Taking the Bait

 As I was doing my personal Bible study this morning, my eyes fell on an odd verse. It kind of stood out because it said, I ground them as fine as dust carried by the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt. (NLT) I thought, what in the world? So I read the next verse, which says, You gave me victory over my accusers...That's where I stopped.

I remembered that Revelation 12:10 says that the Devil is the accuser of the brethren. These verses (Psalm 18:42-43) say we win over the accuser. I liked that, so I thought I'd camp there for a while.

I do think our enemy gets some bad press, and he is often accused of things that he didn't do - sometimes stuff is the result of our bad decisions. But I also know that he likes to accuse us of things to discourage us or talk us out of God's blessings. 

Some accusations he likes to throw at me a LOT:

• You don't have any faith or this wouldn't have happened (or you could reverse it)...
• You are a doubter and not trusting God for (fill-in-the-blank)
• You're a failure because you don't have money, or you don't have friends, or you don't have... blah, blah, blah...
• Some Christian you are, talking to God like that....

He loves to cast condemnation on us. The whole point is to get us to turn on ourselves and condemn ourselves. That's when we get ourselves in an emotional bind. Usually, God has to come in and rescue us! lol. (Maybe that's just me?)

This is nothing new! In Nehemiah 6:13, Nehemiah says that Tobiah and Sanballat were trying to intimidate him. He said they were trying to intimidate me and make me sin by following his suggestion. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me. Nehemiah didn't take the bait. The enemy especially enjoys this - when he causes us to trip, then he accuses us of all sorts of things.

David endured this, too. When he went to check on his brothers and then saw Goliath, his older brother Eliab accused him of being proud and dishonest. (I Samuel 17:28) What if David wasn't secure in who God said he was? What if he wasn't secure in who he knew himself to be? Then, if he left, would Eliab accuse him of being cowardly? It's a vicious cycle. 

We're going to have accusations slung at us no matter what we do - or don't do! But God has given us the victory over the Accuser! God sees our hearts and knows our intentions. I've got to learn not to let my mind take the bait. Why? Because when I do, I end up being my own worst enemy! It's almost like I will take the weapon out of the enemy's hand and start beating myself with it. Lol. (That's probably just me, too, right?) 

Today, I'll not be so quick to take the accuser's bait. I'll remind myself that, dumb decisions or not, I am His, and He has me! I'll look past the situation staring back at me and choose to look toward Christ, my redeemer, the One who makes me righteous, and it's always enough to cover and sustain. I refuse to let my mistakes (and boy do I make some!) define me. Instead, I'll let God's word define me - that's the only way to silence the enemy. My heart will trust in God's great work in me, and I believe I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Affirmations for Caregivers

I wrote Affirmations for Caregivers because it was what I needed to hear! This 31-day journal includes 31 scripturally based affirmations. Each day, the affirmation is followed by a short writing prompt and a verse or two to read. I also have videos on YouTube that coincide with each day's affirmation.