Imagine for a moment that you're on the way to have a coffee date with Jesus. You walk in to the cafe, and find Him smiling, seated with a worn leather chair reserved for you next to the fire place. He leans your way and begins to tell you about how much He loves you. How glad He is that you're there. He tells you of your intrinsic value and promises never to leave your side. He reminds you how much He enjoys you and that He is so glad that you've chosen to spend time with Him.
But then, in the midst of your conversation, you notice your former friend, the devil, out of the corner of your eye. He walks boldly into the room, you flinch as he scoots right up to the empty table next to you and begins to whisper to you, "don't listen to Him...that is a bunch of garbage...you're not even a real Christian! Your foolish to believe that you're valuable! I mean, look at you! You're an idiot! Do you want me to tell you how many times you've messed up!?!"
That old, familiar whisper reminds you of your insecurities, your failures, your broken dreams. You lean in closer to the whisper of your enemy, and now begin to take to heart what he says, the words of Jesus fade into the background of the cafe rumblings. Jesus continues to talk to you, telling you the truth about your identity, but you find yourself listening intently to the devil's whisper.
Within a few minutes of soaking up the filthy lies of the enemy, your heart has been saturated with filth, leaving no room for the truth of the One who loves you. You turn back to Jesus and say, "you know, I hear what you're trying to tell me and all, but I really don't deserve to hear it. After all, I really don't believe what you say about me...I really believe what the devil says about me."
Now, that may be a bit extreme, but think of how often we do that when we choose to believe the lies of the enemy in our daily lives! It may come as a passing thought in the mirror, "I sure am ugly" or we may reach for our vice of choice, believing "once an addict, always an addict." The problem is, that when we believe the lies about our identity, we are in agreement with te devil. Let me say that again...when we believe lies about our identity, we are agreeing with the devil and are telling Jesus that we would rather side with the one hates us and wants to kill you, steal all you have and destroy everything God wants for you!
Jesus tells us in John 8:31-32, 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:44 says this, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
We have an opportunity each day to agree with what God says about us or to agree with the adversary and what he has to say about us. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we must know our identity as God's beloved children who can walk in total freedom if we would just believe what He says! If we don't know who we are, the devil would be glad to define that for us!
One way that we can know who God says we are, is to read the Holy Bible, His word and to study it. A great place to study about our identity in Christ is the book of Ephesians. One of my favorite passages in all of scripture talks about putting on the armor of God. In Ephesians 6:12-18, Paul reminded the church in Ephesus to be aware that they are in spiritual battle that cannot be won with earthly weapons. Among those weapons is the belt of truth. Now, as a fashion-conscious gal, I love a good belt to accessorize my wardrobe. But Paul wasn't talking about being fashion forward...he was taking about standing in war...and having the truth buckled around the waist so as never to lose it...to keep it on even in the battle. The important principle here is that we must hold to the truth of our position and identity in Christ in this day. Long after those words were written by the Apostle Paul, we are still challenged to hold on to the truth of who we really are.
Lean in to the voice of the One who is longing to share His love for you! Go ahead-- tell that devil that you're on a date with Jesus...and his days with you are OVER! Then, be sure to tell him as you and Jesus sit side by side, "Oh and by the way, devil, you are a LIAR and nothing you ever say is true...so thanks for confirming that the opposite of what you try to tell me is true...I AM LOVED and VALUABLE! I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR, AND THE CROSS WAS AND IS ENOUGH AND THE BLOOD COVERS AND CLEANSED ME FROM THE PAST!!!"
Raise that Latte up high to toast the Most High!!!
Ginger <3
