After hearing Lysa Terkeurst speak at a recent Catalyst Event, I was impressed with all that she had to say. I began to ponder some of her comments. The one that kept playing over and over in my head was “We’ve got to let God’s words be THE WORDS of our story.” How often is “Our Story” based on the main character being described by others?
We allow those voices throughout our lives to play repeatedly in our heads. The voices of our enemies, those who don’t even know us, of loved ones, or even our own distorted voice. Do any of these voices truly describe who we are, what we have done or what we are capable of?
In order to rewrite our story to reflect God’s words, let us go back to the very beginning of humanity.
”This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:4-7
God’s Word says that man was created from dust, the very dirt from the ground. The LORD God himself breathed life into him. As Lysa stated, “Dust must be present for the new to begin.” I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly hate dust. Living in a dry climate it seems like there is a never ending supply of dust everywhere and as soon as I finish dusting it is needed again. The very thought of a newness beginning from dust really got me thinking. If I am a new life through Christ then I must be buried with Him and turn back to dust in which I was originally created from. It is only then that God can raise me up out of the dust and breathe new life into me.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
This is when God gets a hold of the words of my story. This is where I no longer am a slave to sin but am a new person. The words of the enemy, of others and our own misdirected voice no longer have power over the voice of God. His Words begin to write the story of my life!
Deceit of the Enemy
We must be careful though, because the enemy knows how to build up walls where we feel trapped and confused. We totally lose sight of who God made us to be. Satan starts by twisting the truth and inserting doubt to get us to act in a way that is disobedient to what God has called us to. Then he pours on the guilt which we wallow in. We listen to all the lies that are told to us about ourselves. At this point the walls go up and we isolate ourselves and continue to soak in the lies about ourselves. Satan can be very crafty in getting us to believe all sorts of lies. He has been at it since Adam and Eve!
Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1
We must be prepared to fight and insure that the enemy does not get a hold of our lives. We must cling to the truth that the enemy has been defeated by the blood of Jesus.
“For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth – the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” Revelation 12:10b-11 NLT
Share Your Story
Did you know there is something that you can do as well to conquer the enemy? Share your story! Share all that God has done in your life. He has brought beauty out of ashes and purity out of dust. This sharing stops the enemy in his tracks. Satan’s goal is to destroy us and crush us, keeping us in our dust-like form. It is only when we allow God’s breath to bring us new life through the sacrifice of Jesus, and when we share our testimony with others, that the devil is overcome. His lies, labels and lures are no longer successful in “Our Story”. What are THE WORDS of Your Story? If you are not happy with them, then maybe today is the day to let God help you rewrite them. Get up out of the dust!
