Voice of Truth

I am so thankful for God's Word, it brings LIFE and HEALING. It is full of truth and quickly dispels any lies Satan eagerly tries to whisper to our hearts. He is always waiting, always searching, for ANY opportunity to slip us some kind of  deceptive poison. 1 Peter describes it well, as he says, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8, italics mine). Yikes! Since we do not readily see or hear the devil, it is very easy for us to minimize his presence in the world (especially in our lives), despite the pain and suffering we see all around us. But Peter refers to him as a ROARING LION, PROWLING around looking for someone to DEVOUR!! While at first glance that may seem overwhelmingly scary (I wouldn't want to meet a hungry lion anywhere!), we can find strength in the book of James: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7, italics mine). He will FLEE from you. The big, hungry, prowling, roaring lion will FLEE from YOU! Miriam-Webster defines the word "flee" as follows: "To run away from danger or evil", "To hurry to a place of security", "To pass away swiftly." Once he sees the spirit living in you as a Christian, he's gonna skedaddle! Going back to James, God calls us to 1. submit to Him and 2. resist the devil. It is important not to separate the two! For it is only due to the Holy Spirit living inside of us that we are able to resist Satan and cause him to swiftly run away from danger to a secure place.

Having the Holy Spirit living inside of us is the primary defense we have against Satan. However, if we are not actively seeking God or just not as close to Him as we should be, it's easy to let those lies slip in here and there. Believe me, I've been there! It can be ever so dangerously subtle and will most likely come from the most unexpected place. So "be on your guard; stand firm in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13)." Ok....be on my guard and stand firm...I think I can do that! Oh be careful my friend, because many of us think we can do this on our own, and that's exactly where Satan wants us. It is only through CHRIST we can succeed in this. We must seek His truth in the Word He gave us."I can do all things through HIM who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13)

Psalm 119:11: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

Ephesians 6:11-17: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Last but not least, I want to share a song that I absolutely love! It is the reason for the title and part of the inspiration for this post. It is entitled "Voice of Truth" and is by the band Casting Crowns. God uses music in a special way in my heart and is constantly speaking to me through the words he has fed others in writing these songs. Enjoy!