Defeating the Lies with Scripture
During a weekend of pure exhaustion and feeling like I was not measuring up, the enemy got really loud. After weeks of defeat, his voice became a broken record that sounded all too familiar.
You must work to earn the love of others.
You are a disappointment to everyone, including God..
You are always going to struggle, no matter how hard you try.
You will always not be enough, because you are a failure.
How could the Lord delight in you? What is there to delight in?
In this moment, the truths and promises of God’s Word applied to everyone else, but not to me. I remember a friend telling me that the Lord delights in me (Zeph. 3:17), and He calls His children a gift from the Lord. (Psalm 127:3). I know these scriptures, but at that moment I just could not believe those scriptures were true for me. I remember telling her, “I hear you, but I just don’t see myself this way right now. Some days, most days, I do not feel like a gift. I feel like a a burden.
Lies. All lies. Lies that cloud our judgment and make God’s loving grace and mercy seem impossible for us. These lies are attacks from the enemy, Satan.
Shortly after Jesus was baptized, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus was tempted and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. I could not imagine taking on the attacks of the enemy relentlessly for that many days, but also having nothing to eat at the same time. Unlike many of us, Jesus did not grow weary in His stance against Satan. He did not believe the lies or fall for Satan’s schemes.
The Bible shows us 3 times that Satan tempted Jesus.
- He tempted Jesus to tell the nearby stones to become loaves of bread.
“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 ESV
Jesus quoted Old Testament scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3 regarding the 40 years that the Israelites traveled in the wilderness to the promised land.
- Satan took Jesus to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem and encouraged Him to jump to prove that He is the Son of God. And Satan used scripture to encourage his scheme.
“For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”
Psalm 91:11-12
Jesus responded quoting Old Testament scripture in Deuteronomy 6:16:
“You must not test the Lord your God…”
- Next, the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in exchange for Jesus’ worship.
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”
Matthew 4:10 NLT
Jesus responded by quoting Old Testament scripture, Deuteronomy 6:13.
After their encounter, the devil fled and the angels came to care for Jesus.
I share all of this scripture to show you how Jesus fought against the enemy. He did not cower to the words of the enemy, believe his lies, or proudly boast His glory. He fought with scripture, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). He used the truths of God’s Word to fight back against the schemes of the devil. He reminded the devil that our worship, obedience, and service belongs to God alone.
Are we fighting back with scripture? Or, are we believing the lies of the enemy?
Are we using the Word of God to fight our battles? Or, are we fighting in our own strength?
Are we believing God’s Word as truth for us? Or, believing it is only available to everyone else?
The devil knows our weakness. He knows that you long to be the perfect mother, to be loved unconditionally, to feel numb to the pain. That is why his schemes are so clever and tactful. Piercing us at the core of our deepest longing.
Friend, I am here to tell you that the enemy is real.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
“[The devil] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 NLT
He is not a red, horned, devil standing on the shoulder opposite of an angel. He is attacking us on a spiritual level through our thoughts, worries, longings, anxieties, and fears.
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
Friend, God delights in you. Not because you have it all together, but because you are His child. Through the sanctifying blood of Jesus, we live in direct relationship with our Father. His blood covers our sins in forgiveness. He freely extends His grace and mercy to each of us. The Bible is filled with scripture of how God sees you. But, the enemy wants to cause you to doubt and twist the Word of God so that you will walk in defeat and shame. As long as there is breath in our lungs, the enemy is not finished.
This Easter season, my hope is that we will walk in the love Jesus displayed for us on the cross. That you and I will freely accept the gift of His forgiveness, that we do not have to earn. That we will know that the Crucifixion is not the end, the Resurrection came 3 days later. There is hope in the waiting, in our hurting, and in our moments of darkness. We may be plagued with the lies of the enemy today, but the day is coming where you and I will defeat his lies, time and time again, with the strength, words, confidence, and abundance of your Lord and Savior. For we have the sword of the Spirit as our weapon, and every word that comes from the mouth of God.
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
John 10:10 AMP
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:5 NLT
Invitation to Worship
“Me On Your Mind” by Matthew West
“We Need a Miracle” by Charity Gayle
“I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle
“Look What You’ve Done” by Tasha Layton
Until next time, Laura
Laura Spurlin is a nurse who boxed up her scrubs to be a stay-at-home-mama to her two kiddos. In this season of motherhood, her anxiety hit a soaring peak and her depression hit a deep low. With this battle came a stronger, deeper, and more surrendering (on her end) relationship with Christ, and a love for writing what He places on her heart about mothering, marriage, and mental health.
Find her here on instagram