Satan: The Father of Lies

"'He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'" ~John 8:44b-44d

Every Christian needs to know and be aware of the fact that any fears they have in this world are not of God, but derived from Satan. Satan knows our weaknesses and tells us lies in order to keep us from getting close to God. He is the prince of manipulation, even going so far as to twist God's own words to deceive Eve in the Garden and to tempt Jesus after his time in the desert. Like Jesus, we must rebuke Satan as a liar in order to keep him from having the upper hand in our lives.
Earlier this year, I penned a post entitled W.A.I.T. Part 8: Fear of Man, which outlined how fearing our fellow man causes us to stumble in evangelism. Some of my more recent posts also have the underlying theme of Satan utilizing our weaknesses to stall our progress as a Christian. I believe the reason behind my dwelling on fear and Satan is not only because we all need to be reminded of its origin and his existence, but also because it has been a personal struggle of mine as of late.
Doubt and fear have been all too familiar to me in the past. I believe I have allowed them to hinder me because rather than resting in God's love and joy, I insist on analyzing and reanalyzing my past failures. Through this unnecessary hyper-analysis of the negative, I believe I have developed within myself a touch of athazagoraphobia, or the fear of being forgotten or ignored, much like the psalmist who penned Psalm 31:12a, "I have been forgotten like one who is dead." I agree that this seems ridiculous and almost laughable, yet I know the fears that haunt my brain when I allow Satan to have his way. Satan likes to remind me of all of those who have walked away from me in life in order to make me doubt myself when I forage new friendships, especially with fellow believers. In moments of weakness, I can convince myself that certain people wouldn't possibly want to be friends with me or stay friends with me if they truly knew all about me, or I might drive them crazy by keeping in touch too frequently. Deep down I know this isn't true because I have maintained some strong friendships over the years, but I wanted to present a demonstration of how fear can infest one's whole train of thought and completely skew reality.
In order to keep Satan at bay, it is very important for Christians to utilize fellowship with other believers and to turn to God and the Bible. Fellowship and communication with other Christians is important because it doesn't allow us to become isolated, which is Satan's goal. The only way his deception can completely control us is if we separate ourselves from others and we keep our fears locked inside. As my pastor said in one of his sermons, "Suppressed fears can conquer us; speak out about your fears." Having Christian friends to go to with your fears is essential for overcoming them and growing closer to God. I'm thankful to have someone with whom I can be completely honest and receive valuable advice on how my thinking is skewed. When I expressed my fear of being an annoyance to friends, I was so thankful for her encouragement and her honesty. Some of the best advice I've ever received was this: "If you annoy them, they aren't the right people. You need to let go of it and just be yourself. You're not annoying, you're never a bother. You just seem to have friends that are jerks to you. Don't change yourself to accommodate someone else, especially when there is nothing wrong with you."
The amazing part about fellowship in the body of Christ is that advice from one member can help another member, even if they have never met, but have mutual friendships. This occurred recently in my life. Using the advice I received from a friend on my own fears, I was able to repackage and present fresh advice to another friend dealing with her own fears. In presenting my advice, I also encouraged myself to not be a hypocrite. I can't tell someone that "living in fear of screwing up isn't how to go through life and that the best thing you can do is be yourself," without being impacted by my own words. I must practice what I preach in order to bring life and meaning to my words so that I myself am not spewing out lies.
In our struggle with internal fears, it is also essential that we turn to God and His Word. As C.S. Lewis put it, "To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" God is bigger and stronger than our deepest fears, the great conqueror of the father of lies. In order to remind ourselves of this, we must delve into the Bible for instances where God assisted others plagued with fear.
Last week I came across the notes I took on a sermon back in May. It centered around the chapter of Joshua 8, and was aptly entitled "Facing Fear." My pastor spoke on how Joshua was fearing the upcoming battle at Ai due to his past failure there. He was reluctant to press forward because he was paralyzed by memories of failure. Joshua was in need of God's encouragement in order to get him to continue on rather than hesitate. God was aware of Joshua's fears, which is why God came to him in Joshua 8:1 and said, "'Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.'" This is exactly what Joshua needed to hear. He needed a reminder of God's faithfulness and that through Him, Joshua would be granted success in the future.
Getting caught up in past failures can put a damper on your future. Instead of dwelling on what's gone wrong in your life, get closer to God because He is greater than your fears. Only God can provide the soothing words that we need to press forward in life. Remember that God is always present in your life and won't forsake you. Take comfort in Psalm 139:1-3 ~ "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways." Knowing that God is completely aware of your being and each aspect of your thoughts should draw you closer to Him. By having a relationship with Jesus, you will remain safe in the Father's arms, far from the reach of Satan. As Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote, "When the heart is flooded with love there is no room for fear, for doubt, for hesitation." By filling your mind with thoughts of love, your brain won't have time to process all of the fear and lies that Satan is trying to use to deceive you.
So continue to read your Bible in order to come to a better understanding of the ways of Jesus. In doing so, you will become enveloped in the joy and love that are ever present within Him. Building a strong bond with God is the best defense against the deception that Satan bombards you with.  Remember the words of 1 John 4:18, which says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." Since God is love, fear will be far from Him. Those who live close to God reside within His love and won't be prone to unrelenting ambushes of fear from Satan. But if you ever do feel that fear is creeping in, rebuke Satan and discuss your fears with a close friend and God. They will help you through the difficult times and serve as a reminder to dwell in love, not fear.

