One time, a friend of ours, who at the time was attending our youth group, told me that she had been let go from her job, because the company was going out of business. Without giving it very little thought, I asked her, “Is that really what’s happening or is that just what they told you?”You might ask why would I say that to her? One person who was listening in  thought that I had given a harsh response. I gave that response  because I knew the history of the company.

My question today is if we know Satan’s history, Why do we still believe what he whispers in our ear? We don’t have problems, we have lies. For many it is a generational lie that will continually, and cyclically be passed down. Parents if we refuse to believe a lie, then it’s not too late to raise up some warriors! 

 Ephesians 6 describes the spiritual armor we have, to fight against Satan’s schemes. Paul says this about this one supernatural piece of armor in Ephesians 6:16. “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ”In Rome, the shield was made of a large piece of wood and covered in leather that had been soaked in water. The reason for this, is whenever the Roman soldiers would engage in battle, the opposing enemy would take arrows dipped in pitch, set on fire, and they would shoot them at the Roman soldier. And when those flaming arrows would approach the soldiers, they would simply hold up the shield that had been soaked in water and the flaming arrows would be extinguished. We know that the Roman soldiers had a plan in place, but many times we forget… that our plan is simple… “Believe God”!

Satan is a liar and he has a whole bunch of fiery arrows he likes to shoot in our direction. But I think his favorite flaming arrow is WORRY! Worry has a way of paralyzing us with inactivity. It stops us dead in our tracks. I think Satan does a happy dance when we let him win with his most successful tactic. Many times, the things we worry about are things that are based on a lie. In the past, I’ve been out enjoying a great day with family or busy at work or even sitting in church when, all of a sudden, this alien thought comes into my mind: “What if?” And suddenly I am paralyzed with fear. You may have experienced this, you don’t feel like reading the Bible and you don’t feel like praying. The devil steals the shout right out of you. You don’t feel like doing what you’re supposed to do, all because you are seized by anxiety. There is only one way to get over this stumbling block that he lays before you so perfectly, and that is to praise your way out of it and believe the word of God! 

We can move forward in God’s plan for our lives by confessing that the Word of God is true, and believing that we don’t really have problems, but we have lies. 

In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul reminds us that this kind of fear doesn’t come from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Another reason I believe anxiety is one of Satan’s favorite tools is because it is the source of most of our fear.

Hello PEEPS!! If you are held back by the spirit of timidity… The devil once again, has done his job! He will make sure you are not effective in raising up warriors for Jesus! If he can paralyze the parents, he definitely can paralyze the kids, because what one generation accepts, the next generation embraces. 

John 8:44 says that Satan “is a liar and the father of lies.” He would love to get us to worry about things that have no possibility or little possibility of coming true.

We live in fallen world and all of creation groans under these pathetic lies , but your promise from God, is that it will not be groaning for long. 

ESV Revelation 20:10

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever

Stand firm Family of God. The devil isn’t playing and we are not playing either! My confession each day is that the families who our department ministers to will never listen to the devil’s lies. Confession dispels fear!

Isaiah 41:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

God Never Fails.

Krista Harper