“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10a)

Nightmares. Insomnia. Self-hatred. The inability to love or be loved. Lack of trust. Depression. Self-destructive behaviors. Eating disorders. Aggressiveness. Rage. The list of destruction to the inner depths of the soul goes on and on.

Like fallout from a dirty bomb, life experiences can—and will—contaminate nearly every aspect of your life.

I know. As an abused child, Satan deceived me. “God can’t love YOU,” he taunted. “You are unlovable. Dirty. Dirty. Dirty.” He penetrated my mind with shame-filled lies.

But I have good news. I experienced good news: God chooses the most improbable—you and me—to rescue and transform. His truth can set us free from Satan’s lies.

I was set free. You can be set free today.

The Battle for the Mind

Shame is one of Satan’s weapons to keep you hiding from God.

Make no mistake: Shame is not the same as guilt. Guilt stems from our own wrong actions. Shame—warranted or unwarranted—is humiliation we are taught. We perpetuate shame by treating ourselves as unworthy of forgiveness.

Shame can be the penetrating tip of a lie shot at us by Satan. The real lie Satan wants us to believe is that we are too guilty to be forgiven and accepted by God. Jesus died to tell us the opposite, but Satan will pierce us so deeply with his lie that we may not be able to comprehend the truth.

Over and over, Satan will whisper, “You’re no good. Don’t even think about talking to God because He won’t give someone like you the time of day.”   

Beware, friends: Words like these create an evil trap rigged with chains for your soul. By paralyzing you with anguish, Satan will deceive you into thinking you are unworthy of God's love. Satan will trap you in a prison of misery as he devours your soul, sucking your life dry of all joy in the process.

I really don't want to give the Evil One much space: yet sometimes, we need to remember he truly does exist. Scripture reveals his existence as a spirit of evil from Genesis to Revelation. God threw Satan out of heaven because of his wicked ways. His names include: serpent, accuser, dragon, enemy, man of sin, power of darkness, devourer, devil, and tempter. These names clearly describe his dark character. Jesus called Satan “…the father of lies.”

Like it or not, Satan is real.

Satan desires to destroy the lives—yours and mine—by sin. He ambushes us with half-truths, deceit, and outright lies. He uses past experiences to plant thoughts that make us feel, hopeless, rejected, and defeated. By these, Satan deceives us into believing we are not worthy to seek Jesus. He will not rest until he robs us of our worth, future, and very souls.