The Lie That Keeps Us From Reaching Our Destiny
From the beginning of time, doubt has been the tried-and-true tactic used to not only separate us from God but also from what God has intended for us. So, let’s go back and see where that became the perpetual snare of mankind.
In the beginning, when Adam and Eve enjoyed the abundance of the garden of Eden and walked with the Lord in the cool of the day, there was something deceptive in the midst of them. I’ll explain more later regarding that deceptive thing. Eve was approached in the garden, a serpent came, and began to sow doubt in her by questioning what she truly knew. [Genesis 3:1] If you don’t know, Eve was the wife of Adam, the first couple of the world. God created them and they had it made! They didn’t have to work, there were no bills to pay, appointments to keep, houses to clean, meals to cook, or clothes to wash! Yup, they were naked and unashamed! Pure innocent bliss!
The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Okay, hold on a minute! Why did Eve not doubt her senses first right there when she heard the SERPENT SPEAKING!? Hello? Can I get an amen?
Sorry, let me get my focus back. Eve responds to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” [Genesis 3:2]
I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t like second guessing myself. I’m left “feeling” like maybe I didn’t really know as much as I thought and for me, it’s the same as looking dumb. Harsh, I know, but that’s a legit feeling I get. Even as I type this out, the Holy Spirit reminds me that nothing ever physically changed about my appearance but what did change, was what I perceived of myself. Just a feeling. Just a thought.
Are any of you guilty of allowing your “feelings or thoughts” to dictate your decisions, like me? How quickly we forget that we are to set our thoughts on all that is true.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Eve knew the truth, but the serpent persisted in twisting God’s truth, saying she would become like God if she would disobey God. She may not have thought much on that second part, disobeying God, but who are we kidding, if I were her that would’ve sounded good to me. God was good and I would’ve wanted to be like Him. The serpent successfully sowed doubt into her heart. She began to second guess herself, took another look at the forbidden fruit, saw that it was pleasing to the eye and ate it. Hello shame! Give me a second, I’m naked. So, yeah, she didn’t become God after all, did she?
I’d say the rest is history but here we are thousands of years later, and the same tactic is still being used. If it’s not broken, why fix it, right? Truth is, Satan can’t create anything new even if he tried. He can only use what he knows works and yes, that includes the word of God. What doubt are allowing to stop you from living out your God given identity? Are you believing the lies of the enemy? Let me encourage you with the word of God to refocus you back to the Father, your Creator:
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Colossians 3:23 – “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men…”
In closing, wherever you are or may be right now, doubting yourself or thinking back of a time you did, know that it’s not too late to reset your thoughts to all that God has destined for you. Think on the things that God says of you, not man. Much of our doubt comes from how we feel, not what we know. Another thing to consider is that doubt need never be fatal. We can recover if we will submit to God’s gracious discipline. The doubts that we all have just shows us that we all need a Savior because we are sinners. So, take heart, He is mighty to save all who cry out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner” [Luke 8:13]
Stepping into my God given destiny along with you,
Your little pearl – Perlita