We are of God. He who knows God is hearing us. He who is not of God is not hearing us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception
First Epistle of Johns 4: 6, Concordant New Testament
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday who asked me to pray for him. It wasn't an unusual prayer request, one I'm sure we've all had at one time or another. See, my friend was concerned over feelings of inadequacy which he was having lately. Feelings that he wasn't worth much and that God had no use for him. Now, obviously this is a false and misleading message, but one which many others have fallen victim to at one time or another. There was a time when I myself gave into these feelings of not feeling worthy. I think we've all experienced this at one time of another. The first advice which I gave my friend was to beware of the spirit of error. That is, the voice of Satan the accuser. It is well known among Christian circles that the devil will take each and every opportunity not only to drive a wedge between ourselves and the Father, but to deliver unto us messages which erode our faith and confidence in who it is that we are in the Fathers eyes. The scriptures tell us that the devil "Is walking about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to swallow up" {Peter to the Dispersion (1) 5:8}. We know that the devil, our accuser, has never been passive in his ways. He will take each and every opportunity to drive us deeper and farther away from the Lord. He's also crafty {Genesis 3:1}. He will take the opportunity to speak to our spirits and imitate the voice of the Father. He knows all to well what he's doing. I believe that this is the voice that my friend has been hearing, because it's that same voice I recognize from before. That voice which speaks to our faults and our fears. That voice which tells us that we're no good, that we're too sinful for the Father to even care about us. These are the lies of the deceiver! The litmus test for these falsehoods is to ask yourself, when has God ever declared that I am not good enough for Him? To believe otherwise is to believe in the lies of the deceiver. This is the voice of the spirit of error {First Epistle of John 4:6}.
I know the spirit of error because I've heard it before in my own life. I've come to recognize his tactics. My friend, on the other hand, is new to this game. Back when I felt totally inadequate in my life, I blindly followed that voice which spoke the lies to me. That God could not love someone who screwed up in their life as much as I had. That God had turned His back on me due to my behaviors. These were all lies spoken to me in my time of despair. It's not uncommon for the deceiver to speak to us in our weak moments. This is what he's done to me. This is what he's doing to my friend. My friend took comfort in the fact that he's not alone, that I have heard the words of the deceiver as well. That many others have fallen victim to his lies as well. To his credit, my friend questioned what he felt that he was hearing within his spirit. It was a voice which he hadn't heard before from the Lord. Why would God try to make him feel inadequate in any way? THAT is the key here, God would never speak in that way to His loved child. What God would tell us is the truth which we find in the scriptures. That we are His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}. That Jesus has paid that debt for our sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6-11}. That it is His desire that His children are saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}. This is the truth which we have in the Father. If we are hearing this in our spirit, it is His voice. On the other hand, if we're hearing that voice which accuses and demeans us, we're hearing the voice of the deceiver.
"My sheep are hearing My voice, and I know them, and they are following Me"
Johns Account 10: 27, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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