happen? NOTHING! It is as simple as that. We have to read the “RECIPE” and then follow all the steps, including turning on the oven! YOU can’t take God’s recipe and “cherry pick” the steps you want. YOU have to follow the RECIPE…if you want the cake!
To defeat the enemy, Satan, this is what you have to do–YOU HAVE TO OUT-TRUTH HIM AND ACT UPON THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD. It is that simple…..that is the Good NEWS! Know the truth and truth will SET YOU FREE!