Welcome back friends! Thanks for stopping in here at Facets.  We are wrapping up the topic this month, “How Does The Enemy Try to Silence You?”, with an honest, encouraging, and powerful word from our friend Tammy Chapman.  Also, take a minute to check out the posts from Tracy, Jen, and Megan.  It has been a month full of wisdom and truth that I pray encourages you to draw near to God, and find your voice amidst the enemy’s attempts at silencing.

 

No one cares about what you have to say.

You don’t have anything that important to offer.

You are going to sound stupid.

Do you ever have thoughts like these? For many years, when I thought about contributing to the conversation of the day or voicing something God was doing in my life, it didn’t take much to talk me out of it. Who would want to hear what I have to say anyway?  

More than insecurity, social anxiety, or just an overactive imagination, my mind is a battlefield. It’s where I find myself under attack. Even my thoughts betray me. How is that possible? That my own voice turns against me and becomes the very reason for my silence. Do I really have nothing important to say? Are my experiences and perspectives really of no consequence? Why don’t I feel free to share what I think? 

He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). That’s how Jesus describes our enemy. We can’t see him with our physical eyes, but the devil is active in our lives. Some of those suppressing thoughts are certainly our own, but we are also under an influence. A liar, deceiver, and thief, our enemy is quite skilled at messing with our minds. And he wants us silenced and sidelined – convinced that our voice isn’t needed or wanted. How does he do that? 

Think about bacteria. Bacteria live all around us, and for the most part, we are oblivious to their existence. But even a small cut can lead to a nasty infection. Microscopic germs gain access to us through an open wound; then they wage war against us. That’s a pretty good description of how the enemy works.

It’s a brilliant plan. Bombarding our minds with lies aimed directly at our weak spots. 

Have you ever thought about how the enemy uses a wound from your past to keep you sidelined and silent in the present?

When I was four, my parents got divorced. My mom, grandma, and I all lived together. When I was ten, my mom remarried, and shortly thereafter she and her new husband made the decision to move out and leave me to be raised by my grandma. I know now that my mom never intended for that to hurt me the way it did, but as a young girl, I felt overlooked, unimportant, and unwanted. 

In 1 Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter says the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And devour, he did. For years, the enemy used this painful experience to wreak havoc in my mind. I thought there was nothing about me that anyone would want. If I didn’t matter, my thoughts and opinions didn’t either. Even when I would speak out, I would hear things like They’ll tell you one thing to your face, but they don’t really mean it. Satan knows how to hit us where it hurts. 

But with God, there is always a way forward. 

At the core of the Christian faith is a relationship with God. Jesus literally beckons, Come to me… (Matthew 11:28). Every time we draw near to him, he draws near to us. When we encounter his presence, his love breaks into our hearts. It feels like everything in us is made right. We feel his love, acceptance, and comfort. He meets us right where we’re at and ministers to our pain. In those moments, we know that God is real. That he sees us. He cares for us. He is there for us. That’s powerful. And over time, it’s healing.

As we do life with Jesus, we learn to hear his voice above all others. We grow in our ability to believe that what he says about us is true. With his presence near to us and his truth defining us, all the voices that contradict his begin to lose their power, and we begin to experience freedom. 

The enemy wants us to believe that we don’t matter. Our God says something very different. 

For the joy set before him, he [Jesus] endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). There was something on the other side of the cross that Jesus could see. Something that brought him great joy. Something that made the cross worth enduring. That something was you and me. The joy that kept Jesus going when he was on the cross was the thought of being able to have us in his family. Let that sink in. 

Every single one of us has a story to tell. A story of love, healing, hope, and redemption. When people hear what God has done in us, they catch a vision of what he can do in them. That’s why what we have to say matters. So let’s start speaking! And instead of the enemy sidelining and silencing us, let’s sideline and silence him. 

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