Not only
does the devil accuse us day and night (see Rev. 12:10), but he also accuses
God, His heart and His motives towards us:
“Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature
of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can
it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the
garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from
the trees of the garden, Except the fruit from the tree which is in
the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall
you touch it, lest you die. But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not
surely die, For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good
and evil and blessing and
calamity.” (Gen.
3:1-5 AMPC)
In the
account from Genesis chapter three written above, the devil was suggesting to
Eve (and still is to us today) that God was withholding what was best for her
and that really, God had lied to her and that in reality God didn't have her
best interest at heart. The devil was insinuating (and still is to us today) that
God was selfish and self-seeking and that He didn't want her or anyone else to
become like Him; that He selfishly wanted to rule and know it all and keep such
knowledge from her and Adam selfishly and without consideration of what was
best for her and Adam. All of these suggestions were lies and a false
representation of the thoughts, the heart and the motives of God. The Word
makes clear to us that God always has our best interest at heart:
“This is what the Lord
says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17 NIV)
And of
course, out of pure love, God gave His all to us without withholding anything
from us:
“For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16 NKJV)
Or
perhaps we can look at the following verses to see just how much the Father
gave us out of the good pleasure of His will:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in
love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
(Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV)
And the
list goes on. So, when thoughts such as "God doesn't want you to
believe" or “God doesn’t want you” or “God has ulterior motives” or “God
wants you in hell” (and even if those thoughts come with powerful feelings),
understand that these are straight from the enemy of your soul. Therefore,
stand your ground in faith believing the Word of God. The Bible says that God
is no respecter of person (see Acts 10:34). Therefore, He is not withholding
faith and salvation from you while allowing it to someone else. God sent His
only begotten Son for all of us so that whosoever believes in Him will not
perish but have everlasting life (see John 3:16). Furthermore, the Bible
confirms that God desires that no man perish but all have everlasting life (see
2 Peter 3:9). Along with that, the Bible assures us that God takes no pleasure
in the death of the wicked (see Ezekiel 18:23). And concerning God's very
nature; God is love (see 1 John 4:16).
So choose
truth over the lies of the enemy, and keep choosing truth no matter how long
the battle, relying on the Holy Spirit and standing on the promises of God’s
Word in faith with God’s help (such as the ones I just mentioned above). Quote Scriptures
back to the father of lies, just like Jesus did when he was tempted of the
devil in the wilderness. Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will
flee from you (see James 4:7). Choose the truth and let your feelings catch up
later.
Lastly,
please understand that the devil tries to make people think they are a special
case; that they are different; that somehow, God has a different treatment for
them, even a treatment outside of what the Bible declares. These are lies. You
are not different from any of us; none of us are different from any other in
the sense that we all need a Savior. There is no difference. We were all dead
in sins and trespasses (see Ephesians 2:1). We all sinned and are falling short
of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). Without Him, we are all sick with the
disease of sin. Big and small, all sins must be paid for and Jesus paid for
them all, without exception.
In fact, the Bible says that where sins abound, grace abounds even more (see
Romans 5:20). So be greatly encouraged. The devil is a liar. God is good and in
Him there is no darkness or shadow of turning (see 1 John 1:5 and James 1:17);
you can trust Him. He is a Rock and a Refuge to all who place their trust in
Him. You can bank on the promises of His Word.
Be encouraged, there is hope! There
is a way out.
Kathleen
Kaczmarek
