The Lies (Updated) (Revised)

I am going to start this blog differently, do you want to see through the lies of the devil and see the truth that God wants you to see? If so, please pray with me.

"Dear Lord, I love you and I thank you for your continued unconditional love for me. Thank you for being the alpha and omega. Ephesians 6:12-18 "(The Armor of God) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." I pray that you will open my eyes to the lies of the devil, I know I do not see the truth the way you want me to see it and I want to see it. Please remove the blinders from my eyes, so that I may walk in the truth that you have for me. I want to see and hear you, please let the truth of Your word, Your voice and everything you have for me. Thank you for loving me and for helping me in each area of my life. Lord I pray that you will give me wisdom and that I may see what You have for me. I pray this in your precious Holy Name. Amen."

I believe we are blind to the truth, because the devil has come to steal the truth from us, so that we may walk in blindness. God is clear about the truth in the Bible, but for some reason we think we know better than what the Bible says. I believe the devil is filling our minds with lies and we need to be vigilant and watchful of these things, we need to press into the Word of God to weigh out our choices that we are making. John 10:10 "The thief (The Devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." And in 2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." and 2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." We need to be vigilant and watchful. Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

The devil is cheapening things in our life’s. God intended many things for the growth of who we are, but the devil is working on breaking down the foundation of everything. We open ourselves up to the devils attacks when we expose ourselves to certain things, I believe each person it is different, because we are made differently. 

The devil wants us to see ourselves as not perfect and God wants us to see ourselves as His creations, when we compare ourselves to the world we lose the very thing that God has given us, He has made us different and unique each of us are different in ways, no one is the same, just like the snowflakes, no two are the same. The Devil wants us to compare ourselves to the world,  We need to start comparing ourselves to our Father in Heaven. He is Holy and He defines us, not the world. Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The world doesn't see beauty as God sees beauty; we need to start looking through God's eyes, stop looking at things through the worlds eyes. I believe the devil is winning in this area, what are your thoughts?

Think about things that lead to marriage, God has defined the very essence of how He wants marriage to be. No sex outside of marriage, sex is so much more than just sex. The world says just do it if it feels good, the devil has cheapened sex to be an action, nothing more, but God says it is so much greater than just an action, it is a form of connection and it honors God when done for His glory the right way it can be more than just what the world says. When we think of it as the devil thinks about it, we are cheapening how God has defined it to be. We are being like the world and the devil is winning. We are not to be like the world, to think of it less than what it is. God has many purposes for making love, but the devil says it is all about self, but God says it is an unselfish act, that means it isn't about what I get, but what I give. It is so much greater than the devil has portrayed it. 

What about looking at men or women, when we look at the lustfully, that creates issues, but one of the growing issues in the church today is pornography, yes you read that correctly. The devil has cheapened what it means to look at a woman. You hear men say it doesn't hurt there wives, but it does, it breaks down the very thing that God has demonstrated in the Bible. Do we believe the word of God or do we look at ourselves and just want to please self. 

Another example, the break down of families. God has defined how our children are to be, how we are suppose to be to our children and even how we are suppose to be to our spouses. The devil has infiltrated our homes and is destroying the very essence of what it truly means to be a family. We are self focused, we are losing in the very place that God has defined as our first mission. We are to represent God in our homes, in our relationships, in who we are. 

Isn't it time that the blinders of self come off, that we start looking at life through God's eyes. Life is not about self, it must be about God. The first and greatest commandment is Matthew 22:37 "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’" When we are doing things out of self interest, what feels good to me, what honors me, what I want, it is no longer about God, but ME. Are you honoring yourself or are you honoring God? Are you listening to the lies of the Devil or are you seeking the truth in God's word?

As I have been sitting here pondering what I have written and praying about it. I sensed God saying write more about the lies. We need to see them as such.

Other lies, we have no time for God, but God says when we put Him first He will order our steps, but we must put Him first. If we can't carve time out for God are we putting Him first?

No time to pray or I just don't feel like it. God says pray without ceasing, that means we should have an attitude of prayer, we need to commit each moment to God in prayer, not just when it is good, but all the time.

The devil wants us to focus on the bad, the negative, the things that will drain us of what we are. God however wants us to see things through His eyes. He says give thanks in every circumstance, not just the good, but every. By doing this, we change our perspective from cursing to rejoicing.

God wants us to put Him first, but our culture says our time and money is made by work, God says everything is His, so are we working for ourselves or are we working for God in our jobs? When we work for God, we are committed to doing the very best because we want to honor God. That is His call on our lives.

The devil says we can't change, that the way we were born is the way we will always be, but God says we can change. He says that if we love Him all things are possible, not just all things are possible, we must place Him first, love Him most and trust Him, He can change us, but we have to be willing to work at being changed. Change doesn't just happen, it takes work. We will not feel like doing it, but God will show us what needs to change and with His help we can change, it just doesn't happen, it takes work, it takes doing. Things just don't happen, we have to do, to allow God to move in our lives. To many people say if God wants He will do it, yes this is true in a way, but it takes us being willing and able, trusting and committing our lives to Him and moving in the way He wants us to go. We can't just sit and hope we will change, we have to be willing to change, not because of others, but because it pleases God. The devil says just sit and wait, God says move. Walk by Faith. Are you walking in the area's God has shown that you need to change?

The devil wants us to focus on ourselves in our marriages. God says that we focus on Him and then we make our spouse our priority. We are to be married, because it honors God. When we focus on self and make it about self, we are not honoring God, but honoring Satan, who is stealing the very meaning of what God intended. We are listening to the devils lies.

