“If we let him, the devil will take the wrong we’ve done — or had done to us — and try to convince us it’s who we are. He slaps a label on us, and before we know it, we’re monogramming it on our shirt pocket. In her book Unglued, Lysa TerKeurst says this: “Those labels start out as little threads of dissatisfaction but ultimately weave together into a straitjacket of self-condemnation.’ “- Sharon Jaynes
As Sharon Jaynes continues Chapter 10 of When You Don’t Like Your Story, she cautions what happens anytime we take a painful event and allow it to define our identity. We end up living a lie. But, one sliver of a story fails to define an entire narrative.
Therefore, Sharon asserts, God asks you this question right now. Who are you going to believe? The enemy or me? Because, if you wrongly define the character you play in your narrative, you can’t have a better story. In one of his blogs, author Seth Godin counsels:
“People don’t believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. . . . often believe what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves.”
Hence, Sharon presents four steps to take to defeat the lies of the enemy. Especially when you feel disqualified or unqualified to do what God’s calling you to do. Sharon talks about the first two steps today.
1. Recognize the Enemy’s true identity. The devil himself, Sharon underscores, represents the real enemy. Not the person who hurt you. And the devil makes every effort to keep God’s children from walking in power and purpose. For the devil schemes, lies, steals, and takes advantage of every opportunity.
We only win the battle for our thought life when we know who we’re truly fighting.
2. Recognize the lies. Most significantly, listen to what you tell yourself about yourself. Make sure what you tell yourself lines up with God’s Word. As Dwight L. Moody once said: “The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it.”
Today’s question: When have you engaged in monogramming the devil’s label? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Stumbling block or stepping-stone?”
