Joyce Meyer Daily Devotion August 19 2021 : Defeating Doubt and Unbelief : Most of the times we happen to intentionally or unintentionally give the wrong and negative impression of the spiritual warfare. It is our common knowledge that our enemy is the devil and that there is need for us tyo fight daily to win, but that’s not everything. There is more to Christian life than just to keep fighting the enemy devil. If the Christian life were nothing but battles, it would be discouraging to fight every hour of every day.
In other words, if it was everyday and every hour of fight, I would feel that I could never relax because as soon as I did, Satan would sneak back again. That’s not the picture I want to present. The Christian life is one of joy and peace. God gives us a great sense of fulfillment, and we’re at rest because we know we honor Him by the way we live.
Peter wrote to Christians about their enemy—warning them and urging them to be vigilant, which is where we often put the emphasis. Just before he wrote those words, however, he said, Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully] (v. 7). As we read that verse, it tells us that we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us—God cares. Because God cares, we can trust Him to take care of us.
It should be noted that it’s not that we don’t have faith; it is just that Satan tries to destroy our faith with lies like: “If God really cared about you, would He make you go through this trial?” “If God truly loved you, would He treat you this way?” Worthy to note that those questions that the devil throw at us are full of lies. The reason and intention of the devil in confronting the Christians with these lies is to plant seeds of unbelief in us Christians and we must fight with all our strength against this wicked intention of the devil. God wants you to remain strong and true like Abraham and other believers in the Bible. No one who trusts and believes in God ever get disappointed.
One of the things I’ve learned from ministering to thousands of people is that the terrible and negative problems striking our lives are not what cause us to turn away from God. No, it’s our reaction to those situations that makes the difference. Think of Abraham again. When God promised to give him a son, he was an old man. He could have said, “How could that possibly be? I’m old and long past being able to father a child.” Instead, he said, “That’s wonderful! I believe.”
When struggles, trials, and hardships come your way as they always do—you have a choice. You can heed Peter’s words and give God your cares, worries, and concerns. No matter how dark the night or how evil the situation, you must remind yourself that God is not only present with you in those situations, but he also loves you and will provide for you. Always tell yourself that if your earthly father can love and care so much for you, how much more the Almighty God and father in heaven, our creator who even sent his only begotten son to suffer and die to save mankind.
Your job is to be vigilant during those difficult times. You can rejoice in God’s love and blessings when all is going well—and that’s what God wants you to do. But in the dark moments, you need to remind yourself that the devil stalks you and wants to defeat you.
One more thing. Sometimes you may wonder why you have so many trials and problems. Is it possible that the devil may have singled you out because of God’s great plan for your life? The more faithful you are, the more you have to resist him and his lies of unbelief.
Prayer Starter: Dear heavenly Father, the enemy often tries to fill me with unbelief and make me deny Your powerful love for me. But like Abraham, I stand firm on Your promises. Thank You for the comfort I find in Your assurance that You’re always with me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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