Lately I’ve had this thought come racing through my mind at various occasions and I know for certain that it’s one of satan’s many lies that he throws at me. One thing I know about myself, is that I am a people pleaser. I try to make people laugh at any opportunity that I get. And I want to have their approval. And it hurts me when someone is upset or frustrated at me. I get the feeling that I’m not wanted, that no one cares, and that I should just stop trying to be a part of people’s lives because I end up ruining them in the long run. But that’s not true!

But often times I find it so hard to NOT think that way. I find it easy to say to myself “yeah, listen to what satan’s saying, you know it’s true, you’d be better off living alone and not hurt your friends worse than you already have” and that makes me want to cry. But then, in the back of my mind, I get little glimpses of truth. Praise the Lord, He’s been teaching me to recognize those little glimpses as His Holy Spirit, who lives inside my heart, trying to pull me back into His loving embrace. Thank you Lord!

Now when I have these thoughts I try to take that thought captive, give it to the Lord, and say “God, You are greater than this. I do NOT have to accept this feeling, because You led me here, to this exact moment, and You have a plan for me.” Romans 8:28. God uses ALL things for good. And that includes rotten feelings, depression, and the guilt we feel for letting someone down.

But then, there is also another way that satan will try to attack our minds. He will twist the truth ever so slightly to where you accept that as truth and simply move on. Like for example, suffering. Yes, I mean all kinds of suffering, anything from the loss of a loved one, to your own physical ailments. We are in a battle brothers and sisters, and through this battle we will have our crosses to bear, but we DO NOT have to accept those crosses as a forever cross to bear. Our God is greater than our suffering. If you pray to Him in faith and believe He can save you, then He will. Don’t just sit there in agony and say “well… this is my burden that I have to bear then, it hasn’t gotten better now, so I guess it never will…blah blah blah”

I used to believe that lie of the enemy. I have trouble sleeping, and I have some health issues as well. I used to count that as my suffering that I would just have to live with while serving the Lord. But while I was listening to a message the other day, God told me clear as a bell, that He is greater than that. I don’t have to just sit here accepting my lack of sleep and illness as something that’s going to stay with me for life. I fully believe God is capable of healing me. So I will pray and believe that He will. I’m not going to sit here letting satan tell me God can’t, when nothing, I repeat, NOTHING is impossible for God.

Brothers and sisters, let’s take up our crosses each day, yes, and pray that God will relieve us of our burdens in His own timing. It may not happen right away, but it will happen.

God is good, ALL the time.
as one of my leaders here says “Jesus loves you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”