I hate to admit this, but I let the evil one get on my shoulder and whisper in my ear. That's right, in the fight against Satan in this area I failed horribly this week. I have been honest about this before in this blog, and it continues to be one of the things I struggle with at times.
What is it that takes us (me) to that point? It could be any number of circumstances that bring us to listening intently to those whisperings. Satan likes to use people to chain you to your past, or he will use the world so you can see how you are sizing up against others. No matter what he uses, it is likely to evoke fear, grudges, hate or jealousy, it is important to remember these are not new to God.
Fear
In Numbers 13 we see twelve men that were sent to explore Canaan by Moses. They return to Moses and report that it IS the land of milk & honey that God promised. But. There is always a but where fear is concerned is there? "But, the people that live there are strong and the cities are fortified and large."Numbers 13:28. Fear had caused them to listen to the whispers.
Grudge/Hate
I think I could add "jealousy" to this category too. Genesis 27 explains the hate or grudge (jealousy)that Esau had for Jacob. Esau so disliked his twin brother that he stole his birthright through a trickery encouraged by his mother. Wow! That would be two people listening to the whisperings.
Another example of jealousy is in Genesis 29 were two sisters Leah and Rachel, jealousy over love divided them. Fear, grudge/hate and jealousy, tricks satan has been using on humans for years before we came into this world.
There is good news! God whispers to us promises to fight the battle. This is a good verse to remember as a tool and promise in the fight!
"But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." Proverbs 1:33.
God whispers to our Spirit words to guard our heart against Satan. If the whispers are from God they will contain the fruits of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23
God wants to use our hurts for his glory! He whispers words of comfort and encouragement. The Message says it best for me, keep these verses close to be encouraged and remember to comfort others-
3-5 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.6-7 When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
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