by Joyce Meyer
As long as we blame other people for our own bad behavior and problems, we are caught in a never-ending cycle of misery. The only path to freedom is letting God show us truth, facing it, and asking Him to help us change. If we have been treated unjustly, God will vindicate us in due time.
The Devil Is Alive and Active
Corrie ten Boom said, “The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.” She was right!
In the 1970s I read a book that was popular at the time called Satan Is Alive and Well on Planet Earth, by Hal Lindsey. The book opened my eyes to many things, and God used it to start a revolutionary spiritual change in me. It introduced me to how active Satan is on the earth and to what he is attempting to do. For the first time I saw him as a real enemy that had to be dealt with. I also became aware that many of my beliefs were just plain wrong, according to Scripture. The devil had deceived me, and I was totally unaware of it.
For example, I believed for years that because I had been abused sexually by my father, I would always have a second-rate life. I was convinced that my life could never be as good as it would have been had I not been abused. This thinking made me resentful and left me feeling hopeless. But as I learned the truth of God’s Word, I discovered promises from God, such as the one that He would give me a double blessing for my former trouble and unjust treatment:
Instead of your [former] shame you will have a double portion; and instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy will be theirs. For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery with a burnt offering. And I will faithfully reward them, and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isaiah 61:7–8
I believed I was a disappointment to God and that I should have done something to get out of my situation as a child, although I had no idea what that would have been. I told my mom what my father was doing to me, and she didn’t believe me. A few years later, she even caught my father abusing me, but due to fear she decided to ignore it and not deal with it at all. I asked other relatives for help, and they didn’t want to get involved. So I just gave up and decided that if I couldn’t get away from the situation, I would survive it and leave home as soon as I was old enough to do so. When I did leave home, I thought I left my problem behind, but I carried it with me in my wounded soul, and sadly, suffered many more years of mental and emotional torment because I continued to believe the devil’s lies.
I carried a burden of guilt and shame with me at all times, and not until I had studied God’s Word for many years did the truth finally become stronger than the lies I had believed most of my life. Thankfully I learned that Jesus bore my sin, guilt, and shame, and that through my faith in Jesus, God considered me to be in right standing with Him. I was, in fact, according to Scripture, the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:21). I was a new creature in Christ; old things had passed away and all things had become brand-new (see 2 Cor. 5:17).
I learned that I had authority over Satan, and that I was called and anointed by God to serve Him and do amazing things. I also read that there are 5,467 promises from God in His Word, and I was missing out on most of them through believing Satan’s lies instead of knowing the truth. Jesus said that if we know the truth, it will make us free (see John 8:32). That is what has happened to me and to millions of others, and it will happen for you also.
These examples are only a few of the lies that God’s Word uncovered in my life, lies that Satan told me and I believed. I learned firsthand that the devil is indeed alive and well and active against God’s people.
Taking Back Your Mind
Watchman Nee did some phenomenal writing about how Satan attacks and uses the minds of believers to do his evil work. Through his writings, I learned that the mind is the battlefield on which we either win or lose the war with evil. In his book The Spiritual Man, he wrote:
Why is the Christian’s mental life so beset by evil spirits? This can be answered in one sentence: believers afford the evil spirits (or the devil) the opportunity to attack.
Why would believers give evil spirits the opportunity to attack their minds? They would do so only because they are ignorant of the devil’s wiles and methods of deception, or perhaps they are ignorant of his existence entirely. The word wily, which is related to the word wiles, means “cunning, crafty, and deceitful.” Wiles are often described as “clever tricks,” and they are Satan’s way of gaining entrance into a person’s life. Satan doesn’t knock on the front door of our lives announcing his arrival, telling us who he is and informing us that he has come to destroy us. He lies in wait for an opportune time and then he lies, deceives, and cunningly and craftily makes his way in, often undetected. Then he delights in hearing us blame God or other people for the trouble the devil himself is instigating.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed in The Christian Warfare, “There is nothing, I would say, which is more significant about evangelicalism in this present century than the way in which it has largely ignored this teaching concerning the devil and the principalities and powers, and the ‘wiles’ of the devil” (here). We need to learn a great deal in this area. Not only do we need to learn it, we also need to remind ourselves often that we have an enemy who is always on the prowl, looking for someone to devour.
People who do not learn to think for themselves are headed for trouble. Do you ever think about what you have been thinking about? If you would, then you would often find the source of your problems. Our words, emotions, and actions are the results of our thoughts. For example, it is impossible to spend the day entertaining and meditating on negative thoughts and remain happy and joyful. When our thoughts are negative and sour, our mood becomes the same. When they are positive and hopeful, our spirits lift and we live with an expectation that something good is headed our way.
