This past Sunday my pastor had me thinking deep, asking myself some serious questions, and coming to tears. The message had to do with Satan and how he tries his very best to get a hold of our lives.
A discouraged soul can't do much for the cause of Christ. The more the devil can bring us down through bad situations, or even down on ourselves, that is more time we spend worrying on things outside of accomplishing things for Christ.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet one of the worlds worst self discouragement, fearful women.
Hi, my name is Jessica, and I suffer from fear of tomorrow.
I grew up in a loving, Godly home. I couldn't have asked for better, more Godly, parents. I have 3 brothers and two sisters so there was never a reason to feel lonely or bored. But, there has always been something different about me, and I've always been able to see it.
I am fearful.
I feared sadness because it means something bad has happened, I feared happiness because that meant it could be taken away, I feared safety because that can all disappear in a minute; I feared people, because there are bad people out there and, in my mind, they were all out to laugh at me, whisper about me, or hurt me. Don't laugh. I know it's overboard, and honestly I cannot tell you where I picked up so much fear. My dad always let me know he would protect me through anything, and if he couldn't, God would. But still the nightmares came, the constant roaming of eyes watching others eyes "fixed on me" (or so I thought,) what seemed like people following me every time I was alone. I didn't want to try new things because I was afraid I would fail...and because of that I wasn't good at a whole lot (how can you be good at something you've never tried?) I was an honest to goodness....phobic. Is that a word? Basically, I feared everything; and still do to some extent even today. Gosh, I even feared fear itself!
"The devil uses discouragement to take control of our lives."
A discouraged soul can't do much for the cause of Christ. The more the devil can bring us down through bad situations, or even down on ourselves, that is more time we spend worrying on things outside of accomplishing things for Christ.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet one of the worlds worst self discouragement, fearful women.
Hi, my name is Jessica, and I suffer from fear of tomorrow.
I grew up in a loving, Godly home. I couldn't have asked for better, more Godly, parents. I have 3 brothers and two sisters so there was never a reason to feel lonely or bored. But, there has always been something different about me, and I've always been able to see it.
I am fearful.
I feared sadness because it means something bad has happened, I feared happiness because that meant it could be taken away, I feared safety because that can all disappear in a minute; I feared people, because there are bad people out there and, in my mind, they were all out to laugh at me, whisper about me, or hurt me. Don't laugh. I know it's overboard, and honestly I cannot tell you where I picked up so much fear. My dad always let me know he would protect me through anything, and if he couldn't, God would. But still the nightmares came, the constant roaming of eyes watching others eyes "fixed on me" (or so I thought,) what seemed like people following me every time I was alone. I didn't want to try new things because I was afraid I would fail...and because of that I wasn't good at a whole lot (how can you be good at something you've never tried?) I was an honest to goodness....phobic. Is that a word? Basically, I feared everything; and still do to some extent even today. Gosh, I even feared fear itself!
"The devil uses discouragement to take control of our lives."
I heard this and just sat there staring at my pastor...and I'm pretty sure my mouth was gaping open. I've heard basically that same sentence my whole life, but sometimes it takes a very specific wording to finally penetrate my thick skull. Discouragement is one of the biggest ways the devil can push us to the point of misery.
If the devil can cause you to be afraid of him, then he can hinder you to remember Gods promise that he (satan) cannot defeat you.
Fear, for me, is the one thing that can hinder me from doing just about anything. This shouldn't be the case, I am fully aware of that. I should fear nothing but God Himself. But when satan whispers those lies into my ear all day long...they start to become real, however unrealistic they may be in real life, in my mind they're possible and even probable. The only way to rid the devil of having this hold over me is to claim the promise that God gave to all of His children; through Jesus, we have the authority to defeat the devil. To stop him in his tracks, turn, and flee from the scene of our lives. The one thing many of us forget is just because we have told satan to get lost once, it doesn't mean he doesn't have the ability to ever bother us again. He will come at us our entire lives. We just have to remember we can tell him to beat it every time he starts twisting situations or circumstances, pushes us to blow up with anger, be hurtful to people, or hold on to bitterness. We won't always push aside his temptations, no, sometimes we will give in to our sin nature and follow through with something we shouldn't have done, but that is where God comes in.
