HAVE YOU BEEN LIED TO?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin
the Lord will never count against them.”
(Romans 4:7-8)

MEDITATION:
According to God’s Word, Satan is (and has always been) a liar.
When Jesus was speaking to those who were not members of
God’s family (aka children of God), 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.”
      (Romans 8:44)

Some folks tell lies in their efforts to try to impress others.
Some tell lies to try to get out of trouble. Still others tell
lies in their efforts to hide their sins. One of the reasons
Satan tells lies, is to hurt those in the family of God.

One of his greatest lies is, trying to convince us that we are
not adequately blessed by God. Why would he focus on that
area? Because he knows if he can convince us that God has
not blessed us as we feel He should, we will start searching
the ‘things of the world’ for other ways to be blessed.

Satan’s desire is to shift us from looking up, to looking horizontally.
He wants us to start comparing our own blessings with the blessings
others have received. Why? Because he knows this is a way he can
effectively change our attitudes and cause us to have feelings of envy,
pride, jealousy, anger, arguments and boasting.

None of these characteristics will ever be pleasing to God,
but they can be indicators of our change of focus. In addition,
they can be signs that we have started losing our appreciation
for the good things God has given us.
    “You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy
       and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?
      Are you not acting like mere humans?”
      (1 Corinthians 3:3)

When our focus is on worldly things, our attention is no longer
on the Lord. And, as a result, we spend less time with the Lord,
we worship and praise Him less, we spend less time in prayer,
we lose our gratefulness for His blessings, and we no longer
depend on the One who wants to bless us.
(Note: God knows the dangers of our becoming independent).

We can see Satan’s success in the lives of some people who have
‘drifted away’ from worshipping the Lord. Some have started
believing his lies and have begun pursuing their own pleasures
as a replacement for spending time with the God who loves and
wants to bless them.
    Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there
    may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the
    Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not THROW OPEN
    THE FLOOD GATES OF HEAVEN AND POUR
    OUT SO MUCH BLESSING THAT THERE WILL
    NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO STORE IT.
    (Malachi 3:10)

As children of God, whenever Satan tries to convince us
that we should be disappointed with the blessings we’ve
received from God, we need to remember the cross. Why?
Because that’s where God displayed His greatest blessing
to all mankind.

Since He is a God of dispensation, He blesses each person
with whatever He determines they need at the time. Our
responsibility is to accept and appreciate the blessings He
has given us. If we can do that, we won’t become victims
of Satan’s lies; lies which cause us to start comparing our
blessings to the blessings others have received.

Our best defense against listening to Satan’s lies, is to
be grateful for how the Lord has blessed others. If we
can be glad when we see others receive God’s blessings,
it defuses any feelings of jealousy, envy, greed, etc.

ACTION:
Have you been influenced by Satan’s lies? Are you aware
of how he has affected your life? Do you need to need to
ask the Lord to change your attitudes in some areas? Do
you still appreciate how the Lord has blessed you? How
often do you thank Him for His blessings? Has your
focus been changed from ‘vertical’, to ‘horizontal’?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for how You have blessed
me in so many ways. Thank You for the sacrifice Jesus
made, so I could receive Your gift of salvation. Forgive
me if I’ve failed to appreciate Your blessings as I should.
If I have been comparing Your blessings for me, to the
blessings of those around me, change my heart so I will
be glad when I see You are blessing others. Forgive me
if I have drifted away from You and started pursuing my
own selfish desires. Re-create in me a burning desire to
spend more time with You, and a longing to live a life
that is more obedient to Your commands. My battles
with Satan are more than I can handle on my own;
remind me to be more dependent on You.”

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