My wife and I went out this evening on our date night, and spent a bunch of time just connecting during dinner, and then for about 40 minutes in the driveway after dinner. During this time we were talking about as believers we often feel like we should have it all together, and when we don’t well…there must be something wrong with me… I should be a super Christian right? Not! No such thing as a super Christian, we all when we sit down and start to take a deep look at ourselves, you will notice that upon closer glance, the armor we put on, has some cracks in it, little dents, from life’s daily battles. Needless to say, you my friend are under attack daily and the evil one tries to wear you down…. We know the bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:5-12…
5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Furthermore, Ephesians 6:12 says…
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
So, you know also the Bible shows us that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44); And what we know is that how he often speaks around us is in first-person… Some key examples of LIES he uses are:
- Look, you can’t do anything right…
- You think the little things you do for God really matters…
- Your past is way too messed up to serve God, just give up…
- Do you really think things are going good right now….all I gotta do is THIS, and you will fall…
- There’s no hope, God doesn’t love you…
- I see you praying, but God’s not listening…
- You are damaged goods…
- You are all alone in this, you should be ashamed…
ALL LIES of the father of lies (devil). I want to show you now how precious and LOVED you are and how GOD sees you through the eyes of GRACE, and THAT is the secret that the evil one doesn’t want you to know. Once you give your life to Jesus Christ, nothing can separate you, not even death from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and all your past is wiped clean, sins not only forgiven by the work of the cross, but FORGOTTEN…cast as far as the East is from the West, never seen again! THAT is freedom in Christ!
Take a look at this video which paints a picture of our hopelessness, the lies that the devil feeds us, the battle between the Spirit and the flesh….between the slave and free in Christ! It shows how we can get LOCKED into this mindset of these lies, our past haunting us…And then in the second half, see ourselves from the eyes of GOD who looks upon us with LOVE…revealing what HE sees you as…Beautiful in your brokenness, standing before him, seeing you complete through the blood of Christ…Your debt paid-in-full!
There is one final thing that this video reveals at the very end if you didn’t catch it….YOU ARE NOT ALONE in your struggle, the man or woman three people down from you at church likely struggles with the same thing…What the final piece of this video reveals is the fact that finding a support group at your church within the body of Christ is so important! By going at this alone, you are robbing yourself of the gift God gives us through leaning on the body of Christ, other believers! So, yes, you are not alone….find someone you can talk with that can help you through this difficult time in your life. You will find victory in Jesus, and healing for your soul! Then, go and share your victory with the next guy or gal in need of this life-saving TRUTH!
SMILE, GOD LOVES YOU!
Final Thoughts: Scriptures to help you through these difficult times, these trials to speak LIFE and TRUTH back into your daily thoughts, and take captive these thoughts and make them obedient to Christ!
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. (Ephesians 6:12-13 NIV)
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 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. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 NIV)
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 NIV)
…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)