Colossians 3:13

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you”. Colossians 3:13

The final lie we will look at today is when the enemy whispers to us, you can never forgive. Many times forgiveness is a difficult thing for us to do. How do you just let go of someone who has deeply wounded or wronged you? Author Beth Moore says that many times we hold on to unforgiveness because we believe that if we do forgive we are saying what the other person did to us was ok. She goes on to say that forgiveness does not make what happens to us all right it makes us all right. Unforgiveness can take a heavy toll on us and cost us relationships and sometimes even our joy. The article that we have looked at this week said that bitterness is a poison you drink hoping the other person dies. Many times we may hold grudges or harbor bitterness against a person and they have no idea we are even upset with them at all. Unforgiveness is a serious emotion that we need to let God deal with us on. I pray that you will ask God to search your heart for any hint of bitterness or unforgiveness. Let God guide you to make a phone call, write or letter that could restore your peace or just simply recognize that you are struggling with this issue. We can forgive. We need to forgive. God has told us to forgive. Let us be obedient to do so.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”. Matthew 6:12

Lori

Timothy 6: 10

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6: 10 (NASB)

The fourth lie from the enemy that we will examine this week is the idea that money is the key to happiness. If you observe the culture we live in you would see the emphasis on money. We see money as power. If you watch any television at all you have probably realized that people would do just about anything for money. On a very popular television show with a cash prize you can tune in most any days to see various animal parts or insects being consumed as part of the challenges. I sat in the waiting room of a doctor’s office recently where the show happened to be on and heard several men comment on the various activities performed on the show. Several said that the cash prize was too low for the tasks they would have to perform. However, men and women seem to show up week after week on these various programs willing to do whatever it takes for money. Why do we at times buy into the idea that money is the key that opens the door to happiness? Money is a tool for us to have homes, feed our families and help educate our children, but money does not buy happiness. The acquiring of more and more stuff can actually lead to unhappiness. Spend some time with God about your attitude toward money. Beware if you have tied your happiness to it.

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” Matthew 6:21 (NLT)

Lori

1 Peter 1:6

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” 1 Peter 1:6

The third favorite lie of Satan is you will never suffer as a Christian. Even Jesus as the Son of Man suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8 “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered…” Nowhere in the Scriptures is there promise of a life without suffering. Many times deciding to join Christ and walk the road with Him leads to different kinds of suffering. Anything from people criticizing or making judgments of you to actual physical affliction or even death. Sometimes we suffer due to our own poor decisions other times we can suffer due to bad decisions of others. Suffering is part of life here on planet earth. The righteous and the unrighteous both suffer. Yet the suffering of a believer does not have to be in vain. God can take our suffering and use it. Not only does suffering help build character and perseverance it can also refocus us on the Lord. Sometimes when we are suffering the most is when God is using us the most mightily. For me at times for they’re to be any type of impact on my life there has to be suffering. I know some of my closest and most life transforming times with God have come out of my own personal suffering. When we suffer we also attract others to us who are suffering as well and that gives us the opportunity to share our faith and minister to them. People are more open to God many times when they are hurting. Jesus knew in advance that He would suffer. He spoke of His death and suffering to His disciples “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again”. Mark 8:31 Suffering is a part if life, but know in advance God can use your suffering for His glory. Also, know that Jesus knows about suffering and understands what you are going through.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Lori

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Today we will continue to look at the favorite lies of Satan. The second favorite lie is to trust yourself. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Webster’s Dictionary defines trust as an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something or one in which confidence is placed. On a day to day basis I make wrong decisions or change my mind. It’s hard to think that I should completely trust myself when as a human my flesh has the tendency to be fickle and indecisive. The enemy wants us to trust ourselves over trusting God. Author Beth Moore writes in her Bible study “Living Beyond Yourself” “Beloved, 1 John 4:4 boasts that you have overcome because "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (NIV) You see, this verse tells us that God has given us victory over our enemies if we will follow Him in "triumphant procession" (2 Cor. 2:14)! The Holy Spirit of Christ, who inhabits this flesh and exercises dominion over it at our mere invitation, is greater than "he" who is the prince of this world (see John 12:31) and dictates its personality. He that is in us is the key to overcoming "he that is in the world," all that is "of the world," and all that is of the flesh.

Who has your full trust today? Are you placing everything on your abilities, talents or skills? Possibly you have overlooked God and the power of the Holy Spirit to help you in your life?

Lori

Genesis 3:1-6

At a recent overnight retreat I got my hands on some Discipleship Journal Magazines from several years ago. I was finally at a place where I was away from the phone and television and wanted to take the time to read and study without a sense of feeling I should be doing something else. I flipped through stacks and stacks of magazines and found an article that caught my attention. The title of the article was “Satan’s Favorite Lies” and this is what I would like to share with you this week.

The first favorite lie from the enemy is God is holding out on you. Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” There’s Adam and Eve in the garden at the place of decision to obey or not. The enemy put doubt into the mind of Eve that maybe God was not letting them do or be all that they could be. The author of the article said Satan tempts us to believe that God’s goodness obligates Him to gratify our desires immediately.

Has the enemy tempted you to believe that God may be holding out on you? Examine your life and look for where this lie may have crept in. Ask God to reveal to you if may be you have believed this lie.

Lori