The Bible tells us to resist the devil (see James 4:7), but we often unknowingly assist him through receiving as our own any and every thought he puts into our minds. You and I can and should do our own thinking. We should choose our thoughts carefully because they ultimately become the blueprint for our lives. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthian church:
The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5
People who desire to win their battles must understand the importance of this passage. First, it teaches us that we have weapons. Our weapons are not physical, so they must be spiritual. They cannot be seen in the natural realm, but they certainly affect this realm. The primary weapon Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 is the Word of God. With that Word, we recognize and defeat the lies and thoughts the devil whispers to our minds. Please notice that we must take those thoughts captive. It’s not something God or anyone else can do for us. We direct our thoughts into obedience to the will of Christ. We learn to think as God wants us to think, and He wants us to think according to His Word. He wants us to be in agreement with Him and with His plan and purpose for our lives and His Kingdom.
Renewing Your Mind
The renewal of the mind is the most important thing for the person who has accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. The new believer must learn to think in an entirely new way. We might have had years of practice thinking in ways that are contrary to what God says, and learning to think in agreement with God’s Word will take time, education, and effort. Paul writes that we are not to be conformed to this world, but to “be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes]” (Rom. 12:2). In other words, we are not to think or behave as worldly people do. Instead, we are to be transformed by rene
wing our minds according to God’s Word so we may prove what God’s will is and experience the good plan and purpose He has for each one of us.
The word transformed as used in Romans 12:2 means “to be changed completely according to a new inner reality.” God does this work in us. We become a new creation (see 2 Cor. 5:17), and as we learn to think and behave according to that new reality, our entire life changes. This happens gradually and depends on our gaining knowledge of God’s Word, will, and ways, and on our willingness to submit our thinking and actions to it.
If we allow ourselves to be conformed to the world, we will think as they tell us to think and do what they tell us to do. But thankfully, as children of God, we have another option—to be transformed into the image of Christ and live the wonderful life He has provided for us through His death and resurrection.
The devil fights relentlessly against the good plan God has for us, and he does it through lies, deceptions, and various strategies, attempting to keep us distracted through sending trouble and difficulties our way. New believers are trying to grow in their relationship with Jesus through studying the Word of God because this is how they learn right from wrong. The Holy Spirit, Who lives in us and is our Helper in life, as well as our Teacher, sows the Word into our hearts, but Satan comes immediately and tries to steal it in many ways.
Jesus said that there are times when the seed (God’s Word) is sown, but trouble and persecution come before it has time to take root. Immediately those who hear it are offended and displeased, and they fall away (see Mark 4:16–17). This often happens to people who have the mistaken idea that being a Christian means that God will make everything comfortable and wonderful for them. Teaching arises occasionally from different parts of the Body of Christ asserting that all the believer needs to do is look to Christ and He will give the victory. But Paul writes that we are to put on the full armor of God and to cast down thoughts that don’t agree with God’s Word (see Eph. 6:11; 2 Cor. 10:5).
We can see that God has given us responsibility in this process. He never fails to do His part, but He won’t do our part for us. He wants us to actively participate with Him. We are partners with God in His work.
It’s so important to understand this because standing firm in faith is especially challenging when we go through trials and tribulations. When the enemy is attacking believers in some way that is painful or uncomfortable for them, I frequently hear them say, “I don’t understand why God let this happen. If He is good and He delivers us from our problems when we pray, then why is this happening to me?” God doesn’t become angry with us when we ask such questions, but those questions are immature and typically come from immature believers, and they usually go unanswered. God wants and expects us to grow beyond making such statements when trouble comes our way. God wants to hear us say, “I trust You, Lord, and I love You just as much in hard times as I do in good ones.”
I also find it interesting that we ask why negative things happen to us, but do not seem confused when other people are having trouble. We are quick to remind others that God is faithful and to encourage them to stay strong, yet when we are hurting, our thoughts and emotions can become unstable and cause us to say things we should not say.
The writer of Hebrews teaches that we should look away from all that will distract us from Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (see Heb. 12:2). We look to Him, and He keeps us strong and focused on the victory that is on its way. Waiting patiently in faith for breakthrough while God is fighting with us and for us is part of what we must learn to do. God promises to help us, but the timing and the way in which He does it is up to Him.
Paul makes our part clear in Ephesians 6:13:
Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].
CHAPTER 2
Do All the Crisis Demands
… and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].
