Satan's Game

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Sin. It is a universal problem. All of us have sin in our lives. The only thing that separates my sin from the sin of a lost person is the blood of Jesus. Does a Christian have as much sin as they would if they did not know Christ? Hopefully not, but we all still struggle with sin. Attitudes, actions, pride, selfishness, our thought lives, unforgiveness, etc. Can you identify? I certainly can. Have you ever asked yourself 'will I ever be free from this completely'? If you have then I have good news for you. Yes! We will be completely free from all sin in heaven and we can live in consistent victory on Earth if we are dependent on Jesus Christ daily to help us in our weaknesses. But, I want to take it one step further.

We are not meant to live in isolation. We, as Christians, are meant to be a fellowship of believers that lift each other up and carry each others burdens. But, so many times in my life I try to do it alone. Even in the areas where I am depending on Jesus to help me daily, many times I have never told another breathing soul. Why? I do not think it is because I am too prideful to ask for help or prayer. I do believe it is because I have believed one of Satan's many lies. "No one will understand", "you are the only person that struggles with this", "you are definitely the only person at your church that struggles with this", "you will embarrass yourself because they will not be able to identify". Sound familiar?

Although I have believed this in the past, I am drawing a line in the sand. Based on scripture, which is truth, these are all lies. There is nothing you or I will ever struggle with that is not "common to man". So we are not alone. We are not isolated. We can trust someone to help us carry our burdens and lift us up in prayer. But who? This is a hard question, but we must not allow Satan to lie to us again that "no one can be trusted". That is a lie, but it can be difficult to find someone who you can trust completely. However, we can ask God to show us which person in our life He wants to use to help us. We can ask Him to be perfectly clear on who He would have us be able to confide in, walk with, trust. This person is not to take His place. No one can bring the victory other than Christ, but another person can walk with us.

Is there an area you are struggling with that you need to seek counsel of a friend or counselor? I pray that if there is, that today you will stop believing Satan's lies. You are not alone. There are people that will understand. There are people that care. Let's trust God to show us one person we can turn to for prayer and support.