Submitted by admin on Mon, 16/08/2010 - 10:09am
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Proverbs 4:23-25 (NIV) Today's English Version: 23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. 24 Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words. 25 Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame.
We saw last week that...
- Even Christians can be caught in cycles of bad choices and bad habits—caught in downward spirals taking them from bad to worse.
- That Christians—those who believe in Jesus—can be trapped by patterns of negative thinking.
- That Christians can be held hostage to the lies of the devil; "There is no truth in him," Jesus said. "...for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44, NIV). He is on the attack (1 Pet 5:8, NIV); day and night he harasses and accuses believers (Rev 12:10, NIV).
We saw how lies and confusion...
- about ourselves,
- about who God is,
- about circumstances or events in our lives
can hold us hostage to the devil.
This is more than an attitude problem! More than being emotional upset or having psychological phobias. This is more than a natural matter; it is a supernatural matter. This is a spiritual problem.
For spiritual problems we need more than counseling, more than a dose of positive thinking. Spiritual problems need spiritual solutions! Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32, NIV).
Doubts and fears are defeated by God's power! When we bring our doubts and fears before God—when we confront our natural thinking with God's supernatural presence and reality—then we will get the upper hand on the enemy, then we will be set free from his lies, then we will begin to live in victory.
When it comes to escaping the devil's lies (and being careful how you think), you need to understand...
1. Fears melt away when faith rushes in.
If you've watched the news lately, you've seen pictures of flooding (in Pakistan, Iowa): You see the power of the surging water. The water can sweep away anything in its path: people, cars, trucks, even roads, bridges, and buildings. The power of the water erodes the soil and dissolves foundations.
Now get this picture: The devil wants to hold us captive, where we cannot be touched by God's love. The constructs elaborate lies to control and dominate our lives. Some of you have tried to escape his clutches, but you're still trapped by his lies: You're a lousy, no-good sinner. You don't deserve God's help. You've done too much and gone too far for God's grace to reach you. If people here knew what I was really like, they wouldn't be caught dead being seen with me.
All these are lies designed to hold us back and prevent us from experiencing God's amazing grace. But God's power is supernatural! His power can wash away all those lies like a flood can sweep away buildings. His grace is like a torrent that crashes against the lies the devil has constructed against us.
The Bible says we have "divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Cor 10:4, NIV)! It says we can "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5, NIV). The devil's strongholds and structures of lies must be obedient to the onrushing flood of God's Holy Spirit!
In the Bible, floods are generally seen as something negative—as wrath and judgment. In this case, however, think of God's wrath coming against the lies of the enemy.
Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 59:19 (NIV) From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.
The spiritual prison (lies, deceit, doubts) that imprisons our minds can be demolished and swept away—if you want.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) "...offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God... 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
When I was a small boy, probably in first or second grade, I learned how my thinking could get me into trouble. One night, in the middle of the night, I woke up. I had to go to the bathroom. Now we had only one bathroom in the house, on the main floor next to my parents' master bedroom. My bedroom, however, was on the second floor, so I headed downstairs. At the foot of the stairs I paused and peered around the corner, looking into the living room to make sure the coast was clear.
That's when I saw it! I could hardly believe my eyes, but sitting right there in the open space in the middle of the living room, was a bear—a big black bear. I could see his massive hulk, hunched over, just waiting for a little boy to come walking by. I peered into the shadows and could see the bear's shoulders and his head. He was so real I could almost hear him breathing.
I was petrified. My heart started pounding so loudly, I was sure the bear would hear it. And that's when a battle started raging inside my 7-year-old head. This is impossible! There's no way a bear could be inside your house. [But you can see it! Right in front of your eyes.] But that doesn't make any sense. How is that possible? [Stranger things have happened. But now what? You've got to go to the bathroom.]
So I steeled up my courage and took off down the hallway as fast as I could. I turned at the bathroom door, ran inside, and locked the door. Safe! But once I was done, I had to figure out how to get back to bed. Somehow I had to get past the living room with the bear.
I crept down the hallway and stared into the darkness, hoping things would look different from this angle. But sure enough, the bear was still there, just as big and threatening as ever. And again, a battle began inside my head. Come on! You know that can't be a bear. [Yeah, but it sure looks like a bear. It's shaped like a bear; it's as big as a bear; it sits like a bear. It must be a bear.] But if it was a bear, it would have moved by now. [OK, you're right. It can't be a bear—but how can you prove that?]
If I was going to get any sleep, I'd have to find out for sure whether there was a bear in the room. So I hatched a plan and then, heart pounding, I ran directly at the bear and hit it right in the back.
