Monday, December 7, 2015

The Devil’s After Your Mind, God Makes Sight for the Blind

He’s the devil of deception,
Satan, who works in darkness to blind,
He wants to taint your perception,
The devil’s after your mind.
But your God and King,
Gives you good thoughts to think,
He can heal and restore everything,
In a matter of a blink.
There’s nothing like real experience, and a pattern to that end, in the mix of God’s light of revelation, to seal the deal. That deal is delivery from deception when at last we’re given the eye to discern. Discernment is everything.
Discerning the Voice
“… Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Whose voice is it? This should be our first question when thoughts of darkness and deception hit the screens of our eyes — those eyes of our heart.
The devil will try and use anything against us; a well-willed encouragement, a sign of hope from elsewhere, even God’s Word. The devil will twist our perceptions by trying to use God (and his people) against us. And if our eyes are dark we’ll only see darkness — to be fooled that God (or his people) is against us. God cannot be against us. If we think he is, and that his people are against us, then our eyes are dark and we’re only seeing darkness. Even if some people are against us, the only thing we have going for us is God’s kindly grace to start relations with them all over again; to trust when they don’t trust, and to respect them when it seems a one-way street, to trust the law of reciprocation. Grace is a second chance, a third time, done in a ninth way.
Beckon God’s voice, speaking through His Word, that communicates by light, that opens the eyes of our heart.
Whenever we find ourselves feeling negative, fearful or discouraged we ought to also feel for whether Satan’s trying to get a foot in the door. He strikes at our weakest. He works when we’re most vulnerable — to undermine us.
Running Headlong Into Truth
Fortunately, although the devil works to undermine us in our vulnerability, God comes to restore us, especially in our vulnerability.
The one thing that will help us discern the angles of the spiritual forces both against us and for us is truth: God’s Word.
Check what you’re thinking against the plumbline of God’s Word; test it to truth. But be wary; Satan’s cunning. Share your Bible-illuminated thoughts with wiser Christians around you — people God’s put in your midst to help you.
Run to truth when you’re under spiritual attack,
Go to God your Lord in a hurry,
For when you do, this will occur,
Satan in his fear will scurry.
***
The only one who will use God’s Word against us is Satan. Watch how he twists contexts and pretends it’s God speaking. But God is for us.
Sometimes too much is made of the spiritual realm, but just as often or more not enough is made of it. When we see Satan’s tricks we simply call them for what they are. We remind him who has sought us and bought us — we are the Father in heaven’s property now because of Jesus, and nothing can change that fact, praise God.
When you see the enemy stalk,
Don’t be fearful or run away,
Run instead into the arms of God,
And goodness will come and stay.
Run to the Fountain of Life
“God is the fountain of life… By His light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9)
If we see God’s light, we enjoy the fountain of life; a wellspring bubbling up within us the fullness of vision and wisdom.
Let us seek his light so he might help us see past our blindness.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.

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