Monday, September 12, 2005

LEARNING TO KNOW GOD'S VOICE

Dear Ones,
I have been asked to share with you briefly a message I have often given. This message is included in my book, I�m Listening, Lord. I felt confident I was generally able to discern the difference between God�s voice and Satan�s voice. However, I was stumped as to how to pass this understanding on to others. When I asked God to help me teach others, this comparison/contrast outline emerged just as I am sharing it with you. Many of us are duped by Satan. It is my prayer this series of devotionals will allow you know with a certainty the difference between God�s voice and Satan�s voice.

LEARNING TO KNOW GOD'S VOICE

Have you ever believed a lie? Most of us have and then had to deal with the fact that someone we trusted had purposely deceived us. That sort of betrayal is very difficult to forgive.
But what happens when we believe a lie about ourselves? Have you ever had thoughts, �I can�t do that?� �I�m no good at that.� �They should ask someone who is more qualified and talented than I am.� �With what I have done in my past, God could never use me.� Where have those thoughts come from? Do you really think God put those thoughts in your head? No way. Those thoughts are lies and are words of condemnation. The Bible says �Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8: 1-2)
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and confessed your sins, there is NO condemnation for you from God. So where does the condemnation come from? Condemnation comes straight from Satan. Condemnation is Satan�s lies. When I know I am being attacked by Satan, my favorite word is SCRAM. Christ exposes sin; Satan exploits it.
Christ will not condemn. Christ will convict. What can you do with conviction? Conviction calls for action. The action will generally be confession to God and perhaps to someone else. Conviction often requires that we ask for forgiveness. �If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
There is nothing we can do with condemnation except to believe it or reject it. Without Christ in our lives we are powerless to reject condemnation. With Christ in our lives, we can claim the promise of Romans 8:1-2 that there is NO condemnation for us from God.

CHRIST CONVICTS/SATAN CONDEMNS

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

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