A Story...

I was reading the end of a section in my devotional this morning and there is a story in there that really hit home to me. This past week I've been reading about lies and how much Satan is the father of all lies and how important it is for us to lean and depend on our God for truth. Satan is always putting lies in our head that I know that in myself always believe. It states in Hebrews 6:18 that "it is impossible for God to lie." I don't know about you but that's encouraging to know that my Father will never lie to me and that I can always count on Him for truth.

Here's the story:

"It was the day before Thanksgiving, and John and I were trying to pack our stuff before leaving for the long weekend. Naturally, the day was a bit more stressful than normal and my senses were somewhat heightened. I can't even remember what happened, except that John and I got into some sort of an argument that we never really discussed until later that day in the car. I remember getting angrier and more emotional as the minutes wore on. Somewhere in our discussion I realized that I had been imagining and acting out scenarios in my mind that hadn't actually happened, yet I proceeded as if they had.

In a moment it all clicked in my head that I CONSTANTLY believe LIES!!! I know this may sound obvious, but for so long I was thinking about the "big" lies that we believe: "you're not good enough," "So and so sings way better than you," "Nobody really likes you." These, to me, are the clear and obvious lies from Satan, but sometimes it's harder to discern the other constant, little lies that connect to the "big lies", the ones that help accomplish the goal of us believing those big ones.

To give you a better idea of what this looks like, sometimes I find myself playing out a sitution that's happened in real life and then start adding to it in my mind. Like what the person involved in the siutation might have been thinking when they responded a certain way, or what their motives were behind their actions. Really, when it gets right down to it, I realize that most of the time they weren't thinking those things at all. I allow my emotions and actions to be dictated as a result of believing that what I fream up in my head has actually happenend.

I have always known that one of Satan's major tactics is to deceive and lie to us. I guess I never realized that these "small" imaginations that capture my brain ARE the major LIES that I believe. I then allow those lies to negatively taint my attitude. My responses and treatment of others turn sour, emotional wellbeing is severely damaged, overall mental ahppiness is challenged, and on and on....you get the picture.

I think one of the reasons that this discovery has been so huge for me is becuase I have really been struggling with being unhappy about my overall attitude, whether it's an outward response or just an internal attitude. I feel like I now have a new weapon to battle the root of where this is coming from. I now can identify what's going on in my head and walk away from the lies, even though sometimes they're subtle." -From "No Other God's

Like I said this story hit pretty close to home with me because I am that person that she is describing. I am always thinking "i will or am not ever going to be good enough in music" or in any other hobby that I pick up, someone is always going to be better than me so why try? For years upon years my parents have always told me that I am good enough. I always thought they had to say that kind of stuff because they're my parents. We all think that, don't deny it...but they don't have to say that stuff to me, but yet they do and I have always let the lies of Satan come in and destroy their words in my head by filling it up with garbage and telling me otherwise. OR when I am overanalyzing things...all women know what I'm talking about. We ALL overanalyze everything and I truly do make up stories in my head that are lies and I start to believe them. Someone looked at me a certain way today they must be mad at me, what did I do and then it just snowballs. There are other situations I won't go into, but you know what i'm talking about. We are constantly believing lies, everyday! How does that make God feel? We are so quick to believe what Satan has to tell us (which again are lies) but we can't even begin to stop and believe what God has told us, which is the truth.

Something to think about today...

Just Isaac

These lyrics were in my Bible study today and in the study we were talking about the story of Sarah and Abraham and how Sarah got so impatient with the Lord when it came to having children that she decided to take it upon herself and believe that she could bear life through her servant by using her husband. We all know the story, it turned out disaterious, Hagar did conceived a son named Ishmael and Sarah grew a hatred towards her...eventually the Lord gave Sarah her son, Isaac. All in all, we need to look at, other than God, who or what are we trying to build our life through? If we are trying to build our life through someone else or depending on someone else so much that it starts effecting our lives, those people/things become idols to us. Live your life through Christ, depend on Him and only Him. He will give you what you need in His time. Wait patiently on Him, so we have more "Isaacs" and not so many "Ishmaels" and maybe not so many will get hurt in the process.

JUST ISAAC

I couldn't blame her for striving
I'd do the same thing if I were driving
With a half view and a wild tale
Delivered by an angel

I've been so tired for the waiting
Thought I was crazy or at best mistaken
As the sun set down on a thousand nights
With everyone a pieces of me dies for...

CHORUS
Just Isaac, nothing more
Just your promise and not my forced, crude hands helping out
Adding stuff till it crashes down
Just Isaac, nothing more
Just your promise and not my forced, mixed blessings and surprises
When everything I ever wanted was just Isaac

Complications and Ishmaels
Why couldn't I believe that you'd be faithful
That you'll have your way, either way
With all my extras or just plain...

CHORUS