The Lie The Devil Loves To Tell

I stumble and fall into sin daily. All it takes is a thought, careless word, or someone cutting me off while I’m driving, which happens quite a lot in Los Angeles, for me to give in to my flesh and sin. When this happens, I come to God with a repentant heart, ask for forgiveness, and thankfully go on with the rest of my day. There are times, however, when instead of feeling peace about my sins being forgiven, I find myself dwelling on my mistakes and allowing certain lies to creep into my mind. They usually sound something like this:

God doesn’t forgive or love you. How could He? You just keep messing up. You know you’re not really saved.

Do these thoughts sound familiar to you? I’m almost certain that each of us has heard similar condemning lies after we’ve sinned or maybe when looking back over our past. Lies that tell us that God’s grace has somehow run out. This is not the voice of our merciful God, it is the condemning voice of our enemy, the devil. If you have declared with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you are saved (Romans 10:9). You can never lose your salvation because it’s not something you earned, it was freely given to you by God when you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Don’t give in to the lie that your salvation somehow hinges on how “good” you are.  Instead, be assured by the truth that salvation rests on how good our God is and on the blood that His Son shed on Calvary.

What The Word Of God Says

God’s word tells us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10). God even goes a few steps further, reassuring us that not only is there no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), but also that He no longer even remembers our sins (Hebrews 10:16-17). These are the truths that we need to hold onto and remind ourselves of when we hear the devil whispering those lies in our ear.

In an effort to manipulate us, Satan uses cunning deceptive schemes and attacks that were devised personally for us. He wants us to think that we serve a ruthless, unforgiving, and condemning God. He wants to steal our joy and fill our minds with negative, evil, and unproductive thoughts. He wants to hinder not only your growth in Christ but the work that God wants to accomplish through you for His kingdom. He’s the one telling you you’re not good enough to go into ministry, or that there’s no point in trying to live a godly life since you always seem to mess up.

Recognize and know that these are lies! The devil is the accuser of the brethren, a liar, and a deceiver (Revelation 12:10; John 8:44).

Who Our God Is

We serve and worship a loving and gracious God who knows our nature and abounds in mercy. I want you to open your Bible to Psalm 103; this is who our God is. He is forgiving, slow to anger, full of mercy, and He separates our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.

We serve such an amazing and loving God (I know I say this a lot, but it is so true and I can’t help myself)! In order to remember this, and be prepared to stand against all the schemes of the devil, we need to put on the full armor of God every day. This means reading our Bibles, praying, and memorizing scripture.

Here are some scriptures you can memorize that will help you decipher and resist giving in to one of the devil’s favorite lies:

• “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12
• “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
• “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. “ Romans 10:9

Rest in these truths dear sister, and walk in the joyful reassurance of Christ’s enduring and everlasting love and forgiveness.

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Do you want to learn more about the cross, grace, and forgiveness? If so, the 31-day Embracing Grace Bible Reading Plan is perfect for you! You can start today by clicking here.