Satan tempted Jesus by telling Him to throw Himself off the highest point of the temple, and then command the angels to save Him. This would impress everyone watching and certainly raise Jesus’ status and significance.
Likewise, Satan tempts us to try and elevate ourselves over others. We wrongly think we have to become something the world calls worthy. This creates a need within our flesh to have people notice us, commend us, revere us, and stroke our pride. We then dare to boast about all we are.
Oh, sweet sisters, this is where we must stop and remind ourselves that we don’t have to be held hostage by Satan. We are onto him and his schemes. And his power over us is nothing compared to the freeing promises of God.
There was a huge difference between Eve’s response to Satan and Jesus’ response to Satan. Eve dialoged with Satan and allowed him to weave his tangled web of justifications. Jesus, on the other hand, immediately quoted truth. With every temptation, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy as He answered, “It is written . . .” and He shut Satan down with the truth of God.
What will our response be?
It’s our choice.
Moment by moment, decision by decision, step by step—will we operate in God’s all-powerful truth or allow Satan to entangle us in his lies?
Dear Lord, thank You for making me aware of the Enemy’s plans against me. I declare today that while the Enemy may be vicious, he will not be victorious in my life. Not with You helping me walk in Truth and Light. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
40
WHEN THE END GOAL SEEMS TOO HARD
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance.
—2 PETER 1:5–6
No matter what your struggle has been, victory is possible today. Sadly, most of us don’t think that’s true. The problem is, we tend to measure long-term success while downplaying the absolute victory found in small successes.
Recently a friend of mine called to say she walked away from an impulse buy online. That’s a victorious small success. Now, I can’t say that her bank account will stand up and clap and reward her with a much higher balance. But, if she builds upon this small success—choice by choice, day by day—she will see positive changes.
This principle applies to other struggles as well.
If I choose not to snap at a loved one and instead respond with tenderness, that’s a victorious small success.
If I choose to pause before responding to the rude sales clerk, thus giving her a smile instead of perpetuating her smirk, that’s a victorious small success.
I like the way 2 Peter 1:5–6 puts it. We are reminded to “add” some things to our faith. Two of those additions are self-control and perseverance. For me, I have to decide to practice the self-control and perseverance that are mine since God’s Spirit lives in me.
Big things are built one brick at a time. Victories are achieved one choice at a time. A life well lived is chosen one day at a time.
Think of it like a muscle. We have muscles as a part of our bodies. But we must add activity to those muscles to make them effective and strong. Our muscles will work for us if we exercise them. Self-control and perseverance will work for us as we practice them over and over. Start with the small victories and bigger victories will come.
Sometimes victory seems so far away because we measure it by the end goal. And end goals can seem overwhelmingly huge, daunting, and just plain hard to reach. Instead, if we start measuring our victories by the smaller choices we make each day, victory won’t seem so impossible.
Big things are built one brick at a time.
Victories are achieved one choice at a time.
A life well lived is chosen one day at a time.
Dear Lord, I know that with You, victory is indeed possible. Day by day and choice by choice. Help me believe this truth today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
41
REPLACING OLD LIES WITH NEW TRUTHS
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
—ROMANS 8:38–39
I had been going through some rotten, horrible, no-good days and was at the absolute end of knowing what to pray. I’d slipped into a habit of praying circumstance-oriented prayers where I’d list out every problem and ask God to please fix them. I even made suggestions for solutions in case my input could be useful. But nothing changed. had been going through some rotten, horrible, no-good days and was at the absolute end of knowing what to pray. I’d slipped into a habit of praying circumstance-oriented prayers where I’d list out every problem and ask God to please fix them. I even made suggestions for solutions in case my input could be useful. But nothing changed.
In a huff one day, I sat down to pray and had absolutely no words. None. I sat there staring blankly. I had no suggestions. I had no solutions. I had nothing but quiet tears. But eventually, God broke through to my worn-out heart. A thought rushed through my mind and caught me off guard. I know you want Me to change your circumstances, Lysa. But, right now I want to focus on changing you. Even perfect circumstances won’t satisfy you like letting Me change the way you think.
I didn’t like what I heard during this first time of silently sitting with the Lord, but at least I felt I was connecting with God. I hadn’t felt that in a long time. And so I started making it a habit to sit quietly before the Lord.
Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I sat with a bad attitude. Sometimes I sat with a heart so heavy I wasn’t sure I’d be able to carry on much longer. But as I sat, I pictured God sitting there with me. He was there already and I eventually sensed that. I experienced what the apostle Paul taught when he wrote, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26).
If we are really going to make progress toward lasting changes, we have to empty ourselves of the lie that other people or things can ever fill our hearts to the full.
As I sat in silence, the Spirit interceded with perfect prayers on my behalf. I didn’t have to figure out what to pray or how to pray about this situation that seemed so consuming. I just had to be still and sit with the Lord. And during those sitting times, I started to discern changes I needed to make in response to my circumstances.
If we are really going to make progress toward lasting change in our lives, we have to empty ourselves of the lie that other people or things can ever fill our hearts to the full. Then we have to deliberately and intentionally fill up on God’s truths and stand secure in His love.
I have to mentally replace the lies using some of my favorite verses to remind myself of just how filling God’s love really is. Here’s one that really helps me:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39)
We’ll talk more about this in tomorrow’s devotion, but for now I want to encourage you to think on some of your favorite verses and write out some old lies and new truths on your own. Sweet friend, the process of stripping away old lies is hard and can produce raw feelings. That’s why it’s so crucial to have truths with which to replace them.
Dear Lord, please help me to recognize the lies I need to let go of. I want to fill up on Your truth instead. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
42
TURNING NORTH
The LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.”
—DEUTERONOMY 2:2–3
We all have messes in our lives. Financial messes. Relationship messes. Health messes. Kid messes. Home mes
ses. Business messes. Messes that leave us feeling stuck. Like we may be stranded in this place of upheaval and unrest forever.
I can’t help but think about the people of Israel as they were wandering through the desert. We read in the book of Deuteronomy about how they were stuck in a mess with no end in sight. God had miraculously set them free from the oppression and bondage of slavery in Egypt. But their unwillingness to fully trust Him and their blatant refusal to take possession of the promised land landed them in quite a mess. A forty-year, desert-wandering mess.
In Deuteronomy 2, Moses reminds them of a time when they had been stuck circling the same mountain for too long. God spoke into their wandering and let them know it was time to head in a new direction.
The LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.” (Deuteronomy 2:2–3)
It was a pivotal moment for them to remember. One where they had faced a life-changing choice. They could stay stuck, endlessly circling the same old place, or they could choose hope and head in a new direction with the Lord.
Am I letting this mess define me or refine me?
They could turn north.
I think this is the perfect time to pause and ask God if there is anywhere we need to “turn north” in our own lives. Have we been circling the same messes for years and years with no end in sight? Are there areas we know we need to change but we feel like it will require too much sacrifice?
Here’s a question we can ask ourselves right in the midst of our messes . . .
Am I letting this mess define me or refine me?
The answer to this question is crucial.
If I am letting a mess define me, I will feel hopeless.
If I am letting a mess refine me, I will be hopeful.
If the Israelites had looked at their forty-year track record of aimless wandering and defined themselves as rebellious failures, they would have lost all hope and kept right on circling. But because they embraced the correction and redirection of the Lord, they were able to turn around and move toward His promises with hope firmly planted in their hearts.
It’s time for our messes to stop defining us.
It’s time to embrace the refining process and turn north.
So how do we begin to turn north? We replace our old thoughts with empowering truths from God’s Word, just like we talked about yesterday. I call them “Go-To Scripts.” In other words, these statements can become our new patterns of thought. And these new patterns of thought will empower us for a new way of living.
Here are some of my favorite “Go-To Scripts” for turning north:
1. I was made for more than to be stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat. Deuteronomy 2:3, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.”
2. When tempted, I either remove the temptation or remove myself from the situation. 1 Corinthians 10:13–14, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee.”
3. I don’t have to worry about letting God down, because I was never holding Him up—God’s grace is sufficient. 2 Corinthians 12:9–11, “He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness . . . for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ ”
May we hear the Father’s voice, filled with grace and free from any hint of condemnation, declaring over us today, “It’s time to turn north, beloved.” And may we be found turning toward Him and moving forward with Him.
Dear Lord, thank You for looking on me with love and continually offering me hope. I’m choosing to believe today that I don’t have to stay stuck in my messes. I’m tuning my ear to Your voice today. I’m filling my heart and mind with the truth of Your Word. And I’m heading in a new direction with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
43
HOW MUCH WILL THIS CHOICE REALLY COST ME?
