Sometimes, I cave in to my emotions. I admit it: I accept lies, reject truth, and embrace insecurity. I allow the Enemy to drown me in a cloud of self-consciousness. I don’t believe that I’m cherished by my peers, my family, my boyfriend. I don’t believe that I’m worthy of friendship. I don’t believe that I’m funny enough. I worry that I’m constantly doing something wrong, and shame harasses me wherever I go. I doubt my beauty – the precious work of my Maker. I feel excluded, and maybe I am or maybe I’m not, but I let it consume me with loneliness. I wallow in self-pity and self-destruction, allying with Satan to shoot me with lava-dipped thoughts. I pretend that he’s won. More than that, I pretend that I’m on his side. Thankfully, there’s an unfathomably relieving truth:
Jesus didn’t die so that I could pretend or to join in the tearing down of my soul. He died so that I could live freely in truth, and accept His sanctification and resurrection of my spirit.
I’m not called to ignore these lies. I’m not called to let them lay dormant within me. No. But I am called to attack them back, with the most powerful sword that anyone could ever access, and even Satan himself doesn’t have this. But I do.
“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.” Ephesians 6:17
I have the sword of God, the Creator of the Universe. Right before my eyes is the evidence that I have the authority to use it. And I have no doubt in my soul that this is the truth, because YHWH makes sure to emphasize His Word as the sword more than once:
“For the Word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joins, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The WORD of GOD is indisputably alive and active and effective and so powerful that it can pierce through and destroy anything and everything. And I have full permission and right to depend on it – to cling to it. The enemy’s void whispers tremble and scurry at the sound of the Lord’s.
“In His right hand He had seven starts; from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was shining like the sun at midday.” Revelations 1:16
John, the one whom Jesus loved, received a vision of the rise Lord, and this is the description? I’m terrified, but I’m not at all. Because this risen Lamb, whose tongue is instead a “sharp two-edged sword,” is on my side. In fact, He was on my side way before I was on His. He’s on my side only because by His grace and the gift of Jesus, the Lord of all creation is passionate enough over me to pursue me until I say yes to joining His team. And He will never kick me off.
Satan is a liar. And although Satan is still fighting, he is defeated, and he knows his doom. So as for you, whoever you are reading this, fight with freedom and boldness, because your Savior has already won. Don’t wallow in the lies of a desperate deceiver. You and I – we’re on the winning side; the glorious side. And we have all we need for battle. Not only the sword, but every piece of armor necessary, from God Himself:
“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.” Ephesians 6:14-17
Satan is done, and we have won.
