During the most difficult time in my life, I was constantly scurrying and trying to dig myself out of trouble. I would find answers, but they were just short-term fixes – knee-jerk responses that brought temporary relief but just made my hole deeper. I would wonder to myself, “What is going on,” “Will I ever get a break,” “When will it stop,” or “Why can’t I get it right?”

Do you or somebody you know sometimes feel as though you are fighting your way through life but losing the hard-fought battle? Does it seem you are always falling further behind? Maybe you feel that you’re such a failure that no one would – or could – help you. Most of us have experienced these feelings for fleeting moments, extended periods or even whole seasons of our life. If you suffer from anxiety, depression, or an addiction, as so many do, you might feel alone and hopeless most of the time. When well-meaning people try to cheer you up by pointing out your good qualities or the positive aspects of your life, the messages may seem like false praise or meaningless words from someone who doesn’t know you or your deeper issues very well. So, you just discount their words, their compassion and their efforts to connect.Well, there is Someone who knows you better than you know yourself – someone who wants to give you hope and help you win the battle. His name is Jesus. He promises you peace (John 14:27). He intercedes to God the Father for you (John 17:9). He promises to work all things for your good (Romans 8:28). He rides on the Heavens to help you (Deuteronomy 33:26). You may say, “Those promises sound good for someone else, but they couldn’t be for me. I don’t deserve them. You don’t know me.” Well, true, I don’t. But Jesus DOES know you. And He loves you. If no one else had existed, He would have died on the cross just for you. He loves you that much. None of us deserves that kind of love. But the beautiful part is we don’t have to deserve it, because Jesus gives it freely and unconditionally.Today, actually use this truth to form the lenses to view yourself and your circumstances. I challenge you to make a table. Write down some descriptors and traits of who you think you are, why you believe it, and if those beliefs are based on real facts. Now reflect on this chart – Are they worldly philosophies or heavenly facts? Are they the facts of the prosecution? For in the last column, list the facts that Jesus presents on your behalf.

Paul knows we are all gullible at times and is warning us to watch out because the Condemner is so loud and shrewd as to how he deceives us into thinking lies to be truth. Or he takes our sins and tricks us into thinking our sins determine our identity, calling, purpose, and meaning. Read these verses to see his intense and direct warning.

1 TIMOTHY 6:20

Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. (NLT)O Timothy, guard and keep safe the deposit [of godly truth] entrusted to you, turn away from worldly and godless chatter [with its profane, empty words], and the contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge” (AMP)

COLOSSIANS 2:8

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. (NLT)

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ. (AMP)

Above all else, let Him love you. Open your heart to the hope and healing that come from Him alone. It is your decision either to see the person the world and your insecurities have brainwashed you to see, or the person that God sees – sanctified through the work of Jesus and His love. Whether you listen to God’s voice or you listen to Satan’s prosecution and the old tapes in your head is your decision, so choose well.

PRAYER

Dear Father God, thank You for loving me unconditionally. Thank You for sending Your only Son to die for me. Thank You, Jesus, for dying for me. When I’m feeling down, help me to remember Your love for me, to experience Your love, and to share Your love with others. I pray to You, Father, for all those in the world today who suffer with depression. May they see themselves through Your eyes, and seek Your peace in the right places. I pray this and all prayers in the name of the One who knows me better than I know myself, Jesus Christ. And all God’s children say AMEN!

SCRIPTURE

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” – Ephesians 3:19

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’ Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.’ Then I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.'” – Zechariah 3:1-5

Time to RENEW & REWIRE…

1. Think of the last time someone tried to encourage you and you brushed it off. What made their words feel untrustworthy or not enough? Whose voice have you been listening to more this season – God’s, the Condemner’s, or your old emotionally-flavored tapes?
2. If your old tapes start to play tomorrow, what’s one practical way you can turn the volume down?
3. Being in God’s Word daily is the start of bootcamp for you to become a special forces warrior in the spiritual battle. Take out your Bible or go to your favorite Bible App. Read through John 14:27, John 17:9, Romans 8:28, Deuteronomy 33:26. Pick one of these promises. What would it look like to actually lean on it this week, not just read it?