In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
—2 CORINTHIANS 2:11
A few years ago I sat at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with one of my daughters while an officer told her the importance of good choices. She was getting her learner’s permit and entering the scary world of teenage drivers.
“We’ve had 320 teens killed this year in fatal car accidents, so we want to do everything possible to keep you safe,” the officer said sternly as she highlighted for my daughter all the many rules for new drivers. Then she suggested signing a contract with her parents incorporating these rules.
I’ve never wanted to hug a DMV officer. But it was all I could do not to reach across the desk and throw my arms around her. For, you see, I had already created a driving contract that each of my teenagers had to sign.
I’m sure the kids thought the contract was a bit over the top. After all, none of their friends had to sign such a document with their parents. So it was good to hear another adult speak truth into the life of my child.
And what I loved most about the officer’s sermonette on safe driving was her emphasis on the cost of wrong choices.
If I know how much something is going to cost me, I make much wiser choices.
How I wish we could all see the cost of our choices as clearly as a price tag on items in a store. If I know how much something is going to cost me, I make much wiser choices. But we have an Enemy who schemes against us to keep the cost of dumb decisions concealed until it’s too late.
Satan wants to defeat, discourage, and destroy our families. His attacks are not just willy-nilly attempts to trip us up or knock us down. He wants to take us out.
Do you know why Satan’s tactics are called schemes in 2 Corinthians 2:11? A scheme is a plan, design, or program of action. Satan’s schemes are well-crafted plans specifically targeted to increase your desire for something outside the will of God, make you think giving in to a weakness is no big deal, and minimize your ability to think through the consequences of falling for this temptation.
Satan is a master of keeping that cost hidden until it’s too late.
Sweet sisters, this is something worth thinking about. And it’s something worth talking about with our kids and the people we love. Consider age-appropriate examples of how costly wrong choices can be. Be real, raw, and bold as you walk them through different scenarios of temptations they might face.
That DMV officer was certainly bold in her explanation of the cost when a teen driver gets distracted by their cell phone or friends acting silly. Hearing her explain to my daughter how costly others’ poor choices have been made these “rules” seem more like life-saving gifts.
Think how different life might be if we all paused and asked ourselves this crucial question: How much will this choice really cost me? If we teach ourselves and those entrusted to us nothing else this week than to ask this one question, we will have invested wisely. So, so very wisely.
Dear Lord, I am reminded that boldly following You is so much better than any short-term experience that’s not pleasing to You. Give me Your eyes so I can see temptation and its many different faces. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
44
THE COURAGEOUS CHOICE
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
—PHILIPPIANS 1:20
One day, I had the most interesting conversation with a friend who lives in Hollywood. Although her family lives in the middle of glitz, glamour, and extreme excess, she said they are determined to teach their kids something rare—the courageous choice.
You see, there are two kinds of courage. There’s the courageous act that makes our hearts beat fast when the knight fights the dragon or the firefighter rushes into the burning building. These are extreme events many of us won’t have to face. And because most of us aren’t put in positions to participate in a courageous act, we don’t
necessarily think of ourselves as courageous.
But there’s a second kind of courage that is widely available but not widely embraced. It’s the courageous choice. This is the decision to do the right thing even when it’s unpopular, uncelebrated, and probably even unnoticed.
Have you been faced with one of these kinds of choices lately? Probably one of my toughest courageous choices has been in the area of my food choices. It was my hidden struggle. The one I didn’t want to deal with or talk about. Not with my friends and certainly not with God.
But then I started coming across verse after verse in the Bible that spoke directly to my issue. Though I didn’t want to talk to God about it, God certainly seemed to want to speak to me. Verses like Philippians 1:20: “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
It is possible to layer one courageous choice upon another and find victory in your area of struggle.
He also spoke to me through Psalm 73:26: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” And 2 Corinthians 7:1: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
God assured me He loved me exactly how I was, but He loved me too much to leave me in a state of defeat.
I made a courageous choice to read the Bible looking for God to speak to me about my struggle. I made the courageous choice to walk willingly on the path of discipline. I made the courageous choice to pick something healthy even in the quietness of my pantry when no one else was looking.
I made the courageous choice to put a stake in the ground and say to myself, I’m more than the sum total of my screaming taste buds. My heart doesn’t want that junk food. My arms don’t want that junk food. My legs don’t want that junk food. And my soul certainly doesn’t want that junk food.
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