Somewhere I heard or read the remark: ‘a lie is as effective as the truth, if it is believed”Powerful statement but very true. If I believe the lie and conduct my life according to it, it has the same power over my life as any true statement might have.
How many lies have we fallen for, during a lifetime?
Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not. And when you are converted, strengthen your brothers.
In this text, the word ‘you’ has a plural meaning, therefore, even-though Christ is talking to Simon-Peter, He is addressing all those present and also prophetically to His future audience.
Over all the ages, satan has been desiring to entrap all of human kind.
He does this through :
deceit, lies, mockery, doubt, rumors, accusations, and every other trick, to get us to believe a lie.
But then……Jesus makes the statement: “I have prayed for you”
To think that no one other than Christ Himself, has prayed and continuously, is busy interceding for you and I. So that out faith will weather the storms of life.
Isa 53:11 He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul. He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide to Him with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death; and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.
“and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors”
Jesus took it upon Himself, to bear our sins and to stand before the Father as our intercessor, so that God may look on us, with mercy and grace.
I do not know, what lies the devil has been telling you, or about you. Maybe he got you to believe some of the lies. Maybe through doubt, he got you to believe that you will never regain your health or that the financial breakthrough won’t come in time.
All lies.
Jesus has declared you righteous, He took all your faults and the mess you might have made and exchanged it for a bright and brilliant future.
The prophet declares it many-many years ago: “and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death”
All we have to do is to choose whose report we will believe.
I chose to believe the truth, not a concocted lie, presented as a truth.
“By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify for many; and He shall bear their iniquities”
LUKE 8:23 On the way across, Jesus lay down for a nap, and while he was sleeping the wind began to rise. A fierce storm developed that threatened to swamp them, and they were in real danger.
So many people are driven -- feeling and acting like the responsibility for running the whole world is on their shoulders.
But Jesus was able to relax. Arguably, He had an important job to do. Yet He had balance in His life. He knew when it was time to take a nap.
Jesus also spent whole nights in prayer. So, His example does not encourage laziness or apathy. Just balance -- and trust in God, instead of worry.
HEBREWS 10:23 He who promised is faithful.
The devil is trying to get you to doubt God and His Word. The devil wants you to give up on God, to not trust Him, to not expect Him to do what He said in His Word.
Do not give up! God can be trusted.
Someone who loves you enough to die in your place can be trusted. Someone who created all that you see, and all that you don't see, can be trusted to handle whatever you face.
TITUS 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
God is not a liar. Whatever He says comes to pass!
1 THESSALONIANS 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
God is trustworthy. Don't be moved by the circumstances. God will not fail you.
You may find it difficult to believe -- but it's true – God loves you. His love for you is not based on your appearance or your performance -- but on the fact that you are His creation - His child.
Just as a good parent loves their children, so God loves His children - and even more so. You will not be able to make God stop loving you, no matter what you do or don't do.
Ø You can displease Him, you can disappoint Him, you can anger Him – but you can't make Him stop loving you.
What are the practical consequences of God loving you?
Ø First, it means you can trust Him. No one who truly loves you will mistreat you.
Ø Second, it means God is doing all He can to help you and bless you.
"Then why am I not more blessed, if God wants to bless me?"
Because you must cooperate with God to receive His blessing.
That is why we need progressing instruction from the Bible – so we can know how to receive all that God has for us.
The promise of Jesus is that if we continue in His Word it will reveal the truth to us and make us free. That is the blessing which God has provided for you through Christ because He loves you: true freedom!
Freedom from:
fear, freedom from confusion, freedom from lack, freedom from sickness, freedom from strife, freedom from sin.
JOHN 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
Many people are afraid that God's Word will put them in bondage -- because of the rules they think they will have to follow.
But Jesus said God's Word would make you free.
Ø Abide means to live, to continue, or to spend time somewhere. If you continue to spend time in Jesus' Word -- you will know the truth.
Ø When you know the truth, you will act on that knowledge – and acting on the truth will make you free!
The Bible, especially the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, will set you free if you continue in it.
We are not guaranteed instant results, although sometimes they do happen. Freedom is certain, however, if you stick with God's Word. Jesus gave His guarantee!
If you are not enjoying freedom in any area of your life – you have not continued in God's Word enough in that area. Feed it in: speak it, sing it, read it, write it, think it, dream it!
Some may think it would be a sin to "take a nap" because we should always be working. But Jesus never sinned, and we may safely follow His example, and keep our lives in balance.
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
You can let go of fear and distorted perceptions and beliefs by writing positive affirmations, which will change your life forever. An affirmation cannot contain any negative words like “can’t, should not, don’t, won’t, stop” etc.
It should be written in present terms as though what you want already exists. For example:
I am in control of my life.
I am emotionally strong
I make good choices.
I have a strong, healthy body.
I have good relationships with people.
I am successful and empowered.
My life is filled with abundance.
Create new experiences that you really want instead of living in fear of the ones you have now. Remember that your outer world is really a reflection of your inner world. Changing your inner world will change your outer world. In other words, changing your thoughts and beliefs will change your experiences and behavior.
Phi 4:8 Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. 9 Do those things which you have also learned and received and heard and seen in me. And the God of peace shall be with you.
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