One of the greatest tricks that the devil plays

sermonindex Jul 30, 2010

One of the greatest tricks that the devil plays on believers is to make us think that we are lacking something in our walk or relationship with God. He will make us feel inferior, dirty, guilty and somehow lacking in our spiritual condition. He may suggest things that appear to be needed and improved upon in our life. He may cause us to examine our outward behavior. He may suggest that we need to improve our spiritual condition.

For example he will suggest that we need a better prayer life, or that we need to spend more time in bible study. There are many other areas that he will often suggest that we need to improve in, like a greater love for God, a greater love for our spouse, or going to all the church meetings on a regular basis. Now these things appear to be good and even needed in our life.

The problem is once we start believing these lies we start to think that we are somehow lacking in our relationship with God. We feel somehow inadequate, guilty, and dirty. We become disappointed in our own selves and then we become ashamed about ourselves. This shame that we feel keeps us from true fellowship with God. While we hide from God, we begin to "cover ourselves" by doing or not doing certain things. We think that if we do this, and if do that, we will make ourselves less shameful. Once we believe satin's lie the next step we take is to think what are we going to do about this situation? What to do –what to do? Then we come up with a game plan to “fix” this. Now it is all down hill from here on. Nothing we do can will ever make any difference at all.

The suggestion that we are somehow lacking is an absolute lie!!! If we are born again we have His Life, Righteousness, and Holiness. We are made one in Him. We are a new Creation. We are dead to sin and the law. Our old nature is forever dead and gone. We have a new heart and a new Nature. We were taken out of Adam and placed in Christ. We are complete in Him. We have His faith and love. We are perfect in Him.

It is impossible for any Christian to become more righteous. He is our Righteousness. We can not get any closer to God because we are one with HIM.

NOW UNDERSTAND THIS FACT!!!

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO IMPROVE OUR SPIRITUAL CONDITION!!

Do not try – you will only experience utter failure and disappointment.

S

sojourner7 Jul 30, 2010

Yes; it is like Adam and Eve seeking
to cover themselves. GOD sees us as
His own dear children; but HE expects
us to grow in grace, love, mercy, and
truth and to walk before HIM in
submission and obedience to HIS Will!

K

knitefall Jul 30, 2010

Well put. There are many Christians that have been discouraged as they see God as a "If I do this well enough, then God will do this for me" kind of God while they end up failing every time.

O

osandoval Jul 30, 2010

tuc, I understand where you are coming from and would agree to a certain extent, because focusing on ourselves will lead to dissapointment or legalism. The problem I would have with your post is that it can lead to certain apathy in our walk with Christ.

With all due respect, your post seems to be a bit unbalanced Scripturally. There are numerous Scriptures which exhort us to watchfulness in prayer and the Word and obedience to Christ. And I believe there is a healthy continual repentance that we must be willing to undergo in our walk if we are to grow into maturity.

I believe there is such a thing as lukewarm Christianity of which true believers can be part of, and we must strive against that by God's grace.

So how would you, or anyone else, reply regarding all the Scriptures which exhort us to watchfulness and zeal and perfecting holiness in the fear of God, etc.? Thanks in advance.
Oracio

sermonindex Jul 30, 2010

Mr Tuc

Do you not realise that the whole premise of most of the preachers here on Sermon Index is exactly the opposite of what you are saying.

We are never to feel satisfied here, we are to always be lamenting our very existanse and utter uselessness.

Yes we might be saved but never forget how utterly vile,
rotten, miserable and lowly we really are.

I could go on and on but I will let the wordsmiths take over.

I

InTheLight Jul 31, 2010

Post deleted upon prayerful reconsideration...

sermonindex Jul 31, 2010

Believers are saints of God!

We have been cleansed by God!

We are NOT vile, rotten, miserable or lowly!!

Acts 10:15, "And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

Acts 10:28. "And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean."

sermonindex Jul 31, 2010

For example he will suggest that we need a better prayer life, or that we need to spend more time in bible study. There are many other areas that he will often suggest that we need to improve in, like a greater love for God, a greater love for our spouse, or going to all the church meetings on a regular basis.

It's odd that the devil would be convicting us of the same thing that the Holy Spirit convicts us of. It would also be a bit of a dangerous mistake to call the conviction of the Holy Spirit a trick of the devil. It would then appear that the devil is doing quite adequate work in causing Christian men and women to continually examine themselves and see how much the Christian walk really means to them, and to be humbled and convicted by their lack of passion and commitment. As well, it seems a bit counterproductive for Satan to try and convince Christians that they need to have a greater love for God. To me that doesn't add up. Not even a little bit.

I'm sorry, but this thread is quite Scripturally weak.

O

osandoval Jul 31, 2010

InTheLight wrote:

To say that it impossible to improve our condition regarding justification I can agree with, but not regarding sanctification.

I think that hit the nail on the head. The OP is correct if in the context of justification or being acceptable to God in terms of salvation. We are no longer under the wrath of God and we are saints, despite all our failures. This is because of the death of Christ on our behalf. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is the gospel.

But sanctification is a different issue, though closely related. We are continually sanctified, continually being conformed into the image of Christ, from faith to faith and glory to glory. "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you..."(Phillipians 2:12-13).

The devil will try to mix the two issues together.

If we think we are completely sanctified when we are justifed we will become carnal.

On the other hand, if we think we must be completely sanctified to have full assurance of our justification we will become a legalist.

D

daniel- Jul 31, 2010

Hello,

just today, I received this email from the T-Austin Sparks List and it quite fits into this thread. These are some tremendous truths:

Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. (Romans 5:18).

The whole subject of spiritual power is most important. So many Christians find themselves involved in a continual struggle to live up to what they know to be God's standard. For them Christianity is a manner of life composed of various rules and regulations. They know what ought to be and what ought not to be, and they therefore struggle to attain to this level of living. Their consciences play a large part in this constant effort, and for this reason they suffer many fears and fail to experience the promised joys. Life for them has become a strenuous business, fraught with much disappointment and many failures. They may from time to time have a sense of attainment and success, with much resultant gladness, but with the fluctuating emotions of the soul, things seem to collapse and go all wrong. So it is that people find the Christian life burdensome; they long to know real victory, true deliverance and the joy of the Lord, whereas they experience the ups and downs of a constant struggle. The Christian life depicted in the New Testament seems so different from their actual experience that the Devil is never slow to pounce in with his suggestions that a life of constant victory is quite impossible, so that all their hopes are but unreal dreams. Satan wants God's people to despair of knowing His power.

But there is an altogether different life, different because it is based on the entering into something already completed in Christ; not something to be attained to but rather that which has already been accomplished. It is not a standard to be lived up to, but a Person to be lived with. It is impossible to measure the vast difference between these two kinds of life. The former is one of self effort and defeat, while the other consists in enjoying the reality of Christ the power of God.

sermonindex Jul 31, 2010

AMEN!

A

AbideinHim Jul 31, 2010

There are many believers in the church today that are basing their right standing with God on the works that they do. The Holy Spirit must open our eyes to see the truth of the finished work of Jesus Christ. He has been made unto us wisdom, rightousness, sanctification, and redemption. (1Corinthians 1:30). This is God's part, and we will bring a lot of confusion into the Christian life by trying to do what God has already done.

However, God is not going to do our part. God expects us to believe and obey His Word. God is not going to take up the cross for us. God will only reveal Himself to those that seek His face and obey His commands.

Mike