From the time we wake up in the morning until we get back in bed, we are maintaining an inner dialogue. From the simple to the serious, thoughts are constantly running through our minds.
Look at those bags under your eyes, you look so tired. There is a lot of work waiting for you at the office; you had better get caught up today. You should probably go in early to make up for what you didn’t do yesterday. They are going to think you are a slacker, can’t you complete anything? You forgot something, it must be important. But what is it? You better think about or repeat all of your steps so that you can remember it. Maybe you didn’t lock the door, to the house, or the car. Oh no.
This is a basic example. I wanted to give an illustration, as I feel we all experience something like this from time to time. So who is this nay-saying voice? Is this a helpful tool to make sure we stay on track in life? Perhaps this information is coming from our subconscious mind or could it be our gut instincts keeping us protected? We believe this negative voice is that of the devil, that he puts people down, making us question every move that we make so that we never feel peaceful, satisfied and complete.
It seems unlikely that we would be at odds with ourselves and put ourselves down, especially, when looking at the natural tendencies of little children, well ours at least. From birth they are happy, satisfied, and seem to believe that they are entitled to every good thing. They don’t want to miss a moment of fun, a moment of life. They laugh heartily when they experience joys, they seek out new things to discover and be a part of. People recite to us at nearly every outing- your children are so HAPPY!! We are so grateful that our children are full of such excitement and joy.
But looking at the landscape it is clear to see that most people are not experiencing such bliss, so it begs the question, when and how is this innocence being lost? Who is at the root of this deterioration of self love and happiness, to self loathing and depression? Of course, there are many factors in life, but boiled down to the most basic of terms, it seems that life’s successes and failures are a direct result of our relationship with God and the light of His son Jesus Christ who loves us OR our relationship to the devil who wants to use and destroy us.
Obviously most of us are not reaching out to make a connection with the devil intentionally, but imagine this mind chatter we experience as a living and breathing person in your home. We would be unable to tolerate the constant questioning, and disrespect outwardly that many of us live with internally every day. This is one of the main methods Satan uses to break us down. He expresses life-long opinions of accusation and chastisement against us, and by following the advice of this so-called inner voice, Satan works to direct every aspect of our lives leading us away from our Creator and His plan of salvation for us.
Many believe, and are religiously taught that they need only say that Jesus is their Lord and Savior to be saved, but at Christian Family Guardianship we teach that Jesus asks his disciples to follow Him. We believe that living a life after Christ is much more involved than simply saying these words. As a Christian coming from a background in the occult, I can say undoubtedly that I had a lot of learning to do. It can be very difficult to really build a relationship with Jesus if you have been given incorrect information about who He is and why He came to this Earth. Gaining understanding about God and the spirit world can be even more difficult, making learning how His Spirit moves in our lives a big task. But turning our life over to Christ, partnered with understanding His teachings through His work and the Bible helps us learn to recognize His Spirit guiding us throughout life.
A relationship with Christ is the key to living the life we are called to lead, and Satan is like a locked door. We simply cannot pass certain barriers in life without Christ. But His free agency allows us to chose who we associate with and listen to. We can choose to participate with the devil or to honor God’s Word on a daily basis. The good news is that Christ will guide every step of our life when we choose to follow Him, but the devil will continually try to convince us to follow his council, in-turn blocking our relationship with Christ.
As part of his deception, Satan does not usually tell us to do things that are against our moral fiber. Instead he understands he must work within our natural tendencies, keeping us just a few degrees off of God’s plan. Imagine a boat at sea, having it’s guidance off just a few degrees over a long journey. The boat would undoubtedly end up far off course from its original destination. The same happens over a lifetime with us. It is critical that Satan’s efforts be veiled for this to work. He is the master of deception, and the author of confusion and a bastion of distraction. It is important to pay attention to situations that cause confusion, because it is a good indicator that the devil is involved. In theory Satan may even lead us to good works to distract us, knowing it is much more important to keep us from a meaningful relationship with God and our true calling than to stop us from feeding the hungry or attending church.
It is important when making decisions in life to be prayerful and vigilant. Recognizing the true character of God helps us understand His guidance. Jesus may caution us, but he will never put us down. Jesus will always be patient, loving and forgiving. So when we are prayerful, and hear critical words that make us feel worse about ourselves or the situation at hand, we can rest assured, that these are the words of the devil.
James 4:7 teaches us “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” I want to assure you that God’s word is true, but please be patient with yourself and understand these things take time. Satan won’t run away the first, second or even third time, but by turning away from him you are naturally turning toward Christ. Remember that sailing at just a few degrees off course lead us off track over a period of time, and the best way to right our path is the slow and steady one too. Satan’s next strategy is to encourage us to overcorrect, getting us quickly off track in the other direction. Jesus expresses the need to stay straight in Matthew 7:13-14 when he says 13“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
To gain clarity on how to resist the devil we look to Isaiah 54:17 where we learn that “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” So we learn that when we hear Satan’s words, we are to condemn him. To condemn means to express complete disapproval of, to sentence to a particular punishment, or prove the guilt of. My favorite part of this scripture is God telling us that this is our heritage, and that condemning the devil through Him is righteous, that this is who we are, it is our calling, and our responsibility as His servants.
Don’t worry about looking strange or feeling uncomfortable. We are able to fight this spiritual battle in the privacy of our own homes, and see all aspects of our lives improve by honoring God’s word. God wants to encourage us, so look for periods of peace, security and comfort throughout your day. On the contrary, don’t be surprised if Satan increases his efforts for a time as well, he may shift his approach to deceive you. Be faithful in the Lord and ask for His guidance in discerning His promptings from the direction of the devil. When we do the things God asks us to do daily, he provides for all of our needs, so we must rebuke the devil and pray for God’s spirit to be with us at the start of every day. This simple routine honors God and brings us closer to Him and helps to create a division in our hearts and minds from the devil.
In closing, Please don’t worry. Whether you are far off of God’s plan for your life or just a few degrees South, God always has a plan to help us get back on track. With Christ all things are possible, so work on making a fresh start with Him. Repent of obvious sins, and start turning your back on the devil by rebuking him and resist participating with him.
We wish you all the best in your journey and hope that the information provided will help bless your life.
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