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You can rob a bank with a toy gun because someone believes the lie. And while I am not advocating this practice, I am in awe of its reality. Ignoring the fact that robbing a bank is a wrong and illegal action, it seems ridiculous that someone would endeavor to do so using a toy gun. But which is the bigger fool: the robber using a toy gun or the banker that believes the lie and hands over the money?
A lie is only powerful inasmuch as we believe it and act on it. If the banker had been familiar with guns, maybe even owned a gun of his own, he might have readily recognized the fake and not become paralyzed by fear.
We are best able to recognize the lie when we are familiar with the truth.
Recognizing God’s Voice (from chapter 9, Who Has the Last Word?)
Elijah recognized God’s voice as a whisper (1 Kings 19:12-13). The sheep recognized and followed the voice of the Good Shepherd (John 10:2-5). It’s about knowing God, not just about Him, in order to recognize His voice of truth in the midst of trying times.
The more time we spend in the Word, the more we come to know His words, and the easier it is to discern His words of truth amidst the bombardment of lies.
My sister and brother-in-law were on a camping trip outside of cell range. But our other housemate needed to reach them in order to ask permission to bring home a puppy she wanted to adopt.
“Michelle! I can’t reach Kim and Paxton and I really want to bring this puppy home!” Shannon proceeded to describe the dog, and then went into her rapid-fire questions. “I need to know what you think they would say. I don’t want to get it and have it at the house without their permission, but there is no way the puppy will still be here tomorrow. It’ll only be like two weeks because, after that, I move out, and we’ll be headed home for our wedding... What do I do?!”
I considered Shannon’s predicament and responded, “I hate to speak for them, but I understand you really want the dog and want to at least check with someone who knows them well.” I continued with a few points that I thought they would make, and things that should be taken into consideration, like how their own dogs would respond.
Shannon thanked me and was going to try and call them one more time, but had decided that she would probably go ahead and get the puppy...
A couple of hours later, I met Shannon and her fiancé at the house to help introduce the puppy to my sister and brother-in law’s dogs. After the dogs’ initial introductions, Shannon looked at me, surprised.
“I forgot to tell you. I was able to reach Kim on the phone and ask her about the puppy. She mentioned every single one of the things you said she would. Some of the things she said were verbatim what you said!”
I smiled and responded, “Well, we kind of know each other.” Sisters, living in the same house, conversing, spending time together... I didn’t want to speak for her, but I felt confident that I would represent her to the best of my ability because I knew her and I knew her voice.
May we come to know God’s voice so intimately!
Satan’s lies scream in attack. God’s voice is a gentle whisper of comfort and hope in the midst of the storm. When we listen for God’s voice and are attentive to His words of truth, Satan’s clamoring is quieted. And God gets the last word.
Yet sometimes, we have trouble recognizing the lies on our own. Here is a story in which I helped someone recognize a lie she had believed for years (from chapter 10, Who Has the Last Word?):
“My son got diabetes and died from complications of the disease because God was punishing me for marrying a non-Christian... I’ve made so many bad decisions in my life that there is no way God wants to hear from me. I feel like I can’t talk to Him because I know He won’t listen to me.”
This was not a statement I expected to hear from a seventy-two-year-old woman, one who had been a Christian for years, but who was letting Satan have the last word.
Humbled by the scenario before me, I thanked God for the opportunity to speak words of truth and freedom into this sister’s life. She had been living her entire life entrapped by Satan’s lies, burdened by guilt.
I began, “You have three grown children, right?” A loving glimmer filled her eyes and she responded in the affirmative.
“And, even today, when one of your kids is in trouble or has done something wrong, do you want them to avoid you or come to you so that you can comfort them, advise them, and show them love?”
“Well, of course I want them to come to me!”
“And do you think that our loving Heavenly Father is any different when one of His children messes up? Don’t you think He longs to comfort us, advise us, and shower us with His love?”
“I’ve never thought of it that way before...”
The following Sunday, upon greeting my friend, her face was one of peace and she looked as if she had lost 100 pounds off her already small frame. The joy stemming from her newfound freedom was unquenchable. She had embraced the truth of God’s abounding love, giving Him the last word in her life.
This month, we are highlighting various portions of the book Who Has the Last Word? Cutting through Satan’s Lies with the Truth of God’s Word. We invite you to gather a group of women this fall and walk together to Recognize the Lies, Replace the Lies with Truth and Remember the Truth through specific scriptures.
#IronRoseSister #WLW #truth
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This month, we are highlighting various portions of the book Who Has the Last Word? Cutting through Satan’s Lies with the Truth of God’s Word. We invite you to gather a group of women this fall and walk together to Recognize the Lies, Replace the Lies with Truth and Remember the Truth through specific scriptures.