Communication is Necessary in Any Relationship

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate." ~Cool Hand Luke

I think it is human nature to long to have one person in your life that you can always count on. It is natural to want to have that kind of close relationship with another person to the point that you don't even hesitate to call them when something good or bad happens in life. But that kind of relationship takes time and effort to build. One cannot expect a friend they met yesterday to drop everything to help in a crisis. It takes months or even years to build a solid relationship with anybody, and steady communication is the glue that holds the foundation of that relationship together. It would be ridiculous to assume a close bond existed with someone you only talked to once every couple months. You would be mere acquaintances at best. No, a close relationship requires communication at least once per week to remain strong. That doesn't necessarily have to be face to face, but nor can it be superficial. There must be genuine interest on both ends to set aside time for certain people who are important in our lives.

The same goes for your relationship with God. It is God's will for us to pray to Him in order to maintain a relationship, as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." In order for it to be successful, you must make time for Him on a daily basis, at the very least. Only praying to God out of necessity due to a crisis will not lay the bricks for a solid foundation on which to build a relationship. This only breeds a very inconsistent relationship with God, which lacks any true desire on your part to get to know Him and give well-deserved praise in the good times and bad. 

It is important to be open with the Lord and trust Him. Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We seem to forget that God knows all and can help us through each and every situation if only we just communicated with Him. By neglecting your relationship with God, you are hindering your spiritual life and impeding any potential growth. Some feel that God simply won't hear their prayers. Again, this neglects the fact that God is ever present in our lives. When you begin to doubt that God doesn't hear your prayers, refer to Jonah 2:1-2, which states, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: 'In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep inside the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry." If God heard Jonah from inside the belly of a fish, I believe that God will hear you no matter where you are in this world. Psalm 145:18-19 can also build your confidence in the fact that the Lord hears your prayers because it says, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." He is never far away from His creation and those He loves unconditionally. So we must remain steadfast and earnest in our prayer life in order to get to know Him.
What some seem to forget is that selfishness builds walls in any relationship. If you require your friends to always do what you want without ever considering their feelings or opinions, they probably won't remain your friends very long. This relates to your prayer life as well. Selfish prayers most likely will not be answered, unless God has a specific purpose behind it. The best way to pray is to mirror Jesus, whose walk was blameless and in line with the Father. As stated in 1 John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." All prayers and prayer requests must be made in accordance to God's will. God desires to be glorified and should be glorified, and all prayers should express that. Selfish desires with ulterior motives will not be answered and promoted. So the next time you find yourself wondering why your prayer has seemingly gone unanswered, instead of blaming God, look back at how you prayed because you are the flaw in the system. Patience is also key because God has a plan for everything and your prayers will be answered according to His time schedule, and not yours. So go and pray and build your relationship with your Father in heaven.