Living Faith Church of Augusta

…forgive…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. – 2 Corinthians 2:10, 11 NIV

Most people know what it is like to hurt emotionally. Emotional wounding comes through various sources. Satan is the originator of our wounds, and he works through situations and people to hurt us for two major reasons.

First, he enjoys destruction. He wants to build a dam in our lives that consists of emotional wounds. 

Second, he wants to control our feelings. The devil knows that when we have been hurt emotionally, we usually act emotionally. If he can hurt our feelings and get us to react accordingly, he will be able to keep us separated from many of God’s blessings.

We cannot expect never to get hurt. But we can expect to learn how to stay in control of our reaction to our hurts. We can expect to be the victor, not the victim. 

Here are some things God has shown me we should do to overcome the devil’s schemes:

First, turn to the Holy Spirit, don’t run to people. Second, remain stable during hard times. Third, remember that God is our vindicator; He will see that we are repaid for our pain and loss. 

If you are hurting, I exhort you, don’t fall into Satan’s trap: be the victor, not the victim.

…God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you…” – Hebrews 13:5

Many people are lonely, often even those who have others around them. The death of a loved one can leave a person lonely and confused as well as feeling abandoned.

Your circumstances do not have to be quite so severe to put you into the category of loneliness. Perhaps you have moved to a new neighborhood, have begun attending a new school, or have just started a new job, and you just don’t seem to fit in yet. 

I know what it is like to be lonely. “Social poverty” is under the curse. Learning to like myself and learning to pray for favor have changed my social status, and it will change yours too. 

I encourage you to pray for favor. I also encourage you to be friendly. Don’t just wait for someone to fall into your life before you are willing to have fellowship. Beware of being passive. Get involved. Giving always brings joy.

Remember Jesus as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. All of His friends had disappointed Him. He needed them for only one hour, and they had let Him down by falling asleep. (Matthew 26:36-43.)

The Lord does indeed know how you feel, and He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), so that you will be strengthened to press on.

Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. – Romans 8:1

Guilt and condemnation are major problems for many believers. 

It is Satan’s greatest delight to make us feel bad about ourselves. He never tells us how far we have come, but rather, he constantly reminds us of how far we still have to go.

When the enemy attacks me, I say, “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m okay, and I’m on my way.”

Like David, we must learn to keep ourselves encouraged in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6.) None of us has arrived at the state of perfection. We cannot perfect ourselves: sanctification (holiness) is the job of the Holy Spirit, and it is worked out in our lives as a process. 

The Bible teaches that we can have complete forgiveness of our sins (total freedom from condemnation) through the blood of Jesus Christ. We must decide if Jesus did a complete job or it He didn’t. WE don’t need to add our guilt to His sacrifice. He is more than enough. 

Let Jesus do His job. He wants to forgive you. All you have to do is receive His forgiveness. Complete forgiveness is completely free!