Lies. Satan is the father of lies, and on this earth he is running rampant, spreading these lies like wildfire and consuming each of us in his path. Telling us we are not enough. Telling us that we will never achieve greatness. Telling us we must rely on our own strivings, our own efforts, and our own knowledge, to be accepted and loved. Telling us that we have to have it all together if we ever want to find our place in the world. Telling us that our Father’s love is based on our performance and that our performance is what determines our joy. Telling us that our shame is endless and our guilt is our own to carry. Telling us that there is no future reconciliation from our past mistakes. Telling us that we must be of this world, falling into its temptations, to be loved. Telling us that the world offers the source of lasting joy, that if we just search hard enough, wide enough, long enough, that we will find something that makes our sense of acceptance stick. Telling us that our identity is found in the other broken people of the world, that their twisted opinions determine our worth. Telling us that it’s not okay, to not be okay. Telling us that who we really are, every broken, ugly piece, should be hidden behind the façade of a fake smile.
Our view of the world we live in is warped. It’s crooked. It’s entirely wrong and completely destructive. We invest so much emotion, so much energy and so much time into the absolute WRONG things. And for what reward? We almost always end up feeling more broken, more empty, more unsatisfied, and more disheartened.
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” (Philippians 2:14-16)
It’s time for us to put out the flames of the devil’s lies and begin walking in the freedom of Christ. You are enough. You are chosen and set apart for His holy, perfect purposes. You are fully known…all of the ugly, all of the broken pieces, all of the things you try so hard to make fade into the background so that even you forget the mistakes you’ve made. Yet even still, you are fully loved. Whole-heartedly loved and accepted by the One (the only One) whose opinion matters. Our strivings are in vain. Our fighting is in vain. Our Savior has won every battle and has set us free from the chains of our struggles, our guilt, and our shame. Know your worth. Know that it is the One who died to save you, love you, and know you, that defines you. He has called us higher than the lies of this world. He has called us deeper than the superficial front we so often display. Rest in the light of who He has made you to be. Let go of your strivings, your efforts, your brokenness, and be made whole in the LIFE of Christ. Our blameless Savior lived the life we are unable to live, paid the price we could never afford, and rose again so that in Him, alone, all things are made new and we find a life that is worth living.
