The Greatest Deception

SPOILER ALERT! All stories have an antagonist. A person who works behind the scenes, quietly manipulating every event and misdirecting the players so that everyone is looking in the wrong direction. The same is true for every one of us. In our lives, we may spend a lot of time asking, “Why are these things happening to me?” and not enough time asking, “Who benefits if I stop trusting God?”

No matter what your story is made of, one thing I’m relatively sure of is that we are all fighting the same antagonist. And he’s a good one! He knows how to weasel his way into every part of our lives and convince us that God isn’t on our side. And he is often able to do so without ever pointing a finger at God. His tactics naturally make us doubt the One who gives us the greatest blessings—even when we know better, we often find it easy to blame God when things aren’t going our way instead of placing the blame on the one who has caused the trouble--Satan. The mischievous one who seeks to upend all that God has created. He works doggedly in every storyline to undermine every blessing, and he’s really good at it.

Every time you have something go wrong in your life, God is right there. Even when you don’t feel His presence, He is there. Even if you refuse to believe that He’s with you, He’s there. Even if you’re angry with Him, He’s by your side. And He’ll stay there, walking with you, holding you up, and trying to lead you away from whatever it is that Satan is pulling you toward. But Satan would try to spin this as follows, “Breaking News: Rebecca’s Life is Falling Apart—God suspected of failing to bless.” When it should actually look like, “Rebecca’s Life is Falling Apart—But God is With Her, so she’ll be okay.” How easy it is for us to go along with the first headline and instead of understanding that God can be blessing us while the devil is simultaneously trying to crush those blessings, we immediately believe the story that God simply hasn’t done anything for us because the bad things are currently overshadowing the good ones.

It takes a lot of learning and growing to see past the devil’s shenanigans. And part of that is admitting to yourself that the devil is, in fact real and that he is working double-time to try and prevent you from loving God. They say that God is a jealous God, but Satan’s jealousy knows no bounds. He works tirelessly to paint over God’s masterpieces and then gaslights us into thinking that his work is art.

I’m saying all of this to drive home the point that God’s love for us is no great mystery. He has declared it loudly and consistently for as long as we’ve existed. If we choose to shut Him out, the devil will still be right there, whispering lies and trying to cloud our vision so that all we can see is him. And like any abuser, Satan knows that the more we see him and nothing else, the more he starts to look like what we deserve. And the less we allow ourselves to see what God is trying to show us, the easier it is for the devil to convince us that God doesn’t care about us.

Like the parent who stands back to give His child room to make their own decisions, God patiently waits for us to understand Him. He won’t rush in and knock the drink out of your hand or swat the needle away. That doesn’t mean He’s just there, doing nothing. It just means that He won’t step between you and your destructive behaviors. But He will be there to help you pick up the pieces when you break. And while the devil may always be standing by with a nifty, sparkly solution that will make you think you’ve got things covered, only God knows how to help you make the necessary and lasting repairs. Everything else is a cheap replacement for a true blessing.

Keep Looking

The headlines around us don't always tell the whole story.

Neither do our circumstances.

As you go through this week, pay attention to the small reminders of God's faithfulness. A kind word. An answered prayer. A moment of unexpected peace. A verse that seems to arrive at just the right time.

Those moments are worth noticing.

And if you'd like more encouragement along the way, we invite you to explore the books and devotionals available through Higher Ground Books & Media. We hope you'll find stories that continue pointing you toward the truth.