Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

We’re living in a time of more deception than ever. Americans lost over $30 billion last year in scams. Practically every day, on our phones, emails, and social media, someone’s trying to deceive us and trick us into giving our personal information.

Satan is the biggest scammer. In John 8:44, Jesus said, “Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language.” When scammed by people, it can cost us money, time, and effort. But if you let the enemy scam you, it can cost you your destiny. Identity theft is the main problem, and the biggest identity thief is the enemy. He knows who you are: a fearfully and wonderfully made child of the Most High God. He can see your crown of favor, robe of righteousness, and royal blood flowing through your veins. He wants to deceive you into believing a lie like, “You’re not valuable, you’re not attractive, nobody cares about you,” or “You’ve made too many mistakes. You have too many flaws and weaknesses.” If you believe those lies, he’ll steal your identity, and he’ll talk you out of who you are.

You’re not in a power struggle with the enemy; he’s already defeated. You’re in a truth struggle. His only power over you is the power you give him by believing his lies. Two of his primary weapons are deception and lies. He’s very clever and subtle. It starts with a thought, a seed of doubt. It’s just a suggestion and seems harmless, but it will open up all kinds of detrimental things.

This goes back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve had a perfect life in a magnificent garden. They conversed with God daily and experienced no sickness or strife. It was everything they could ever dream of, but there was one tree out of thousands from which God told them not to eat the fruit.

Then the serpent entered stage left, and he said to Eve. “Why can’t you eat from that tree? That fruit looks so good.” It’s typical of the enemy to try to deceive you into focusing on something you don’t have while overlooking all the great things that you do have. Your spouse is terrific, but he’ll try to get you focused on the one thing you don’t like. Or you have a great job, but he’ll point out how that other coworker has more benefits than you. He’s trying to plant seeds of discontentment, doubt, and compromise, hoping he can deceive you into getting off track.

Eve was initially strong, firmly stating, “No, we can’t eat that. God said if we do, we will surely die.” The serpent responded, “You will not surely die. God knows you will become like Him when you eat that fruit.” Eve’s mistake was that instead of dismissing it, she started dwelling on it, reasoning it out. “Well, the fruit does look good, and I don’t think it will hurt anything. Maybe it will make us smarter; God knows my husband needs it.” If you believe that lie and let that thought take root, you’re giving the enemy permission to manipulate, deceive, and take advantage of you.

The same thing is happening today. You’ll hear thoughts whispering, “Did God really say you will get well? Look at the medical report. Did God really say that your children will be mighty in the land? They’re not making good decisions. Did God really say that you’ll meet the right person who will give you the desires of your heart? Surely, it would have happened by now.” The enemy is trying to plant doubt and get you discouraged.

Turning to the truth in God’s word is crucial when you encounter thoughts of doubt, fear, or compromise. Respond to doubt with faith and counter lies with the truth of God’s promises. The enemy is deceptive, but you have an advantage: the Spirit of God within you and the mind of Christ. Every morning, I pray for wisdom and discernment to make good decisions that honor God and lead me toward my destiny. Discernment involves recognizing the intent and motives behind thoughts and seeking guidance from God to distinguish between what is right and what is not. Looking back, I can see times God was trying to warn me. I felt an internal alarm going off, signaling that something wasn’t right, but I ignored it. Deception is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons. He can’t overpower us, so he attempts to deceive, steal our identity, discourage us from pursuing our dreams, and persuade us to compromise.

In Greek mythology, the Trojans and the Greeks fought a 10-year war. The city of Troy was well-fortified with mighty warriors, and the Greeks couldn’t penetrate it, so the Greeks built a giant wooden horse to deceive the Trojans, claiming it was a peace offering and a symbol of the war’s end. Considering horses sacred, the Trojans accepted the gift and brought it inside their city walls.

They opened the gates and brought the giant horse into their city. The Greeks waved goodbye and went toward their boats to depart. The Trojans began celebrating and had a big party until late at night. What they didn’t realize was that the horse was hollow. Inside, there were hundreds of Greek warriors. When the Trojans were tired and had too much to drink, the Greeks burst out of that horse, entered, and conquered the city. The Trojans seemed like an unbeatable foe. They were bigger and stronger in this walled-off city. The Greeks couldn’t defeat them for ten years, so they turned to deception, and that’s when the city of Troy was taken.

The same principle applies to us: you are an invincible force because the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside you. The enemy can’t defeat you or stop your purpose. However, allowing him to deceive you by opening your gates is like letting a Trojan horse inside. Once you give in, all kinds of discouragement and turmoil will be released. The enemy can’t beat you from the outside; he has to get into your thoughts, deceive you, and make you dwell on things you should not let in.

Even Jesus had to go through this. After He was baptized in the Jordan River, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy. Satan took Him to a high place and said, “If you bow down before me, I’ll give you all these kingdoms and all this power.” It seemed like a great offer, but it was a scam. Jesus already had all the power, and He already ruled every kingdom. Jesus said, “I’m not bowing down to you; I know who I am.” Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart, for it determines the course of your life.” One of the enemy’s main deceptions is making you believe that you lack the necessary intelligence, skills, attractiveness, or popularity.

The enemy will start with small lies to see if you’ll take the bait. I recently read a story about a woman who grew up in a home with two older brothers. Her father was more involved with her brothers, so as a young girl, she often felt neglected. The brothers played sports together, so he was always at their games and took them to practice. They seemed to have so much fun, but she felt left out. One day, they were all going to a ball game, and she was at home, feeling disappointed. The thought came to her: “The reason your father doesn’t spend as much time with you is that he never wanted a daughter; he wanted all sons.” She was just ten years old. She didn’t know any better; she believed that lie. She began to feel insecure and unworthy, not valuable. She also became more reserved and introverted, all because of this one thought.

She and her father grew apart, experiencing conflict and strife. For years, she lived with a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her and that she wasn’t good enough. In her forties, her father tragically died in a car accident. After the funeral, she was at her grandmother’s house, her father’s mother. Her grandmother gave her a box of memorabilia from her father, containing items from his childhood.

She found a letter inside that he had written to his parents when he was in the Army. In the letter, he expressed his hope of finding a loving wife because he couldn’t wait to have a little girl. He even mentioned that he would adopt a daughter if he didn’t get married because that was what he wanted more than anything else. When she read that, she began to weep. All those years, she felt like she wasn’t wanted, that her father was disappointed in her, that she was a mistake when she was her father’s greatest dream, and that he loved her more than she could imagine.

Take a look at how the enemy operates. She said, “I still remember the place I was standing as a little girl when that thought said ‘he wanted a boy, not a girl.” She said, “I’m not telling my story so people will feel sorry for me, but so they will recognize how the enemy can plant seeds of doubt in our mind.” If we don’t learn to cast down those lies and not give them the time of day, they can take root and keep us from our destiny.

Are there lies that you have believed that are now limiting your life? “You’re not good enough. You can’t break the addiction. You’ll never get well. Nothing good is in your future.” That’s the enemy doing what he does best, trying to deceive you and plant seeds of doubt, hoping you’ll believe it to be the truth. Don’t fall into that trap.

When doubt arises, don’t allow the enemy to infiltrate your mind; protect your thoughts. Fill your mind with faith, hope, and victory. If you do this, every stronghold will be demolished, and every negative mindset will be shattered. You possess the mind of Christ and the spirit of wisdom and discernment. I hope this speaks to you, and I pray you have a blessed day!