The devil says break our vows, it is OK. If we don't feel like it, we have a choice. Do you know what God says about taking a vow before Him? I would get into the word, before breaking any vow that you took to God. I don't want to stand before God knowing what I know today and say I broke the vow or it wasn't important to me, because I wanted to do what ever I wanted to do. We will all stand before God. Did you take a vow before God? Maybe it is time to recommit to them and stop making it about self.

The devil says it is alright to only think of self, to focus just on what I want. To treat anyone the way I want to and who cares what they think. God says no, we treat others the way we want to be treated. We love our neighbors, we honor those and those who persacute us we honor, not because it is easy, but because God calls us to do His will. It is His way not ours that matters.

Isn't it time that we get back into the word and start doing, instead of following what the devil says is OK. Who do we want to honor God or the devil? The devil comes to destroy, but God comes to set us free from ourselves. Because no longer is it about "I", but You Lord.

The devil wants us to do it ourselves. The devils lies are that we can do things all alone, that we don't need anyone else. This is harmful in a church, in a marriage and even in our personal lives. When we think that I can do marriage alone, I will not ask for help, I will not use the help that God has provided. I am saying that I am right and He is not. It is a dangerous place to be. When I am saying I know more than God knows, I am my own God. God has given people wisdom to help me in my life, I just have to be willing to take the help, learn from other people, glean from them and allow God to change me, but if I am not willing to change, then I will stand still.

Thought

You don't get somewhere by staying still, you have to put action into the moving. Just the same way in our Christian walks, we need to put to action what God has told us or shown us. We must be willing to move, if we will not move, then are we walking in faith or just standing there hoping that we will move?

We can say we want a closer walk with Jesus Christ, but if we do not follow what He has put into the Bible, we will not be any closer to having that closer walk with Him. We must do what it takes to have a closer walk with Him. Have you heard anyone say, that they want a closer walk with God, but then they say they have no time to have it? It takes work, everything that is worth having takes work. Having a marriage takes work, you must be willing to put the work into it. Having kids takes work and the Bible talks about investing into our kids. We need to be willing to invest. What you put into each thing is what you will get out, if you put nothing into it, then nothing will come out of it, but if you invest then you will get that out and maybe more, but it takes work, it takes time.

Do you want to get something out of your relationships? If so, then you have to invest. It is like putting money into the stock market. If I say that I want to get money out, I have to be willing to put money in. If I put nothing in, then I will most defiantly get nothing out. Sometimes we put money into it and lose, but at least we tried, just like in our relationships, we can put in and have nothing to show for it in the end, but our reward will be out of this world, but our relationship with Jesus Christ, we will always get something out of that, but we must be willing to put into it. If we put nothing in, we will get nothing out of it. In our relationships, if both people are investing into each other, just think of the reward. "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Don't base it how they are to you, base it on how God is to you. He will never give up on us.

To accomplish something we must be willing to do the work. To move we must be willing to walk. To grow we must be willing to invest our time. God talks about how we need to invest in Him, in our marriages, in our kids, in our jobs. If nothing is coming out of it, are you investing into it?

Leaky Faucet

A problem can't fix itself, it doesn't go away, it will always be a problem unless it is fixed, but fixing takes work and sometimes it takes hard work.

For example: I have a sink that leaks, the puddle is forming under the sink. Now it is a really little puddle and seems to be causing no stress to anything, but it is there. I can ignore the puddle and figure it will just be a little puddle for the rest of time and not think about how that puddle is affecting the structure under my sink, how that is damaging the wood and everything else. That is easy to do, I wipe it away when I notice it, but for the most part ignore the issue. The problem is by me ignoring the problem, I am doing nothing to fix it, I waiting for a real problem to form. If whatever is causing the puddle, becomes a much worse problem, it is an issue that I did nothing to fix the problem to begin with, that is a failure do fix the issue. Now I have a much bigger problem, because I allowed that water to pool under my sink and in doing so, it caused the wood to rot and now when the pipe leaks more, I am not just fixing the pipe, but the hole kitchen cupboard.

It is easy to not want to look at the little problem in our lives, we see them as a leaky faucet, we don't see them as a problem, we see them as a pain to deal with, we wipe them away.. We ignore them in hopes they will go away, we sweep them under the carpet or wipe them up and soon the problems are so big we can't seem to fix them, because not only have they warn a hole under the carpet or sink, but they have grown to big for us to deal with. This is a huge issue at this point.

Problems just don't go away, they tend to grow when they are not dealt with. If you have areas in your life that you have not dealt with, they will not go away, they will only grow. It is time to deal with them, before the pipe blows.

How many of us have leaky faucets in our lives? How many problems do we just hope will go away on their own without any interaction, without any work to fix them? Do we just hope things get better on their own? How many of us Christians want a deeper walk with God, but are not willing to put the work into it? It takes work to go deeper, it just doesn't happen because I say I am ready, it is by getting into the word, praying, seeking God, putting Him at the center of your life.

Our Christian walk is an action, are we just words or are we doing so that God can change us? It all comes down to choices. It is much like love, love is just a word, but put action into it and it becomes so much more. If I tell someone I love them, but do nothing to express it, it is just a word. Love takes action, are we doing the actions that it takes or are we just being?

I have noticed a growing number of people blaming life on other people, instead of taking responsibility for their actions. Isn't it time that we take the responsibility for our actions, instead of blaming others for how we are? If we have a leak, it isn't someone else's fault, we must be willing to look at it, instead of hoping it will fix itself.