Such encouraging words, right?!! I’d actually love for someone to build me up in those words. But the motives of those words can change their assignment. Those words from the Lord are one thing but those words used by the enemy are something so different.
So what do we do when the enemy is the one building us up?
In Matthew 4, Jesus, the King of Kings, was sent to the wilderness for 40 days and nights to be tested. And although the concept of the next sentence could be an entire blog post on it’s own it’s important you know that a season of testing means you are being qualified, approved, and readied for purpose. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, a time where he was being qualified for his purpose, the enemy did not try to tear down his image of the Son of God...he built it up.
It’s obvious that the enemy has come to destroy us but the bible also states that he has schemes. This passage in Matthew gives us a clear look into these schemes. He doesn’t start by telling you you're worthless. Feeling worthless is the RESULT of falling into his tricks. He starts by building us up and planting the toxic seed of pride in our hearts, mind, and soul.
Even back in Proverbs 16:18 it is says that “Pride goes before destruction.”
God has given us identity in him and countless gifts but it is only accessible when we are humbled at the feet of Christ. The moment that we believe we can attain these things without dependency on God is the moment we begin to fall. Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5).
The enemy knows if he’s going to tear us down, God’s mighty sons and daughters (yes, you’re mighty!), he is going to have to build our pride first. Once our pride is built up and we no longer find ourselves leaning on Christ we will undoubtedly find out that we can not do it without him. We fail, we become bitter, we find ourselves treating others poorly, treating ourselves poorly, and we quickly don’t look and feel like those mighty sons and daughters anymore.
Does it mean that we can never be proud of ourselves or pat ourselves on the back for a job well done or be encouraged? No, but it does mean that we can’t ever do this without it being paralleled with acknowledgement of God’s part in our success. All glory for him and every good and perfect gift is from him. He is why we have what we have and have overcome what we’ve overcome.
Look at how Jesus responded. He was not tricked into proving to the enemy who “HE” was or what “HE” could do. He knew that there was only one thing that needed to be proven and it was who GOD is. The enemy is trying to trick Jesus into supplying his own needs because “He is the son of God.” But Jesus knew his needs were not defined by the enemy but by the word of God and so he responded, “FOR IT IS WRITTEN: People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
If you’ve reached a place of feeling defeated by the enemy then somewhere along the path you fell for his tricks and if that’s the case, that’s okay. Because you can turn it around and make a comeback just like I blogged about last week. But let’s not get to this place again. We have to recognize the tricks of the enemy when they come so we can stand against them. Some things I have learned from this picture of temptation is…
- Flee from entitlement
The moment you think you deserve something because of the gifts, purpose, position God has given you, you should halt and humble yourself. Recognize that every good thing comes from the Lord and without him you would have nothing.
- Let God’s word not the world’s culture determine your needs
We all have needs. And whether it be financial, relationship, emotional, etc. don’t let the devil or the culture of this world tell you how to gain these things. Don’t ever move forward with seeking fulfillment in your needs without first aligning it to the word of God. Always remember, God is our provider!
- Be confident that God said he would supply all our needs
The enemy’s last tactic with Christ was to tempt him with having access to the worldly kingdom. But as daughters and sons of God we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. The riches of the world are not the same as the riches of His Kingdom!
- Trust God’s word
It is truth and we must guard our hearts of doubt. Renew your mind daily. God does not lie and he will fulfill his promises in His perfect timing
I’ve surely fallen for the enemies tricks. I know for sure that I did after I had my son. He built me up, “You are strong, you can do this, just love God and you can take on motherhood like a champion just like most things you do.” Eventually I found myself believing loving God was enough but you can love someone and not depend on them.
I became self sufficient and I fell hard.
We have to recognize when satan is trying to come in. He wants you to think you can handle it all on your own. He’s going to show you your victories and praise YOU for them. But we know that we need to be praising GOD for them.
So let’s get back on our knees with thanksgiving.
The world may say we’re lacking and the enemy may be showing us ways to can gain worldly riches in hopes to build your pride but hold tight to the truth that you have already inherited the riches of God’s Kingdom and you are to boast in him alone!
No comments:
Post a Comment