I Agree with Satan

Did that title get your attention? I guess I should explain.

I often talk with people who tell me how whenever they feel like maybe they could really step out and be used by God, they “hear” Satan whisper in their ear all the reasons why God could never use them.

While it’s not an audible voice, it’s just that reminder of past failures – bad decisions, sinful actions, abusive words, whatever it is that make them feel… well… useless and unworthy.

Here’s my advice – agree with Satan. Your “conversation” may go something like this…

After Satan mentions something from your past – simply say, “You know what, you’re right! I did do that. No doubt about it that was a really stupid decision.”

But, if you’ve made the decision to follow Christ, that’s not the end of the dialogue. Because then you can also point Satan’s attention to the Cross of Jesus Christ and remind him that all those past failures are why you praise God for the Cross! Remember, the Cross is payment in full for those stupid and sinful things we have all done.

You should see the look on Satan’s face when you remind him of the rest of the story!!

Okay, you can’t really see his face, but it would be great if you could!

Never allow Satan to steal the power of the Cross in your life. Because he really can’t steal it, he can only hope you forget about it.

So, next time Satan attempts to pull you down with your own past – simply agree, point him to the Cross, and step out and allow God to do all He wants to do in your life!

/D

No TRUST-passing

My two girls love to draw, doodle and journal. Our house is filled with little notebooks and binders. Today there was one sitting on the floor in the family room. I was doing a little straightening (I was tempted to call it cleaning up, but I actually only picked up four things).

As I picked up the notebook, I opened it to the front to see who the proper owner was. Here’s what I read:

This Diary belongs to the one and only [my daughter’s name in all caps]
Do not open uness permetted
No TRUST-passing

It’s really cute. And as I thought about what she wrote it hit me. When Jesus taught us to pray He mentioned us asking God to forgive our trespasses and to help us forgive those who trespass against us. I think my daughter is on to something here – when we trespass the real issue is we have TRUST-passed. We’ve done or said something that breaks the other person’s ability to Trust us. When we go against God, we’ve broken Trust. When others trespass against us – they’ve broken our Trust.

So, how do we get back on track? We must rebuild Trust. This can be a lot more difficult then we may first realize. When I break a trust with a friend, it’s natural that when something else even seems a little off – well, they will wonder, “Can I really trust him?” This is why it’s so important to maintain trust in our relationships – because it’s so easy to lose, and when we lose it we seem to lose it all.

Yet, God’s way of dealing with things is a bit different. He tells us if we admit we’ve blown it He’s faithful to totally forgive us. Wow! But then He reminds us that this is how He wants us to treat others – to forgive them. One thing I have learned is that when I forgive someone I begin to let them rebuild the trust. Trust doesn’t come back all at once, but until we are willing to forgive, it can’t come back at all.

So, be careful with others – work hard at not TRUST-pass against them. And when others TRUST-pass against you, learn to forgive and begin rebuilding the trust. And, thank God that He is willing to fully forgive us every time we ask Him to!

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