Real Love, Real Help
??????????? Should we trust a family member who lies to us? If you caught a friend trying to steal money from your wallet, would they continue to be a friend? If a church member gossips about you behind your back and then says something different to your face, should you trust them? What inspires people to ruin relationships because they lie, steal, or gossip?
??????????? Jesus told a gathering of Jews in John 8:44 that they were being led by Satan when He said, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. 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" (NIV). After Jesus said this, the gathering of people claimed He was demon-possessed. There's no doubt about it, the Bible reveals that Satan is a powerful being that loves to cause turmoil in people's lives.
??????????? Many people today do not believe that Satan is a real being, and that's sad. The Bible makes it clear that Satan is a powerful being who is our enemy and intentionally seeks to deceive. 1 Peter 5:8 reveals, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (NIV). In powerful ways that we cannot fully understand, Satan and his demons love to distract and lure us away from Jesus' love (Luke 11:4; Eph. 6:12). We cannot simply rely on our willpower to do the right thing.
??????????? We can be thankful that Jesus limits Satan's power to tempt us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." To overcome Satan's clever enticements of our human heart requires the power of Jesus' love, not a forceful personality or strong willpower. There is no other way to follow Jesus except by the power of His love in our hearts.
??????????? To look at this issue with a 360-degree view, the Bible gives us some shocking news. Just as Satan deceived Eve with his cunning lies, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that we can also be led astray by our presumed devotion to Christ. "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (NIV). Wow! That should make us stop and think. Satan can deceive us, yet we can also be deceived by our presumed devotion to Jesus. How can Jesus help us to escape being led astray by our devotion to Him?
??????????? I only know one way to receive the real protection I need from the deceptions of Satan or from being deceived by following a false gospel. I need to ask for the Holy Spirit to help me see myself as I really am. I need the washing of regeneration described in Titus 3:5. I need the searching of my heart described in Psalm 139:23, 24. I need the conviction promised in John 16:8. I need the healing of forgiveness promised in 1 John 1:8,9.
??????????? While Jesus performs the miracle of placing unselfish desires in my heart, He will not turn me into a robot by forcing me to follow His options. I have a choice. I can accept the power of His love, which means I accept the conviction He brings as I see myself as I really am. If I allow it, the Holy Spirit will help me understand more about my emotional baggage from negative experiences in the past that can make me more susceptible to Satan's deceptions and a false gospel. I need the healing of forgiveness that only the Holy Spirit can provide, so failures of the past do not lead me to future failures. ?
??????????? For Satan's deceptions to fail, I need to welcome the conviction the Holy Spirit brings that helps me see myself as I really am. The Holy Spirit will not overwhelm me with more than I can handle. The Holy Spirit provides both the realization of my real motives and the light of His grace at the same time. As I welcome the conviction from the light of Jesus’ love, I can then ask for His help to cooperate with His way of thinking.
??????????? The Holy Spirit illuminates my mistakes with His light. Yet, it is more than just conviction; the Holy Spirit focuses the light of Jesus' love in my soul. Light is good; light does reveal errors, but light is safe, warm, and much better than stumbling around in the darkness. I have an adversary, Satan the Devil, who does all he can to make darkness seem attractive and present a seductive false light. Yet, the light of Jesus' love and forgiveness can give me the real help I need each day, even against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy that seeks to deceive and destroy me.
??????????? Jesus provides an important message that I know I need to embrace today. Revelation 3:15-19 says, "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent."
??????????? I need the eye salve Jesus provides to see myself as I really am, and as He does, He can fill me with the love, acceptance, and grace I need to choose His options. As I welcome the love of Jesus, I also welcome the ways in which He seeks to help me understand my real motives. Jesus offers me real love that provides me with real help to understand my weaknesses, and empower me to embrace His options, and admit my mistakes when I do not.