Ephesians 6:13
Any time we find ourselves in any kind of crisis, it’s a battle in our lives. During these times we must not remain passive or neutral. We must act! We cannot do what we do not know to do, but God expects us to do what we can. I often say that if we do what we can do while leaning on God, He will do what we cannot do as we stand in faith and wait for Him to grant us full victory. As Paul instructed, let us do all the crisis demands and then stand firmly in our place (see Eph. 6:13). As we do what we can do, we can be assured that God will fight for us and that we will always win in the end. God will fight our battles for us, but we have to show up for the fight.
It is useless to know what to do if we do not actually do it. Some people procrastinate, thinking they will do what needs to be done, but their plan is to do it later. That type of thinking is deceptive because for most of them, later is never a good time either. Procrastination is like a credit card—it is a lot of fun until you get the bill. Putting off easy things only makes them harder. Be a person of action; do what needs to be done, and never put off until tomorrow what you should do today.
I mentioned that letting God fight our battles certainly doesn’t mean that we sit idly by and do nothing. First, we should be very active spiritually. We should praise and worship God and be thankful for all He has done for us and for what we expect Him to do in the future. We should also lift up our shields of faith, which quench all the fiery darts of the enemy (see Eph. 6:16). That means we stand strong in faith, believing God’s Word and promises no matter what our circumstances may be. We also need to continue to be faithful in prayer, not only praying for our own needs but interceding for others as well.
During times of crisis one thing we can do is be good to other people, helping those in trouble and meeting their needs as we are able. I often find that although I cannot solve my own problem, God will use me to help someone else if I am willing to do so.
For example, think about a person who needs a job. Of course that person should pray for God to give him one, but his part is to relentlessly look for a job. A passive person might just sit by and wait for a miracle, but a man or woman cooperating with God and doing his or her part would not only pray but also be aggressive in searching for employment. Such a person should be willing to do any job he can get, even if it is not the perfect one or the one he truly desires. Doing something fruitful while waiting for the ideal situation is always wise. Do something or you’ll do nothing at all!
I often think of the Bible story about the sick man who lay by the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years waiting for a miracle (see John 5:1–9). He had one chance to be healed each year, when an angel came and stirred the water. When the angel moved the water, the first person to step into it received a miracle.
When Jesus noticed the man lying there and knew how long he had been in his infirm condition, He asked the man, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). The man’s response to Jesus gives us great insight into his real problem. He said he had no one to put him into the pool and that even when he tried, someone else always got ahead of him.
Both of these statements make it sound as if he was filled with self-pity. Jesus asked if the man wanted to get well, and his answer wasn’t a resounding “Yes!” It was filled with excuses. Jesus didn’t seem to feel sorry for the man, nor did He offer any words of sympathy, but He did tell him what to do. Jesus said, “Get up; pick up your pallet and walk” (John 5:8).
Now we might wonder what the man was supposed to do if he was so sick that all he could do was lie beside the pool for thirty-eight years. Obviously the man could walk because he told Jesus that when he tried to get in the pool, someone always beat him to it. I think it is safe to say that this man was waiting for God to fight his battles for him, but he wasn’t willing to do what the crisis demanded while he was waiting.
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I think the man was sicker in his soul than he was in his body. His attitude was filled with I can’t, and when that is the case for people, just like this man, they don’t even try. I don’t know how far the man could walk or even how often he managed the strength to walk at all, but surely in thirty-eight years he could have wiggled his way over to the edge of the pool to assure that he would be the first to fall into the water when the angel came.
Do Something
Doing nothing is a terrible waste of the abilities that God has given us. Even if we cannot do what needs to be done in our unique situation, we can always do something. I was recently reminded of a principle that I’d forgotten: When we’re faced with a project that seems insurmountable, the best way to tackle it is a little bit at a time. We can do anything if we just do what we can do no matter how tiny it might be. For example, if your closet or office needs to be cleared of excess clutter, then work ten to fifteen minutes each day on it, and soon it will be a finished project instead of one that makes you feel overwhelmed and guilty.
I once read an article about reducing stress, and it said that messy work or living spaces make us feel stressed. I know that is true for me. I feel a lot calmer and in charge of my life if my surroundings are neat and organized. But I am the only one who can keep them that way, and doing so requires constant vigilance. I must do a little something on a regular basis in order to end up with what I want.
Most of us offer excuses for our lack of effort instead of taking responsibility and simply doing what needs to be done, but that is the absolute worst choice we can make. Making excuses imprisons us in deception and keeps us stuck in places we dislike. I once heard that excuses are just reasons stuffed with a lie, and I think that’s true.
We live in a society in which being irresponsible is becoming more normal and acceptable than taking responsibility. This is causing problems that may put an end to life as we know it if we ignore them much longer. God has given us a lot, but He expects us to be diligent and responsible to take care of it. If we don’t, we’ll end up losing it.