"...He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44b
Have you noticed that our enemy, Satan, gets a good deal of mileage out of every lie he speaks to us? By this I mean that he takes one lie and uses it forward, backward, twists it, turns it inside out and uses it all over again. He is the ultimate recycler (is that a word?)
Anyway, have you noticed that when things aren't going so well for you, maybe you're sick, or your finances are upside down, or a relationship in your life is damaged and painful, that the enemy sings this tune into your ear as often as he can? It usually goes something like this, "Your life is depressing. Nothing is going right. Everything is falling apart. You'll never get a break. Why should you keep putting forth so much effort in this area? It's not worth the trouble. No one appreciates what you do anyway. It's hopeless. Nothing will ever change. It will always be this way."
Amazingly, later on when things are going great, he turns over the same record (for those of us who remember records) and plays the other side. It usually sounds something like this, "Everything is going great (and by the way, you have yourself to thank for that, you are so smart). Don't worry about being obedient to Christ in every area of your life right now, there will be time to straighten things out later. Just relax and enjoy today. Yes, you have some very unhealthy physical and emotional habits but you can take care of them down the road. By all means, don't worry about mending any broken relationships in your life. Sure, you have some unforgiveness and maybe a little bitterness here and there but who doesn't? After all, you've been mistreated yourself, you know. Maybe you owe a couple of people an apology but they will be around for awhile and so will you for that matter. Those things can wait. Concentrate on you. Take it easy and do some things that you want to do. You've worked hard--You deserve it! You are definitely on a roll. It will always be this way!
Hmmm. I often wonder if the enemy's favorite name for most of us is--Sucker!