It was my father's winter coat—complete with fur trim—draped over the back of a kitchen chair, sitting in the middle of our living room. I don't know who put it there or why, but in my 7-year-old imagination it became a hungry bear. Fear paralyzed me until I made a decision. I had to break the fear. And new information gave me a new perspective. In other words, my mind was renewed!
How often are there "bears" that keep you up at night? Fears, anxieties, worries that won't let you sleep? When that happens, you've got to do what I did. When the devil feeds your head with lies and fears and doubts, you've got to take action. You've got to go on the attack.
2. You've got to resist the devil (1 Pet 5:9, NIV). You've got to strike back!
To break the power of the lie that there was a bear in my house, however, I had to put my life on the line. Maybe that's partly why the Bible tells us to offer ourselves as a "living sacrifice."
To break the power of the devil, we have to trust God. It means we have to surrender our lives to the Lord. Some risk is involved. We must be willing to give up ourselves as a sacrifice.
When fear, doubt, and suspicion dominate your thinking or control your life, you're trapped by the lies of the devil!
Most people are afraid of the unknown. Those things we have never seen or experienced can seem overwhelming. On old maps, back before the world was understood in modern terms, map makers would put down what they knew, but at the edges of the map, beyond which they had no knowledge or understanding, they would draw pictures of what might be out there. And at least in one case, written in Latin were the words, "Beyond here, there be dragons."
The devil wants to frighten you with "dragons"—to keep you from pushing to the edges and expanding the horizons of your life. But God wants you to go to the edges—and beyond!
This is only possible when you use faith to resist the devil! We defeat the devil's lies when we believe the truth! When we put our faith in Jesus, the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6, NIV).
God wants you to live by faith! But the devil wants you to die by fear! Fear can cause you to die a thousand deaths.
- Fear will suffocate your dreams, hopes, and ambitions.
- Fear will strangle your relationships with others.
- Fear will kill your confidence—and hold you back from God's plan and purpose.
Fear kills, but faith in Jesus gives life!
Let me close with an example from Scripture—it's the story of King Saul, found in 1 Samuel. He started out well, but his story ends tragically—all because of he succumbed to fears, doubts, and suspicions.
In the beginning, Saul had everything going for him: he came from a good home; he had an excellent background; he was called by God to a special position; and he was filled with God's Spirit.
1 Samuel 9:1-2 (NIV)[Kish] ...a Benjamite, a man of standing [NLT: rich, influential] ...had a son named Saul, an impressive young man [NASB: a choice and handsome man] without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others.
Samuel anointed Saul to be king over Israel and told him: "6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power...and you will be changed into a different person. 7 ...Do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you" (1 Sam 10:6-7, NIV).
But, despite his advantages and Samuel's promises, Saul struggled with an enormous inferiority complex—and it prevented him from seeing what God could do through him.
1 Samuel 9:21 (NIV) Saul answered, ‘But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?'"
1 Samuel 10:20-22 (NIV) 20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
Saul became so insecure, so suspicious, so anxious, and so self-consumed that he threw away the calling and the opportunities God had given him! Saul surrendered to his fears. His life was shaped by fear instead of faith.
If you let fear rule your life, if insecurities influence your decisions and dictate your behavior, you will live in continual defeat. God promises victory, but fear makes victory impossible because fear always runs from the battle. Faith runs straight to the battle—and it's in the battle that you win the victory.
Believing you're nobody will limit God from making you somebody. If you allow an inferiority complex to dominate your thinking, you're allowing the devil to steal your faith and rob you of God's power.
That's what happened to Saul. He listened to lies and fears and doubt. His suspicion and jealousy blinded him to the fact that God had truly called him. He was commissioned to lead the people!
1 Samuel 18:7-15 (NIV) 7 As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." 8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" 9 And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. 10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.
Though he was gifted and equipped by God to be a leader, he became paranoid and suspicious. Saul was so insecure and afraid that he couldn't see that God wanted to do something through him. The lies in his head paralyzed him. He couldn't move for God because he was immobilized by the lies of the devil.
1 Samuel 15:17-19 (NIV) 17 Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"
3. God has a call and a purpose for you!
You are here for a reason! He anoints you with his Spirit; he sends you on a mission; he equips you with the talent, spiritual gifts, resources, passion and personality to fulfill your call.
What you do with those gifts and resources, however, is up to you.
You can disregard or discount what God has given you and what he has called you to.
Or you can believe in God's plan and use the resources he's put at your disposal.
If you listen to the self-defeating lies of the devil, you will not have the faith, the confidence, or the courage to take hold of God's purpose for your life.
"I press on," Paul wrote, "to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Phil 3:12, NIV)
"I keep working toward that day," Paul wrote, "when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be." (Phil 3:12, NLT)
Let's learn from Saul's example! Let's aim to end our journey well! Let's defeat the lies of the devil! Let's renew our minds with faith and confidence in God!