When The Devil Knocks: Day 2

Devotional from Life Church:

When you eat out at a restaurant, you get a little piece of paper as proof you received your food and the restaurant received your money. What’s it called? A receipt. When you realize the waiter refilled your lemonade six times without telling you refills aren’t free, what’s that? Deceit.

Receipt and deceit come from two important words in the Bible: receive and deceive.

The second half of these words is the same. “-Cieve” means to grasp, or take. What makes these two words significantly different is how they begin: “re-” and “de-”. In words like receive, “re-” means, back to the original place. In words like deceive, “de-” means, down from, off, and away from.

Put it all together and to receive is to grasp back, or to get something back. Makes sense, right? A receipt is proof you got something back. But to deceive, is to take something away from, or down from, where it was. A receipt puts everything in the open. Deceit pulls everything into the dark.

Why focus on these two words? Because one of them describes our response to God, and the other describes the devil’s. Don’t miss this. We receive. The devil deceives.

The devil has deceiver written all over him. God in His might cast Lucifer, the devil, down from Heaven when he tried to take away from God’s worship and glory. Then, Lucifer deceived one third of the angels and took them down from Heaven with him. Why? Because he hates God. He only desires to take away from God.

But, God can’t be deceived. So, how exactly does the deceiver attack God? By trying to deceive God’s creations, including you. He questions God’s Word. “Did God really say that?” He denies God’s word. “Come on, the Bible doesn’t actually mean that.” And he twists God’s Word with lies. “God says He makes all things work together for good, right? Just try it once.” Everything the devil says sounds like a trick to get back what you think you deserve, but it’s actually a trap to take away what you’ve already been given.

The devil wants so badly to keep you from seeing God’s love and God’s truth.

Back to you, the receiver. How do we fight back? By receiving God’s love and truth, the Gospel. You grasp back from the original place, the eternal gift you’ve already been given. Jesus died to make you free. He already paid the bill. You are about to read the paper-proof, the receipt, God’s Word. Read the truth, receive the truth, live the truth, and the truth will set you free. Because he who the Son sets free, is free indeed.

Pray: God, I receive Your love and truth. What deceptions have I believed? In the name of Jesus, I take back what the devil has tried to take away. Set me free from deceit. Amen

Scriptures referenced:

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:7‭-‬9 KJV

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
John 8:44 KJV

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 KJV

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1 KJV

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:31‭-‬36 KJV

Here are my thoughts:

One…kuddos to this guy! I never in a million years would have gotten this from a receipt. Just saying…though I do understand the deceit with the water/waitress and the logic behind his thought process.

I’ll use my own tug of war as an example.

Since I had that heart and mind shattering night and truly asked God to forgive me and heal me from decades of porn usage, mistreating women, chronic masturbation…to name a few…I have been saying I am walking in freedom.

I have slipped up a few times in the 7 years since that night. But that does not change the fact that Christ broke my chains and that I am no longer bound to those things.

And the devil is always trying to deceive me into thinking I’m still bound by those chains. A little whisper that says “Hey Stu, you screwed up. God doesn’t love you anymore. He never set you free at all. So go ahead keep watching. It won’t hurt a thing.”

Any words he can use to keep me distanced from God the devil use. Any person that will keep me distant from God he will introduce to me somehow.

But I know his game plan. I played along for thirty odd years.

I also know for a fact that Christ SET ME FREE and I am walking in freedom. My sons are forgiven! I am loved beyond measure by my Father! In His eyes I am righteous through Christ 😊

If you are struggling with a particular son…a habitual sin…ask God to forgive you and break those chains. He will I promise!

Then get in His Word and receive the truth and promises. Claim them. Memorize them for devil will try to deceive you. I promise that one too…sadly.

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If you would like prayer for a particular struggle you may post it in the comment section or email me at stubaby777@gmail.com