The Big Lie

When I was two years old, my dad put a Nintendo controller in my hand, and ever since then I was hooked. I grew up with a variety of video game consoles, and what I didn't have in hand I played on a computer, one way or the other. I had no friends to speak of until I was almost eighteen, so the internet became my domain, my life. I knew more people online than I did in real life anyway.

Addiction is possibly one of the most diabolical ways that the enemy has to snare us and rob us of what God has for us. Some people are addicted to food, some to drugs, some to alcohol, some to pornography. Some are addicted to less obvious aspects: control; fear; self-pity; anger; even sorrow can be an addiction, because it produces in us a desirable emotional high. People don't see these things for themselves often as not, and when they do, they don't care enough to rid the parasite from their lives. Even when they do, a lot of people do not come to the realization that Jesus Christ freed us from the power of Satan, and that includes all of the lies that are fed to us, including, "This is just too good/desirable/addicting for me to let go of. I can't/won't do it."

A few months ago after my wife left, I was playing a particular video game, as I often did. I had recently decided to give up my computer because it was my main source of pornography, which had not only robbed my mind of healthy sexuality but also robbed me and my wife of intimacy. Anyway, I was sitting there with the controller in my hands and a thought hit me. All of the time I had put into that could have been spent in the Word of God, developing my spiritual relationship with my Creator (a relationship which unlocks blessing in my life), or could have been spent on blessing and loving my wife and child. I literally threw the controller across the ground - I haven't picked it up since, nor have I wanted to.

What brought this realization to me was undoubtedly the Holy Spirit. How do I know? That is the one thing in my life that has changed above all else. He shows me truth in matters. He brings light to my eyes. He keeps me on the path of life and blessing, rather than the path of death and curses.

And the enemy, Satan, has only one purpose: to keep us from that life, from that blessing. His only weapon is deception - he uses lies to keep us in the dark, defile us, and to cover his other lies. He lies to us every day, putting worry, fear, doubt, hatred, envy, selfishness, pride, and even sorrow into our minds. Jesus Christ died on the cross to defeat the enemy - an accomplishment that only the Son of God could pull off. And as one develops his or her foundation in the Word, one finds interesting truths: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of sound mind; Trusting in the lord will cause Him to guide all our steps; Seeking first the Kingdom of God will produce massive blessing and joy in your life; Love is the most powerful force in the universe, and the actual substance of God; As we accept the blessings God has for us, the world will envy us, not the other way around; The greatest leaders are the greatest servants; Pride (faith in ourselves) blocks faith in God; Christ has freed us from the power of sorrow and guilt. It's all in the Word. And the Word is living, powerful. The Bible is the only book on the face of the earth that breathes and lives.

Do you know anyone that is suffering from the lie of addiction? Do you know anyone that is suffering from any of the lies of Satan? When you were reading this, did a tiny voice scream inside of you, saying "That's me!"? If the former two, then I invite you to pray and intercede for those people, for the Lord hears the prayers of his people. And if you're the latter, the truth is this: As children of the Most High God, we are not subject to the power of sin and death, which covers every single lie of destruction that the devil has. God has the power to yank the wool from across your eyes and free you from EVERY aspect of the curse.

If you believe me, but don't think you're a child of God, then I have good news for you. One single step will doom the enemy's efforts in your life forever. As stated in Romans 10:9-10, if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord - that he has died to free us from the power of death, and lives even now - and commit your heart to Him, then you are saved. The words don't matter as much as the heart, for from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If you feel like you need Him in your life, don't hesitate.

And now, I break camp. My journey continues.