Do you know who the author of fake news is? Nope, not him…. The TRUE author of fake news has always been and always will be Satan. The devil. The enemy. The deceiver. The serpent.
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”” – Genesis 3:1-5 NLT
One night I was laying in my bed. I felt hopeful. I was at peace with my circumstances. Worship songs flooded my thoughts. Then, in the very next second, I heard the thought. “Do you really think God cares about your little dreams? Just give up already. He has already let you down. If you were supposed to be a Physical Therapist it wouldn’t be this hard. Why are you trying to embarrass yourself? Everyone that’s reading your blog, everyone that’s watching, is gonna laugh at you. When you fail again, you’ll be letting everyone down. Just go do something else. Find a safer dream. Find something more easily attainable. Maybe God can do the impossible but he probably won’t. Just give up already!”
And for a moment, I was convinced. I mean, how could I disagree? I’m dealing with the same physical pains, I was dealing with 3 years ago. I still battle with my self image. Every time I start to feel completely satisfied in my season of singleness, I face a strong wave of loneliness. I’m constantly at war with my flesh. My finances are not a pretty picture. I’m tired of having to explain how and why my plans have shifted. I am overwhelmed with the constant fear that everyone will now see me as a failure. I dread facing the ‘concerned’ person who insists that I must need to consider a new career, or who repeatedly questions my dedication to my career path. See, fear visits me on a regular basis, trying to convince me to accept defeat in my situation. Thus, it is a daily battle to not give my joy away. Yet, I’m still trying to obey the calling to inspire and encourage YOU, in the midst of my storm.
“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”” – Genesis 3:6-7, 9-10 NLT
The thing is, the enemy knows our weaknesses and our triggers. He sees our potential and pushes his “Fake News” into our minds in order to hold us back. He makes us question the word of God. He wants to convince us to step outside of what God has spoken to us. The problem is, when we believe the Fake News, we naturally begin to distance ourselves from God as we attempt to control the narrative. When we take things into our own hands, we actually only make things worse.
In this story, Eve (and Adam) show us how NOT to respond to Fake News. Thank God for Jesus! Our perfect example of how to handle the Fake News from the enemy.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’ ” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.” – Matthew 4:1-11 NLT
Your sister in Christ, Mo ❤️
black. blessed. becoming 