It’s the oldest trick in the book–deception resulting in misplaced blame. Way back at the beginning of creation, which we can read about in the book of Genesis, we hear the account Adam and Eve, and the fall of mankind. Because of their disobedience to God, the first sin was committed when they chose to eat the fruit from the tree of life, and as a result, all mankind fell from grace, and continues to struggle with sin. A perfect God cannot allow sin in heaven, or in relationship with Him. Our sin separates us from God. Praise our Father in heaven, though, that He had a plan for the redemption of our sin, and reconciliation to Himself. Only through the work of the cross of Jesus Christ are our sins completely erased, and our relationship with God restored. Thank you, Jesus!
Long gone are the days in the Garden, but the enemy is still present. He knows his days are numbered, and he is fuming! He and his army of demons are bent on continuing to deceive us into believing God is not really all good, and that we cannot trust Him. You may have questioned God yourself at some point, and asked, “Why would a good God allow people to suffer?” “Why does He allow so much heartache and pain?” “Is this who God really is?” The answer is, NO WAY! Our natural tendency is to think, “If I’m hurting, or someone I love is hurting, God doesn’t really care about me, or He isn’t really good all of the time.” But, who’s really to blame for the fall of man, and all our heartache and pain? Yes, Adam and Eve made choices, and we are all suffering the consequences for those choices here on earth, but that crafty serpent, the devil himself–he is the one who is ultimately to blame! God’s Word confirms this:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
We cannot understand or possibly conceive the reasons why such terrible things happen, but the truth is, God’s ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. He sees the beginning from the end, and has understanding that we don’t. God has given us free will, and because of that, people have choices to make. To believe the lies of the enemy, or the truth of God. They can choose to sin, or not to. Sin carries a ripple effect. It rarely affects just the sinner.
Today is my husband’s birthday! We had a party planned, but then. . . I woke up with the flu. Achy, feverish, and unable to keep anything down, even water. It hit fast and furious. I had planned to just stay incognito, back in my bedroom, so that the party could go on as planned. My in-laws came over to help prep the food and the backyard. Meanwhile, I was going from bad to worse. My husband came back to the bedroom to check on me, and said, “Can you message all the people that you invited to come? We’re cancelling the party. We don’t want to risk getting anyone else sick.” Of course! I had been so selfish, only thinking of my husband, and not wanting him to be disappointed. I figured everyone else would be okay. My heart sunk. And yes, I started crying too! I didn’t want my husband’s birthday to be ruined. I told him how sorry I was, and was about to add, “It’s all my fault!” But, the Holy Spirit caught my attention. He reminded me that I am not to blame for what happened, and neither are Adam and Eve for that matter. God’s Word tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
When the unexpected happens in our lives; someone gets sick, there’s a bad accident, or worse, we either blame ourselves for what has happened, blame someone else, or we think God somehow had a hand in it, or at the very least, should have done something to prevent it from happening. I have, on numerous occasions, tried to find out the cause for why bad things have happened. I tend to think that I must have sinned, and I’m being disciplined, and that is why something bad is happening to me. God reminded me today that I am free from condemnation in Christ Jesus. I am pure, holy, and without sin because of Jesus. Satan, is the one who’s really to blame! He thinks he can hide in the shadows, doing a little happy dance, because he has succeeded in shifting the blame off of himself and onto us, someone else, or onto God for something he caused. This is not to say we don’t need to take responsibility for our own actions when we sin, because we are still accountable. However, the deceiver, should be the receiver of the blame. We are human, and if you are saved by the blood of Jesus, there is no condemnation for you.
God revealed to me today that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the devil and his army. I could have tried to blame whoever it was who passed along the flu virus to me, and stirred up anger and resentment toward them. I could have shook my fists at God in frustration and bitterness, and told Him he should have protected me from getting sick. I could have blamed myself for ruining Todd’s birthday party. But, all this would have been a lie. I’m happy to say that this time, the enemy could not pull the wool over my eyes. I knew exactly who was to blame for all that happened today. I choose, however, to not allow anger, or resentment to be my response to my disappointment. I will tell Satan, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
The Lord implores us to, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). When you are a Christian out shining your light for Jesus, you can be assured that there is a target on your back. The enemy will do whatever he can to stop you from making a difference in this world; even cause you to doubt the goodness of God. Be alert to the devil’s schemes. It may feel like you are powerless to fight back, and that you just have to lie down and take it, but that too is a lie. The Lord has equipped us with His armor. With the shield of faith, and all the other weapons of warfare we have at our disposal, we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:10-18).
You are undeniably, perfectly loved by God! He will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord will fight for you! He will send His warring angels to surround you and protect you. Believe! You are strong and courageous, and more than a conqueror in Christ!
I fought the good fight today, I prayed, and rebuked the enemy in Jesus’s name! I asked for prayer from my fellow prayer warriors, and by the time the party was originally supposed to start, my fever broke, and I was able to drink a glass of water, and get some rice rolls down into my belly, and keep it all down. Praise God! The enemy certainly sought to steal, kill, and destroy today, and in some ways succeeded, for now. But, this I know. God’s not finished yet! There will be divine retribution, and restoration of everything that were stolen someday. I am unafraid! I choose to stand and fight fearlessly! The Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever!
This blog post right here–this is how I fight back, and trample the enemy underfoot!