Introduction:
As a part of my civic duty and in fulfillment of a jury summons, I spent a full day at the local courthouse, most of it in courtroom 406 where a judge explained the judicial process, defined legal terms, and asked pertinent questions of the jury pool after reading the charges for the accused. It was a complicated criminal trial that would take a full week’s service.
I was later dismissed and left with the curiosity of how the trial would end, but relieved to not have to spend a week in court weighing the facts and determining, based on those facts, the guilt or innocence of the accused.
I have always been fascinated by crime shows and mysteries—ones that I can watch at a distance and that don’t hit too close to home. However, as a different judge mentioned that morning, “If you’ve ever watched Law & Order, they don’t show this part on TV because it is boring and there’s nothing we can do about it.” He was right. But I found myself not bored, but rather intrigued by things I observed that day.
While the judge in courtroom 406 reminded everyone of the judicial process and the attorneys asked their probing questions of the potential jurors, what most caught my attention was the number of times someone referred to truth and lies.
The question was asked: How do you determine if someone is telling the truth? Can you trust the testimony of someone that has a prior conviction? What if someone changes their story? What about their body language might indicate that they are telling the truth or not?
These and many others are valid questions that are not faced exclusively in a courtroom. In our own heads, we serve as judge and jury every time a thought crosses our mind. We must discern whether the thought is a lie or truth, then act accordingly. Just like the little angel and the little devil on each shoulder in many cartoons, we have competing ideas, which go to war and can steal our peace.
Satan has always been quite adept at convincing us that a lie is truth. He works his wiles and devises his schemes to distort truth and introduce doubt. The good news is that Satan does not have the last word.
In a courtroom, the judge has the final say in the verdict. He helps the jury judiciously arrive at truth. In life, Jesus is our Advocate, our Mediator—the One who has the final word.
Who has the last word in your life? I invite you to join with me and other Christian sisters as we explore these chapters together and cut through Satan’s lies with the truth of God’s Word.
We will learn to recognize the lie, replace it with truth, and remember that truth when attacked. We will learn tools to help us remember those truths by creating Lie/Truth Charts, through the Common Threads, and by hiding His Word in our hearts.
Are you ready to live the abundant life of faith, hope, and love that God promises? To start out the month, I will share one of the stories from chapter 9 that illustrates how we Recognize, Replace, and Remember.
Valley Time (from chapter 9, Who Has the Last Word?)
While I could share from some of my personal experience, please allow my friend, Sherry to describe her own situation near the end of 2009.
I was in a very dark place. There were battles on every front and I felt as though I was losing every battle. One day I decided I didn’t want to fight anymore. I was tired. I packed a bag and placed it in the trunk of my car while no one in my household was present. Later in the day I announced I was running an errand when in actuality I was running away. I did not tell my husband or my closest friends where I was going. The truth is I did not know myself.
My first stop was the Grist Mill at Stone Mountain Park (Atlanta, Georgia). It was one of my favorite places to retreat and pray, and so I did. I stayed at the park for a couple of hours pleading with God for reprieve from the battle. While I was vigorously waving a white flag, it was as though it was waved in front of blind eyes. I was plummeting deeper into darkness.
It was decision time but I did not like the choices I was giving myself. I decided the safest decision was to give myself more time away from every person and every responsibility. I sent a text to my husband telling him I was fine but I still needed some time alone. He was very gracious. It was at that point I turned off my cell phone and I checked into a hotel. By the time I got to my room my voice mailbox had several messages from my husband and from one of my dearest friends. It was a couple of hours before I could listen to the messages and a while longer until I could respond. What words did I have to explain my behavior? None.
In their writings, both Oswald Chambers and C.S. Lewis describe something called the Dark Night of the Soul. They could write about it because it was their experience at one time or another in their own lives. It certainly describes my experience too. If you are like me you often equate darkness with evil and that does not bode well with this Christ-follower. The truth is even in my darkest moment, and in His silence, I sensed the presence of God or as I have since described it, the Shadow of God.
David paints the picture well in Psalm 23:
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, and he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for YOU ARE WITH ME; your rod and staff they comfort me.”
On that day several years ago, God had not abandoned me. Looking back now I can see He made incredible provision. In the valley, He gave me a quiet place to lie down, His presence, and His Word and Spirit to guide me out of the valley and to a much better place. His faithfulness then is all I need now to remind me that any valley-time I face is still proof of His love.
This month, we are highlighting various portions of the book Who Has the Last Word? Cutting through Satan’s Lies with the Truth of God’s Word. We invite you to gather a group of women this fall and walk together to Recognize the Lies, Replace the Lies with Truth and Remember the Truth through specific scriptures.
#IronRoseSister #WhoHastheLastWord #WLW #psalm23