Get Ready– I’m Opening The Box
I have a confession to make.
I’ve been a Christian for over 50 years.
And for most of those 50+ years, I was a defeated Christian.
For awhile I thought I was the only one. But as I grew in the Lord and got to know my new brothers and sisters in Christ better, I learned that the old adage “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is true. More and more I discovered that some– perhaps many– of the people in the pews are hiding struggles and deep hurts beneath their Sunday smiles.
I hid my problems for many years because I was in full-time ministry as a teacher at a Christian school. I feared the judgment of other Christians and felt that if my struggles were exposed I would lose my ministry. Because I came from a background of abuse and rejection, I desperately wanted the approval of others. I couldn’t handle the possibility of more rejection. So I hid.
Even today there are some things I won’t talk about fully. I still feel a need to protect myself. But at the same time, now that I’m retired (and perhaps because I’m much older), I am willing to open up about the difficulties I’ve had in life. One reason I started this blog was to let other struggling Christians know, “You’re not alone. Change is possible. God can help you.”
It’s Tough Being Confused And Frightened
It’s Tough Being Confused And FrightenedAs a young Christian, I understood that I was saved. Jesus took my punishment on the cross, and now I would be able to live in heaven with Him forever when I died. I knew that.
But I didn’t understand the “new creation in Christ” part. The “sweet by and by” was taken care of, but it was the “nasty now and now” that tripped me up. There were things in my life that I knew were displeasing to God. I tried changing those things– and failed. I begged God to remove those things from my life– and He didn’t. I got more and more frustrated in my personal struggles, and our enemy the devil stepped in and took advantage of my confusion and fears.
God’s Word is true, right? I mean, we’re supposed to believe what the Bible says. So when I would read some verses my head would agree, but my feelings would say “no way.”
For example, Romans 8:37 tells us, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” I’d read that and think, “Yeah, I know He loves me– but I sure don’t feel like a conqueror. I’m losing battles left and right!”
Or I’d read I John 5:4, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” And I’d think, “I know I’m born of God– but when I look in the mirror, I don’t see any overcomer. Where’s all that victory? Maybe I just don’t have enough faith.”
The verse that hit me the hardest was Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But I did feel condemnation because of what I was struggling with. Did that mean I really wasn’t in Christ? Was I in danger of losing my salvation if I couldn’t get this battle out of my life?
At the time these thoughts and fears tormented me. Now I know that the devil was lying to me about being under God’s condemnation. After a lot of counseling, I was able to see that I was confusing condemnation from God with my own feelings of shame.
I began to experience victory when I learned that our thoughts come from three sources. Some thoughts are from God as He speaks to our spirit. Some thoughts are our own, as we process what we’ve experienced. And some thoughts are planted in our mind by Satan, in an effort to stumble us in our walk with the Lord.
Know Your Enemy And His Tactics
Know Your Enemy And His TacticsDid you know that the Bible refers to the enemy by 30 different names? Some of them are:
- Satan, which means “adversary or enemy”
- the father of lies, meaning he never– and I mean never– speaks the truth
- the god of this world (lower case, not capitalized, because God is far more powerful)
- thief, because he seeks to steal, kill and destroy
- Beelzebub, which literally means “lord of dung” or “lord of filth”
- Belial, which is a Hebrew word meaning “lawless, reckless, lacking worth”
You can tell a lot by a name, can’t you?
There’s one other name I’d like to mention: the accuser of the brethren. We find this name in Revelation 12:10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (NIV)
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “accusation” as “a charge of wrongdoing; the act of accusing someone.” Satan is continually tearing us down before God. He accuses us of wrongdoing, trying to get God to condemn us.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that God sees us as brothers and sisters in Christ, united with Jesus. We are clothed in His righteousness– so there is no condemnation. Quite the contrary, in fact!
It’s important that we understand our enemy and his tactics. Satan cannot read your mind, but he does have the power to influence your thoughts. He will bring his accusations up in your mind in an effort to get you to condemn yourself. But remember, he’s a liar! Don’t fall into his trap.
For example, the accuser of the brethren loves to bring to mind our past sins and failures. He’ll try to torment us with how bad we are. But stop and think: are these things you’ve already asked God to forgive? If the answer is “yes,” you need to remind yourself of Hebrews 8:12, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” The truth is, God forgave those sins as soon as you confessed them, and He no longer remembers them! If God doesn’t remember them, you don’t have to either. Satan is just waving around old headlines that no longer apply to you! You don’t need to spend another second on his accusations.
From Defeated Christian To Victory
From Defeated Christian To VictoryIf you are a defeated Christian, there are three action steps you can take that will bring you from defeat to victory:
- Learn who you are in Christ. When you were born again, you received more that salvation– you received a new identity in Christ. The more you learn about your new and true identity, the more you will be able to deflect the enemy’s accusations. If you are unfamiliar with this concept of identity in Christ, you can find an excellent summary here.
- Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you to the help you need. As a defeated Christian, I had too much confusion to sort things out on my own. I needed help, and the Lord led me to the pastors and counselors who were able to guide me to clarity. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it.
- Stay in the Word of God, and fill your mind with the truth. Romans 12:1 tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Satan’s chief weapon is lies, and if you’ve been listening to them a long time you may initially have difficulty discerning what is true and what is false. Tearing down strongholds involves replacing those lies with biblical truth. Find out what God’s Word has to say about you. The more truth you have within you, the fewer lies you’ll believe.
It’s pretty miserable being a defeated Christian. But the good news is you don’t have to stay that way! God helped me to move from defeat to victory, and He can do the same for you. It won’t be instantaneous (but I do pray that you can move down that path to wholeness faster than I did!)
In Christ there are blessings, and breakthroughs, and new beginnings. Start living the transformed life today!
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