Failure is one of my biggest fears, along with a majority of the population. However, failure is unavoidable in this life. Thanks to our friends, Adam and Eve, we are destined to fail. And as Christians, we have huge targets on our backs. The devil wants us to fall more than anything. His entire purpose is to bring us down. So how can we prepare for that when it happens? By looking at those who have failed in the past. What did the devil do to persuade them?
1. He disguised himself.
In the story of Adam and Eve he disguised himself as the serpent, and convinced them that the fruit from the tree was good. He's going to disguise himself as the most enticing thing there is. He wants to deceive you and fool you. He is going to make himself look good and righteous, and if we aren't strongly rooted in God's word and involved in our relationship with Him, it's going to be hard for us to tell the difference between what truly is righteous, and what is a disguise.
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." -2 Corinthians 11:13-16
We know God's word, we know what is right and what is wrong, and we know what conviction feels like. But, we are foolish and easily deceived. I feel like God says this to me all the time: "You knew what I said, but you did what YOU wanted." And once we fail, it's hard to admit that we've failed. It's hard to forgive yourself for the wrongs you have done- especially if it's something you've done more than once. But thats exactly what he wants! Satan wants to disguise himself as guilt to condemn you to keep you where you are- broken and busted. That guilt doesn't come from God. God convicts, God doesn't condemn. Don't let the devil confuse you and trick you into believing that you aren't worthy of forgiveness. Don't let him keep you down- and most importantly, don't let him bring you down again. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." -Ephesians 6:11. The devil is just waiting to see where your weakness is. But plant yourself in the word and in Christ, and put on the full armor of God so that you can be able to stand your ground.
2. He questioned God's word.
" 'You will not surely die', the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' " -Genesis 3:4-5
The devil wants you to think that God is holding back from you. He wants you to think that God doesn't want what's best for you, and that you are missing out in life by following Christ. Well... that's false. Why do we even live our life for Christ? Oh yeah, because it's the only way to live a life of fulfillment. We aren't missing out on anything. We are missing out on life by NOT following God's word.
3. He denied God's word.
John 8:44 says that Satan is the "father of lies". His sole purpose is to destroy you. The devil will try to confuse you. He wants you to believe that God is speaking to you, not him. But there will never be a time where God speaks to you that contradicts the Bible. Just remember that. But that goes hand in hand with knowing the word. YOU have to know the word to know when the devil is questioning you.
God wants you to live a full life. God doesn't want you to be broken and busted. Guilt is not from God. When we mess up, and we FAIL, don't let that guilt hold you back. Let it go. You have to forgive yourself first in order to be able to forgive others. You are not alone in your battle. Like it says in Deuteronomy, we are fighting from a place of victory, and we don't have to do it by ourselves. God's got more for you than this. We are redeemed, restored, and forgiven through Christ. Don't let our fear of failure hold us back, and don't let our actual failures keep us down. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness, and that's when you'll begin to live a life of love. <3
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