How Often Does the devil Trick You?
By Ana Blackwell
Temptation and condemnation plate people in their walk with Christ. Christians are harassed most often through these two methods. The secret to make temptation and condemnation such powerful tools is to make the individual believe the lies. How does one come to believe these untruths? By thinking the whispered lies are their own thoughts.
In the mental health field, there is a term called “intrusive thoughts”. Psychologists and medical professionals recognize at times, individuals have thoughts that are out of character. Examples are, standing up in a meeting at work to interrupt by clucking like a chicken, or maybe the individual thinks of jumping when at the edge of a cliff. If one doesnt struggle with a lack of social skills or depression, then where do such outrageous thoughts come from? The answer is revealed in Ephesians 6:12 - “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Intrusive thoughts are a problem in individuas who believe these are their own thoughts. The mental progression goes like this, “if I thought that, then it must mean I want that, and if I want that, it must mean I am” crazy, suicidal, evil, or whatever that thought represents. I have good news, no it doesn’t! It is the reason why professionals coined the term mentioned above, in order to give their clients peace of mind. Here is the rule, if you have thoughts that don’t represent your current person, shrug it off because it doesn’t belong there.
Temptation and condemnation work in the same way. Let’s take a look at a more in-depth explanation.
“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When one first becomes a Christian, they receive a new and holy nature. The trick is the mind has to be reminded to focus on the new and not the old. Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the helmet of salvation. A Christian’s battle is between the ears. If one always remembers that they are saved, then temptation and condemnation have no chance.
Let’s talk about temptation. The body desires pleasure whether it means a bowl of ice cream, a massage, a vacation, or whatever makes one feel good. There are desires that are sinful though. Sin is anything that violates God’s perfect design, or violates another human. When we become a Christian, we follow the greatest law. Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). Love prompts us to put aside pleasures that don’t align with the golden commandment. Every once-in-a while, the devil comes and whispers in the believer’s ear. The Christian is reminded of the sin that use to feel so good, back when pleasing the self was the highest goal. Again, such thoughts must not be entertained if the individual is a born-again Christian. The devil is trying to trick and devour whoever is ignorant of such evil tactics. He wants the individual to act upon the old fleshly desires.
The best thing to do is to say “thank you Jesus for giving me a new nature that doesn’t want that”. And just praise Him. Sometimes it is even good to laugh out loud and immediately return to the task at hand, before those thoughts entered. Don’t get sad and feel emotional because thoughts that weren’t yours entered the mind. If the temptation doesn’t work then the devil wants us to feel guilty for even having the intrusive thoughts to begin with. It is called condemnation, and it is another sick strategy of the enemy.
This leads me to my second point. Condemnation is a tool used to steal the joy and peace of salvation. Romans 8:1 says “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.
Guilt and shame will not follow a Christian around simply because they are imperfect. No, a born-again believer strives to be better today than they were yesterday, looking towards the future and the Blessed assurance they have in Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery: “neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more” (John 8:11). He was telling her to stop living in sin. This means that we do not make a practice of sin, but there is a chance we may stumble sometimes outside of the will of God. The Holy Spirit will remind us to get back on track, and a believer will do so without looking back.
“The letter kills, but the law of the Spirit gives life’ (2 Cor 3:6).
What does it mean?
When we follow rules and commandments because we think that’s what makes us right with God, condemnation will come every time we fail. And let me tell you something, humans mess up a lot. But when we live a life lead by the Spirit, we realize that when we trip up, God is there to take us by the hand and put us back on the road of holiness. He’s not there to spank us but to guide us. This does not mean there won’t be consequences for certain choices we make due to laws of nature, but the point is to look to Jesus moving forward.
The devil does not want you to become more like Christ. This is why he wants us to feel sorry for ourselves and remain at a stand still. He wants us to think that God is mad, and that God could never use us.
“he is the accuser of the brethren” (Rev 12:10). It brings the enemy pleasure when he can make one think they are doomed. But we have an advocate in heaven who holds up His pierced hands which tells the devil to back off because there is no case against the redeemed.
The question is, do we listen to God and what His Holy Word says, or do we listen to those nasty whispers of the devil? Temptation and condemnation are designed to keep us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus.
So remember, when temptation and condemnation enter your mind, it might be the devil trying to take you down.
