Truth and Lies

I've heard many teachings on how God speaks something to us and then the enemy immediately comes to contend what God has said and upon hearing it again this weekend at church at Jubilee Fellowship (check out the sermon at www.jfc.org) I just felt like writing about it because it seems so much like clock work what the enemy does and is doing and has done for thousands of years and yet it still trips us up! It's not a new tactic but it's effective and it's very annoying.

For example, after Jesus was baptized and God spoke and said this is my Son in whom I am well pleased... then Jesus was immediately led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan... and what were Satan's first words to Him? "IF you are the Son of God"... How bold of him. God says this is my Son and then Satan says IF you are the Son of God. He comes to question and bring doubt to what God has said...

I want to take that a step further. Because God still speaks today and He speaks to each of us every day. He is speaking! And there are things that we say. There are things that are on our hearts and things we speak out. It is my belief that only things of faith, hope and love come from God. And fear, doubt and discouragement come from our enemy. And over and over again I've seen people I love speak things out in faith, hope and love and seen how immediately the enemy came and questioned the very thing they spoke out and in comes doubt, fear and discouragement. And I've seen it in myself. I've fallen to the schemes of the enemy myself! It's so annoying how easily I've seen those I love and myself let those doubts come in to produce uncertainty of faith, hope and love instead of contending for faith, hope and love! And rebuking the enemy with truth, the Word of God or just simply saying get behind me and shut up!

To where sometimes those I love and myself included have come to the conclusion that speaking out of faith is bad and wrong. It's not! To each God gives a measure of faith... but there is a gift of faith. And I believe and I have seen how those God has given that gift of faith have believed and spoken out in faith and in trust and believing God for great things and the enemy comes against that gifting hard with doubt.

Maybe it's all so annoying to me right now more so than ever because I've been asking God for a greater measure of faith and for the gift of faith and I've experienced more lies of the enemy than ever coming against me with doubt.

Have you spoken out something or been believing God for something that you believe He has spoken to you out of faith, hope and love? For your vision? For your dreams? For a relationship? And have you experienced doubt and uncertainty in that very area? Don't be surprised! Satan has been playing that game for thousands of years now. But I'm praying for revelation and for recognition of it! And expect it... expect two things... Expect God to speak to you. Expect great things BUT expect and look for the enemy to come against you to place doubt and uncertainty. To where you rejoice when you have something of faith, hope and love but to where you are keen and wise and are waiting for the enemy to rear his doubtful words so you can be ready with the response of "shut up Satan". I am practicing saying "thank You Jesus!" and "shut up Satan!" within the same breath because it seems it can come that quickly one after the other.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12. 


May we never tire of doing good! (Gal. 6:9)  Believe God for those things of faith, hope and love, especially love because it is the greater of the three!  (1 Cor. 13) And contend for those things! Don't just give in to doubt. Recognize the doubt for what it is, a lie. A lie from the enemy that comes only to steal, kill and destroy. To steal our faith, to kill our hope and destroy our love. (John 10:10) 


May Your will be done and Your kingdom come Lord! May Your Kingdom love come to earth Lord as it is in heaven! Look at the world around us, look at our homes and families and relationships. The enemy is doing a really good job of putting doubt in the hearts of mankind. Marriages are falling apart, families are falling apart. Why? Is it because people are falling out of love? NO! That is a lie of the enemy. It's because they are allowing doubt, in my opinion, to come in. They are allowing the enemy to to steal, kill and destroy all that they originally had faith, hope and love for. Like a man who looks in the mirror and then goes away and forgets what he looks like. We're not supposed to dwell on the past and that's not what I'm talking about when I say go back to the beginning. To what God spoke to you. To all the faith, hope and love that was within your heart when you began whatever the enemy is challenging and bringing doubt to right now. Because I believe we all have something to contend for. Whether you're struggling with your vision, your purpose, a relationship... go back to the beginning where you had that faith, hope and love. The doubt and the lies that are coming against you in those areas of faith, hope and love for whatever it is  you're facing today are just that, lies from the enemy. Cling to faith, hope and love. Cling to Jesus and what He spoke in the beginning BEFORE the doubt came in. Proclaim God's truth, contend for it! And tell the enemy to shut the hell up, literally.