Spiritual Warfare - Negative talk and the enemy

I picked up my daily Bible this morning and began reading. The Old Testament reading started with the first chapter of Job. Wow, what a story. I have read this book several times and yet I am always blow away by this conversation in the first chapter.

1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright….

Now what gets me is this dialog:

6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [Satan means accuser] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

It is freaky to think that God and Satan talk about people on earth. Do you think this still happens today?

Well I submit to you that our accuser is relentless and he accuses us night and day.

Let me ask you a question. Do you ever feel like you never escape some of the sins of your past? Do you repent of something, ask forgiveness, and still feel guilty? Do you feel like the Holy Spirit is convicting you for this sin over and over?

Well my brothers and sisters this is your accuser.

The Holy Spirit will indeed convict you of sin but it is the accuser who uses your memory to heap on guilt and condemnation to effectively sideline you. The accuser wants you to feel bad. The Holy Spirit will free you.

Do you find yourself hearing negative self-talk in the third person such as:

You’re fat.

You’re stupid.

You’re an idiot.

You’re not a real Christian.

God doesn’t love you.

There’s no hope for you.

You’re worthless.

This is your accuser. Do you normally talk about yourself using the word “you.” No, you talk referring to yourself as “I.”

When you hear this kind of talk going on in your head, there is an enemy near and I literally mean a demon. However, you can shut this negative self-talk down. We just need to realize what is really going on.

The spiritual realm is real. The accuser waits and uses every opportunity to defeat us and render us useless. Now you know the truth and the truth will set you free. When you begin to hear that negative self-talk heaping guilt and condemnation on you over sin you have repented of and asked forgiveness, stop right there and tell the enemy you will not listen.

Lord our All Powerful God,
Forgive us when we do not believe we are forgiven. You have promised us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Today free us from the lies of the enemy and let us not listen in the future. Help us to repeat the promises you give us in the Bible.
I am free in Christ.
I am valuable.
I am beautiful.
I have a great purpose in this life.
I am effective in the lives around me.
God Loves me.
I have hope.
I am wise.
I am saved.
In Jesus saving and redeeming name, Amen

Revelation 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Amen, Lord. Amen.

Be Blessed, Lynn

*adapted from the teaching of Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church ~Thank you Mark!