The Lies We Feel
Jesus harped on one sin more than any other, the sin of pride. Jesus invites us to humble ourselves before God and receive His gift of grace rather than working to achieve salvation through our own goodness to bolster our pride. Jesus surrounded Himself with people who recognized their need for a savior rather than portraying themselves as righteous saviors. Because of this, the self-righteous religious leaders in Jesus’ day often found themselves at odds with Jesus.
In John 8, Jesus had an encounter with some religious leaders who were bragging about their ancestry and authority. Jesus invited them to follow Him, but these religious leaders were uninterested in following. They wanted to be followed. They were deaf to the truth because the volume of their pride was so high. The religious leaders bragged about being children of Abraham, but Jesus called them children of the devil.
Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The snake deceived Eve in the garden, and he has deceived vulnerable people ever since. What lie does the satan tell you? Does he tell you that you need to work harder to earn God’s love? Does he tell you that your sins are too bad, that you can’t be forgiven? Does he tell you that you don’t need God, that you can make it on your own? The satan is a liar, but Jesus is the truth.
The satan’s agenda is destruction. Jesus did not portray the satan as an idea, but as a being. This being is the father of lies. The satan wants to kill you because he hates your father. Like a virus attacks a computer, the satan attacks our faith. He wants to kill our bodies, but he would prefer to deceive us and lead us away from God.
The satan’s method is deception. He can’t physically touch us, but he can use deception to get us to inflict pain on ourselves. He attempts to convince us that God does not love us, that our sins disqualify us, or that our goodness qualifies us.
The satan’s fruit are fear, sadness, doubt, conspiracy, insecurity, jealousy, pride, and selfishness. If these words describe your life, you are not a joyful person. The satan has stolen God’s joy from you to weaken you, because God’s joy is your strength. The fruit of the satan are emotions because these emotions make us vulnerable to manipulation.
Emotions are an invisible force on our actions. Good emotions can lead to good actions. Because I love my sons, I choose to sacrifice for them. We often do what we do because of the emotions that motivate us, but we must learn to not trust our emotions. Instead, we are invited to trust the truth of Jesus Christ. The joy of the Lord is our strength because joy is not an emotion. Joy is a state of mind that results from a healthy relationship with the truth.
For this reason, it is healthy to periodically take an inventory of our emotions. Physiologically, there are complex chemical reactions in our bodies that make it difficult to remain focused on truth. Doctors can balance chemicals to assist with these struggles, but the problem is never fully solved. Socially, there are distractions in the world that cause painful emotions. Counselors can help us wrestle with the relational pain we experience, but new pains will be inflicted. Spiritually, battles are being fought all around us that impact our physical reality, and the only way to withstand these attacks is by moving closer to God.
If you will draw close to God, the Holy Spirit will give you peace as you trust in Him. You were separated from God by a giant river that you couldn’t cross. So, God built a bridge so that you can live with Him.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit are not emotions. They are actions. When we move closer to God, healthy actions result. He helps us to become the people He created us to be and to do the things He created us to do.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
We cannot resist the devil alone. His lies are too persuasive. Our only hope is a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Come close to God. Humble yourself before Him and trust His truth rather than your emotions. Supernatural progress is made when we draw near to God. Relentless joy is available to all of God’s children because He is with us.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
It is God who does the rescuing. We cannot save ourselves. Without God, we cannot eternally fix our problems. Without God, we are dead in our sins, and dead people cannot save themselves. We need God to raise us from the dead, to give us a new life, so that we can live the life He created us to live.
