Tag: Satan tries to destroy us

God’s Lens of Love and Grace Overcomes Satan’s Vicious Lies That God Doesn’t Care

Trudy Den Hoed26 Comments

“See what great love the Father
has lavished on us, that we should
be called children of God! 
And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1

That is what we are? Children of God? Yes! God is a Father who will never, ever hurt us like earthly fathers sometimes do. He delights in us, so deeply that Jesus came to suffer and die in our place. Willingly. Lovingly. Lavishly.

Do you ever feel like you know this in your head, but your heart sometimes struggles to believe it? Your legs feel too rubbery to get up and move forward and receive this truth He so freely offers? Your hands feel too weak to take hold of His proffered hand of love and grace? Especially in times of vulnerability when Satan pummels us with his vicious lies and stomps us under his feet?

Believe me, Satan knows where we’re most vulnerable. Terminal or chronic illness can sap our energy. Depression and other mental illnesses can suck us down, down, down into a deep, dark hole where we lose hope and can’t see a speck of light anymore to lead us out. Losses of so many kinds can make us wonder where God is. Loss of self and devastation of lives through abuse or other traumas. The death of loved ones. Betrayals. Desertions. Divisions. Loss of jobs and financial means. The pandemic and all its repercussions. And on and on it goes. And Satan stalks as a hungry and determined lion watching, waiting, and pouncing on us when we’re weak and vulnerable.

© TheLovelyScribe

When we’re discouraged, we become an easy target, and it can be harder to fight off those negative voices of never being enough. Those critical voices that say we’re unlovable, unwanted, and surely not needed in this world. Those vicious voices that say Jesus does not care and there is no hope or help for us.

Satan knows exactly when our bodies or souls are weary and feeling too weak to hang onto God’s truth. He sometimes convinces us to look through our lens of skewed perspectives because of past or present trauma and hurting words and actions that can drown out the remembrance of our identity in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t want us to look through the lens of truth that we are Jesus’ beloved, that Jesus cares so deeply, and He is with us no matter how difficult our struggles are.

Recently, I was looking through that distorted lens before I even realized it. My heart became so heavy, and I couldn’t understand why. Help me, Jesus! I turned to the One who knows and understands the deepest troubles of our hearts. The One who cries with us and longs for us to release our burdens into His hands.

And He graciously opened one of His promises to me:

“The God of peace will soon
crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!”
Romans 16:20

Yes, Jesus in His powerful love and grace has already gained the victory over Satan, but as long as we’re on earth, Satan will try his utmost to bring us to doubt that truth. The grace of Jesus will always be with us here and help us through the heaviest trial, but won’t that be a glorious day when Satan will forever be crushed under our feet?!

If we hear condemning or shaming voices, it’s not God. God may sometimes lead us in a way of correction out of love, but He will never condemn us even when we fail or fall. Even though He knows that in our weakness, we sometimes do take up those distorted lens Satan digs up and gives us. He can and will remove those lens and again give us His lens of love and grace. The lens He sees us through. His lovable and wanted child who is needed in this world to spread the same love He gives us to others.

“So now there is no condemnation
for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
‘I have loved you with an everlasting love;
 I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'”
Jeremiah 31:3

When We Long For the Fountain of Living Water To Revive Us

Trudy Den Hoed24 Comments

Running and leaping over fences, a deer flees from hunters. Her sides heave and her nostrils quiver. Her heart beats overtime. Her open mouth pants for water. Will her enemy ever stop pursuing her? Where can she get some water to give her strength to keep going?

“As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,
So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.”
Psalm 42:1 AMP

We can identify with a deer’s plight, can’t we? Satan is relentless in pursuing us. Every moment is hunting season for him. He will stop at nothing to devour us. He knows where we are the most vulnerable. He batters us with lies: God doesn’t care about you. You’re insignificant to Him and to everyone. You have no purpose in this life. And on and on… He will stop at nothing to discourage us and keep us away from the Fountain of living water we so need to refresh us, energize us, and revive our fainting spirits.

As a deer pants longingly for water brooks, every fiber of our being can long for a refreshing and reviving drink from Jesus, the Fountain of life. Without His life-giving strength, we can’t go on. We try to keep replacing Satan’s lies with God’s truth, but we can become so battle-weary. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Jesus knows when we are too weary to keep going. He constantly invites us, “Come, My child, come. You don’t have to do this alone.” His longing for us is infinitely greater than ours. He is the Fountain of living water that longs to quench our thirsty souls. He is the Fountain of love and mercy that never runs dry. He is the Fountain of sufficient grace that is available every second of day or night.

All Who Are Thirsty
by Kutless

“All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Just come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As the deep cries out to deep, we sing…”

Safety Under God’s Wings of Refuge

Trudy Den Hoed32 Comments

Courtesy of Heartlight

A mother bird blackened and dead. Rangers were checking out the damage of a forest fire and were sickened to find such a sad and devastating sight. One bumped the bird with a stick, and three little chicks came scrambling out. Mama could have flown to safety, but instead she covered her little ones and sacrificed her life for theirs.

I heard this story many years ago. While surfing to find it, I found it used as an example in some devotions. But other sites claim there is no proof this really happened. Whether it’s truth or fiction, I don’t know. However, I do know and have witnessed in my life how a mother hen will gather her little ones under her wings to hide and protect them from danger. Danger from any lurking predator seeking to harm them.

A hen is almost defenseless herself, and yet she will never abandon her chicks when danger comes. If necessary, she will even shield her chicks with her own body and sacrifice her own life to preserve their lives.

It paints such a moving picture of what God has done and still does for us, doesn’t it?

Jesus placed Himself between us and the fiery judgment we deserved for our sins. He died so we might live. Only He came to life again, because He is the God of limitless power over all our enemies.

Satan will continue to lurk about us to destroy us. But because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, he will never be able to devour our souls. But still, he is going to keep trying.

God doesn’t promise there won’t be danger or struggles in our lives. He doesn’t promise He won’t allow Satan to try us. He doesn’t promise our lives will be free of fear and suffering. But He does offer His wings of refuge and wants to cuddle us to Himself in the warmth of His love and safety.

Under His Wings

(Author Unknown – If anyone can find out who wrote this, please let me know.)

My way was filled with danger
And I felt so alone
The enemy had singled me
Out to do wrong
And when he drew near
My heart filled with fear
Then I heard someone dear
Calling me to His side

And I ran under His wings
There He covered me, and now I can see
The enemy still looks for me
But what he can’t see
Is that I’m under my Lord’s wings
Under His wings

The thunder rolled
Dark clouds hung low
I was out in a storm
I was shivering in the coldest night
No safe retreat from harm
And there blew strong winds
Would this be my end?
And then I heard my Friend
Callin’ me to His side

And I ran under His wings
There He covered me
And now I can see
The storm still rages
Oh, but in the Rock of Ages
We’re resting warmly here
Under our Lord’s wings

Under His wings, Under His wings
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings My soul shall abide
Safely abide forever!

“He will cover you with His feathers.
He will shelter you with His wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”
Psalm 91:4 NLT
“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until the danger passes by.”
Psalm 57:1

“Jesus Died My Soul to Save”
by HeartofChrist

Jesus loves you more than you know!