What Lies Are You Believing?
Last week was a very strange week. God has done some very mighty things in my life recently. Immediately on the tail end of a breakthrough, I came under what I felt to be attack by the enemy. I immediately asked myself, "What lies are you believing?" I was reminded of when Jesus was tempted by the devil. When was it that Satan came to tempt and attack Jesus? Immediately after Almighty God broke open the heavens and declared His blessing over Jesus.
"The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan." - Mark 1:12-13
This is absolutely fascinating to me. Jesus has just seen the Heavens open and the Spirit of God descend on Him in the form of a dove. Almighty God has bestowed His blessing on His Son. This is the greatest moment of Jesus' life up until this moment, I imagine. It makes sense that the enemy would want to attack before the breakthrough had a chance to really solidify in Jesus' heart. But notice who drove Him into the desert; not Satan but The Spirit of God.
God Himself drove, pushed, forced Jesus to the desert to be tested immediately after He blessed Him and changed His life forever.
I often hear well-meaning Bible believing people lamenting that the devil is attacking them, myself included. This past week I felt incredibly beaten down, doubting myself, Gods call on my life, fearing my ability to go the distance with Him, and struggling to connect with His Presence. I was a mess; all this on the heels of an amazing turning point in my life. Has that ever happen to you?Does it change your perspective on spiritual attack to acknowledge that God drove Jesus to where he would be attacked? Over and over in the scriptures God has revealed that trials and testing makes us stronger. "But we also have glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:3-4 NIV Nothing of worth is handed over on a silver platter. God allows trials to testing and refine us.
Related Post: How Living Your Life for God is Similar to a Refiner’s Fire
So how does the enemy attack? I recently heard a pastor Bob Hamp of Gateway Church in Texas say that Satan typically attacks where we are most vulnerable. In Western Society spiritual attack looks different than it does in a 3rd world country. In America we are primarily a materialistic and intellectual society. Often the enemy creates bondage in and around our minds and our possessions.
How does the enemy beat us down and create strongholds? By getting us to believe lies.
Often well-disguised as rational or logical thinking, beliefs given to us by upbringing, or our popular culture; underneath is always a lie. When we are bombarded with everyone around us living with debt, we believe a lie that debt is okay. When our entire society brainwashes us with consumerism, we believe that lie that we must accumulate wealth and possession to find fulfillment. That happiness is attained by living a certain lifestyle. When you remember the negative words of a parent or authority figure or listen to the voice of the enemy saying, “You'll never be anything, it'll never change.” You believe the lie.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2
And so as Followers of Jesus, we do not listen to what the World or the ruler of this world says. We overcome the lies by standing on the Truth found in the Scriptures that point us to the True Word of God. We are Children of God and coheirs to all that Jesus has. Never for get that we are more than conquerors in Him! In Jesus, we have ALL we need that pertains to Life and Godliness. We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. We will see the goodness of The Lord and walk before Him in the Land of the living.Let us stand on The Truth today and every day after. Amen.