By Caro October 14, 2022
When it is hot, our eyes perceive puddles on the roads. However, advancing on the road, we realize that nothing is wet. It was just a mirage. Our reasoning can be in error and in all areas of our lives!
God gave us eyes to see what is in front of us and to understand our world. But this view is never perfect. It can lead us to believe all sorts of illusions. The enemy takes advantage of this weakness to lead us into defeatist and sometimes even degrading thoughts. His arguments seem logical and real, but if what our eyes see or what our ears hear does not agree with the Word of God, it is an illusion.
That is why it is good to take the time to analyze our thoughts to see if they really come from God. If we realize that this is not what God says about us at all, then we must refuse these defeatist thoughts. “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV). The direction of our life must be the Word of God (Psalms 119:105).
If we think our partner is going to break off the relationship because we’re too ugly, too fat, we have to deny that thought because Psalms 139:14 says, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (ESV). If we believe that this beautiful love story cannot last, because we always end up being rejected, we must refuse this thought, because we are not rejected. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV).
Do you think you are not important? What an illusion! Isaiah 43:4 says “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life” (ESV). The idea comes to you that no one will be able to love you. Ridiculous! The Word of God says the opposite: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (1 John 3:1 ESV). Lets refuse thoughts that cause us to feel victimized (Romans 8:37), or that make us think we are alone in the world (Joshua 1:9). Lets not be afraid to be too weak in the face of temptations, Isaiah 40:31 says that our strength comes from the Lord!
But beware: the illusions that affect our destiny are not all degrading. Sometimes these ideas that paralyze us seem legitimate and comfortable. When the serpent urged Eve to disobey God, the woman’s eyes found the fruit beautiful and appetizing (Genesis 3:4-5). The serpent had just sown the illusion in the first humans that they could be their own masters, that they could be gods and be in control of their own lives. Isn’t that still what the enemy is doing today? Being our own boss is comfortable, but a dangerous illusion. When we take control, we lose God’s protection and provision.
When we ask God to change this or that about our partner, aren’t we putting ourselves above God, giving Him orders? We are His servants. We must approach with reverence and with a spirit of servanthood. “Lord, I want this thing to change. You, do you agree? And if so, what do you want me to do Lord?” When we stay in our house with our arms crossed saying “Well, if God wants it, He will do it”, we believe an illusion. If we leave our dreams in His hands, it means that we expect His direction in these areas, not that we expect Him to do everything for us!
“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!” (Lamentations 3:40 ESV) Does the pain we feel come from a lie from the enemy or from our thoughts? Does our dissatisfaction come from an illusion, from an imaginary life, which has nothing to do with having God’s plan for our life? Does our disappointment come from a mirage of happiness that we thought we could achieve by our own means? Children of God: let us not be seduced!
(This article is the summary of the September 24, 2022 conference, which you can view by following this link.)