Have you ever found yourself striving to be perfect, hoping then that others, and perhaps God, would love and accept you?
This was my story for much of my adult life.
That’s exactly what the enemy tries to convince us of. He cunningly whispers in our weakest moments:
- God can’t and won’t love you as long as you are imperfect.
- You should be ashamed of yourself. Others would reject you if they knew the truth about how you mess up.
- You’ll never get into heaven with as many mistakes as you’ve made!
Years of unconsciously listening to such lies left me believing they were true. I began to believe the enemy was right. I somehow forgot that it wasn’t perfect works, or anything I had done, that saved me in the first place, but my faith in a righteous Redeemer.
“But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” (Romans 4:5, NLT)
The thing we have to remember about our enemy is that he will often distort just a fraction of truth, and present it in the context of an otherwise true statement, to slither into our beliefs undetected.
For example, I would agree that only perfection is good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. But here’s the point the enemy leaves off: God knew that in our sinful nature, none of us would ever be good enough. So He sacrificed His son, letting Him die on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven. In doing so, He put on us the righteousness of Jesus, so that when He looks on us, He sees what is Holy, what is good, what is clean and pure.
Jesus came and died for our sins so that we could be seen as righteous in God’s eyes.
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (Romans 5:6, NLT).
Now it’s my job to use the truth of God’s word to refute the lying whispers of the enemy.
Will you stop listening to the father of lies and accept the robe of righteousness that Christ died to give you?
Because of Him, #HopePrevails!
Dr. Bengtson
(If you have a question you’d like Dr. B to answer, contact her here now. Your name and identity will be kept confidential.)
A short brief about Hope Prevails.
Hope Prevails
Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression
Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Speaking from personal and professional experience, a neuropsychologist unpacks what depression is, shows how it affects us spiritually, and offers hope for living the abundant life.
Neuropsychologist Offers Hope to Those Struggling with Depression
-By 2020, depression will be our greatest epidemic worldwide
- An estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of depression
- As with the bestselling My Stroke of Insight, the author experienced the same condition she treats
- Helpful features include personal stories, biblical truths, prayers, and music recommendations
In Hope Prevails, Dr. Bengtson writes with deep compassion and empathy, blending her extensive training and faith, to offer readers a hope that is grounded in God’s love and grace. She helps readers understand what depression is, how it affects them spiritually, and what, by God’s grace, it cannot do. The result is a treatment plan that addresses the whole person—not just chemical imbalances in the brain.
For those who struggle with depression and those that want to help them, Hope Prevails offers real hope for the future.
Hope Prevails is available now wherever books are sold. To find out more, see: http://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/.
Our value comes through Jesus, not through anything we do, or even don’t do! Yes!
Oh those lies. I’m glad I learned not to listen to the accuser.
We’ll never really embrace the new life we’ve been given until we choose to believe the truth of God over the lies of the enemy. It’s not about feelings. It’s about what God has declared is true! Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, our enemy is so crafty with mixing truth and lies to sound so truthful. Yes, we need to be learning the truth and telling it to our self every day. Great reminder.
Truth. My husband once pointed out to me the enemy’s craftiness in using “half-truths.” I was just reading Matthew 4 this morning and noticed in particular that Satan used God’s Word to tempt Jesus! Jesus still replied with God’s Word- but with the whole truth!
Our enemy uses just enough of the truth to make it sound convincing and then twists it into something entirely different. Thanks for the reminder that we don’t have to listen to his lies!
Satan sure can mess with the mind. He can take a little crack and run with it. I found myself falling prey to it just last week. However God is so good he can restore and help us see clearly. Maree