Not Today, Satan: Remembering the Truth in the Midst of Satan's Lies

Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Other Lies we tell Kids:

I’m not sure if I ever believed in Santa.

Growing up, my family members were professional sarcasm slingers and outstanding kings of creativity.  Consequently, it took immense amounts of discernment to actually know when the truth was being told. I spent years with my brother telling me I was adopted and from a different planet.  I think it might have been his sole purpose in life to destroy every one of my childhood paradigms!

So, you can imagine what he did with Santa.  

I was probably around five or six when he systematically tore apart every detail of the Santa myth for me.  I don’t know how much I actually believed in Santa at that point, but I know that I was done after that! What’s funny about this, is that he spent hours of our childhood trying to convince me of all of these random tales my parents would have killed him for, but when he had the opportunity to expand on the Santa tale, he chose to break it apart and tell me the truth!  

What else are siblings for, though, really?

Lies Satan Told Me

It’s easy to look back and laugh at the stories I believed as a kid!  I’m pretty confident I’m not from Mars, and I do know I wasn’t adopted.  Obviously, Santa, the tooth fairy, and the easter bunny are all impossibilities.  Those are all innocent-enough stories and myths.

But what about the lies we believe as adults?

Satan has been filling my head with lies all week.

Anyone else been there?

For a solid 48 hours, Satan had me convinced:

I’m not worthy.

I’m not good enough.

No one will ever unconditionally love me.

God could never use me.

I’m too broken, too crushed.

I will never be successful.

I’m going to be alone.

I’m a failure.

This is impossible.

Satan, he doesn’t play fair.  All it takes sometimes is for him to plant one teeny, tiny little seed in our brains.  Sometimes it happens quickly, and sometimes it happens gradually, but that seed starts to grow and branch out and before we even realize it.  And, all of a sudden, that seed has grown into a massive vine that weaves its way throughout all of our thoughts.

That’s what happened to me this week.

Satan planted a seed of doubt in my brain: doubt of my worth, doubt of my goodness, doubt of my ability to be loved.  

And that seed took root.

Maybe I’ve read too many paranormal books, or I read too many Frank Peretti books in my youth, or I’ve seen too many movies, but I have this scene in my imagination of what must have happened this morning, and it looks like this.

Darkness.  The sun hadn’t yet risen; the alarms were still silent.  I was stuck in that inbetween, in that place between sleep and wakefulness where you only have about half control over your thoughts, and mine were spiraling.  What can only be demons swirl around me, a translucent black, something between smoke and fog. They reach out to me with their tendons, their bony fingers just about to latch onto my mind, as they spew their thoughts of worthlessness, failure, and ruin at me.  They are so strong my mind can’t resist their influence. Just as they begin to permeate my mind, a blinding light destroys the darkness, and with it comes one word, one word that seeps into my mind and overtakes the darkness there: Truth.

Startled by the word, I jolt awake.  Immediately, I can feel that the darkness is gone.  Truths I have known my entire life come rushing into my brain:

Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ.

God is the God of the Impossible.

I’ve seen you move mountains, and I believe you will do it again.

God is my refuge and strength.

A peace that passes understanding.

His grace is sufficient for me.

Truth

I got out of bed and immediately sat down to remind myself of even more of God’s promises.  And here’s what he reminded me of (through Lysa TerKeurst’s new book that you should read) :

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (Psalm 40:1–2 ESV)

God does not tell me this is impossible; he doesn’t tell me I’m doomed.  No, here, David explains just the opposite.  He explains how God heard his cry, pulled him out of the pit of his own destruction, and set him on the rock where he had security.  

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29–31 ESV)

God doesn’t tell me I’m not worthy.  He doesn’t tell me I’m not good enough and he can’t use me.  In fact, he tells me that not even a sparrow will fall to the ground apart from the father, and I am worth much more than a sparrow.  

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:28–29)

God doesn’t tell me I’m a failure who will never be successful.  In fact, he tells me he gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

God doesn’t tell me I’m not good enough and he can’t use me.  In fact, he says that he will bring the good work he began in me to a completion.

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)

God doesn’t tell me I will be alone and unlovable.  In fact, he promises that if I trust him and pour out my heart to him, He will be my refuge.

For the first time in a couple days, I felt like I could breathe again.  I felt confident in saying, “Not today, Satan.”

Nowhere in those passages, or any passages for that matter, are any of those lies Satan was telling me.  Nowhere does God tell me I’m not worthy, I’m not lovable, I’m doomed for failure, or that this situation is impossible for Him.  Nowhere. In fact, God tells me just the opposite of all of those things...repeatedly.

So, I started praying audaciously and with boundless faith.  

And I haven’t quit all day.

I don’t know what lies Satan is telling you today, how he is creeping into your mind and planting dangerous seeds, but I know he’s always on the prowl.  

Is he telling you that you aren’t good enough?

Is he telling you that you are a disappointment?

Is he telling you that you could be a better parent?

Is he telling you that you will never be loved?

Is he telling you that your mistakes are unforgivable?

Is he telling you that your shame should be too much?

Is he telling you that you will never be successful?

Is he telling you that you don’t deserve more?

Is he telling you that everything is your fault?

Is he telling you that you aren’t a good son or daughter?

Is he telling you that you brought this pain on yourself?

Is he telling you that you will never amount to anything?

Is he telling you that you should do more?

Is he telling you that you should just give up?

Or maybe it’s another lie completely, one that he knows will destroy you.

I pray that whatever lies Satan is telling you today will be drowned out by the light and by the Truth.  I pray that God will remind you of his truths today just like he did for me. And, I pray that you will audaciously pray with boundless faith until you wholeheartedly own and believe God’s truths.  

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