Have you ever felt like a complete failure? Have you ever let little lies creep in over and over until they had grown to great BIG lies? Have you ever felt untalented, not good enough, like you never did ANYTHING right? Have you ever felt like you had too much on you? Have you ever felt guilty, feeling like you had fallen short? Have you even felt guilty for feeling like things were too much? Have you ever felt like you've failed God? Have you every been so afraid of not pleasing God and making mistakes that it had you striving constantly and turning circles everyday and night? Basically, have you every fell stressed, overwhelmed, and alone?
I don't know about you, I don't know if you have felt these things, but I have... I have had them weigh on me so heavily that I felt l like I couldn't find a way out. And when I started to find a way out, fear of going back sent me right back to that place of torment.
Today has been ruff, it's been hard all around. I've felt betrayed, hurt. I've felt God urged me to give up all this stress and show me it's just about loving Him. But I've felt very overwhelmed and even scared about how to hear Him and know what He is leading me to. I've made mistakes and felt so very low for them. But God! God is good, and here I am writing what I hope will be a very real post that God will use to reach you-right from where I'm at.
You see, God has shown me-especially lately-that these are all lies. Hallelujah and Amen! Praise God there not real!
These are lies I have to fight against, lies that CAN'T CONTROL me any longer. Lies I have to cover in the blood of Jesus. Lies I have to cast down and break ties with. Lies I have to speak out from me, and cover them in Jesus truths!
I have to daily renew my mind in Jesus, so I know the truth and can stand against the lies!
You see, I don't think I'm alone in these lies. I don't think I'm alone in feeling stressed and just not good enough. I don't think I'm even alone in a fear of failing God. AM I? I don't think so. I think these are lies the devil loves to throw at people, lies he likes to consume people with after he's spoon fed them these lies over a course of time. Because, if we are believing these lies and going around in circles God can't fully do His work in us. And that makes the enemy very happy.
But why do we feel like this? Why do we believe it? I'm speaking to myself here. I mean, is this who God wants us to be, is this the kind of abundant life God shows us in His word (John 10:10)? Is this really the life God wants us to live? Is this the kind of life that children of a Most High and Holy God live? Do children with eternal life and a rich inheritance in God live and act this way? Is this part of the rich gifts God has given us and wants us to dwell in (James 1:17, 2 Peter 1:3)?
NO, NO, NO! This is NOT the way God wants or has CALLED us to live.
He doesn't want us striving.
He doesn't want us overwhelmed.
He doesn't want us feeling like we've fallen short.
He doesn't want us to feel alone.
He doesn't want us to be worried and afraid of failing Him, that instead of just loving Him we run around trying to dance just the right dance so He won't be disappointed in us.
NO. NO. This is not the way God wants us to live. Fact is, He wants us to give those fears and failures to Him, Rebuke them from our lives, and be made whole and free.
You see, God has a truth for every lie the enemy throws at us! That's right and we can find them in His word, right there for the receiving.
When the enemy says you don't know how to do anything and make too many mistakes, know that God says this... He says He has given you the Holy Spirit and He will guide you into all truth, John 16:13!
When the enemy tells you that you are not talented or as talented everyone else, you tell Him that God will help you and show how to do things. Tell him, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Philippians 4:13! And declare this, Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us! Ephesians 3:20. And personalize it, "...according the power that works in ME!"
When He makes you feel stressed, overwhelmed, worried, and tossed about every which way, declare that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, 1 Corinthians 14:33!
And when you feel afraid and worried about how to love God, and have fear of disappointing Him, declare this... For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, 2 Timothy 1:7! Personalize it again, "God has not given ME a spirit of fear..." Declare and believe this over yourself and against the devils lies of failure right now.
God didn't call us to be worried and afraid about disappointing Him, He just called us to love Him (Deuteronomy 6:5). And if we're loving Him with all our heart like He says, then we will live Holy and true lives that are pleasing to Him. And even when we make a mistake and go the wrong way, God is merciful and faithful to forgive (Ephesians 2:4)! He is nothing but kind to us (Ephesians 2:7)!
He will always be there for us and pull us out of these nasty lies of failure, He doesn't want us to stay there, He wants us to rise up and be free.
We have to renew our mind to Jesus' truth when the doubt and lies come, Praise our way through the breakthrough, and overcome.
Is it easy? Sometimes not. Especially when it's a daily and hour by hour fight. But God gives us strength!
And, sometimes, you're best fighting against the enemy is just being still. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10.
When we continue to cover ourselves in Him, in His truth, when we renew our minds, I know we'll send the devil running in these areas.
I know failure doesn't stand a chance in my life.
Amen!