You see, this is where it gets beautiful. Whereas the devil is the father and lover of lies, Jesus is our Father, and lover of our soul. He cherishes us, and will draw us near to Him once again every time we stumble or fall.
"Satan is a defeated foe, and on his way to being kicked out he tries to cause as much trouble as he can."
If people say they've never had problems and opposition with the devil...it's because they're going the same w. If they turn around they'll feel that tension and pressure.
People are told all kinds of lies about how it is to be a Christian; I think the biggest one is that "you will have a perfect life, and all your problems will disappear or be solved once you become a Christian!"
Great sales pitch. So far from the truth. Now, the actual truth of the matter may seem a little backwards, and you will probably think " that is crazy! Why on earth would I want to be a follower of someone who said I wouldn't be treated well?"
Well, because when you experience the truth of God and the true meaning of a relationship with Him, you are willing to bear through anything to let others know who He is and what He did for them. The pain won't last forever, the tears will one day be wiped away, our worry and fear will be removed and replaced with joy unspeakable.
In the meantime, we must find the reason for our lives. See, Jesus has a very specific plan for each and every one of us. Once we find out what it is, we are to set our on that journey. We will struggle, have heartache, hardships, we will even fall flat on our face sometimes. But, unlike Hannity And Colmes on Fox News says, life is not always "fair and balanced." It's a pretty hardcore world out there, and the sooner we don't expect everything to go perfectly, the more we can relax and have faith that no matter what happens, God is right there building, growing, and strengthening who we are.
Well, because when you experience the truth of God and the true meaning of a relationship with Him, you are willing to bear through anything to let others know who He is and what He did for them. The pain won't last forever, the tears will one day be wiped away, our worry and fear will be removed and replaced with joy unspeakable.
In the meantime, we must find the reason for our lives. See, Jesus has a very specific plan for each and every one of us. Once we find out what it is, we are to set our on that journey. We will struggle, have heartache, hardships, we will even fall flat on our face sometimes. But, unlike Hannity And Colmes on Fox News says, life is not always "fair and balanced." It's a pretty hardcore world out there, and the sooner we don't expect everything to go perfectly, the more we can relax and have faith that no matter what happens, God is right there building, growing, and strengthening who we are.
There will be a day when Satan will be chained up and thrown into the lake of fire. That is his demise, and nothing he does will change his future. He knows where he will end up...but he wants to turn the hearts of men, as many as possible, towards him so when he is thrown into the fire, he can take as many people with him as he can. He knows he won't win in the end, but he will fight to get followers along the way.
I can blame whoever I want or any situation or circumstance for this overwhelming fear. Or, I can "take it like a man" and admit I have brought it on myself. I trust that God will protect me, and that anything He allows to happen in my life has a reason...but my trust goes as far as the good times most of the time. I have faith until I am tempted or treated bad, then I am terrified and worry to the point of being sick. To truly trust God, I must learn to trust Him through every situation no matter how hard it is. Lack of trust doesn't only affect my relationship with God, but with everyone else around me.
If you are like me, and have struggled in some of the same areas, you know the journey has been rough. We can't fix anything on our own, but at the same time, we have to take blame where we have allowed Satan to take over areas of our lives. To make a change, we have to change our way of thinking. When Satan whispers those lies into our ears, we must learn to ignore them. To say "you have no power over me, because you are already conquered!"
It is time we stop letting a defeated foe rule how much joy we have in our lives. It's time to hand over those lies to God. Time to not claim them as truth or as a regular part of our lives.
We cannot see God, but through faith we know He is there, and because of that, we can have unspeakable joy through ANY circumstance.
"and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."
(1 Peter 1:8)
If you are like me, and have struggled in some of the same areas, you know the journey has been rough. We can't fix anything on our own, but at the same time, we have to take blame where we have allowed Satan to take over areas of our lives. To make a change, we have to change our way of thinking. When Satan whispers those lies into our ears, we must learn to ignore them. To say "you have no power over me, because you are already conquered!"
It is time we stop letting a defeated foe rule how much joy we have in our lives. It's time to hand over those lies to God. Time to not claim them as truth or as a regular part of our lives.
We cannot see God, but through faith we know He is there, and because of that, we can have unspeakable joy through ANY circumstance.
"and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."
(1 Peter 1:8)
