Have you ever played this game? One person says three statements about themselves and the other has to guess which two are true and which one is false. It’s a fun game to pass the time with, especially with someone you don’t know very well.
Today, I want to give you two truths and a lie. But I’ll spare you the guesswork by telling you straight out which are which.
Let’s start with a truth:
TRUTH #1
God loves you.
Seems simple, right? Well, it is, until you dig a bit deeper. God tells us that He loves us over and over again. It’s an absolute statement. It’s clear across the board. It means He loves us on our best days when our hearts are brimming with joy and we can’t help but praise the Lord! But it also means that He loves us on our worst days, when nothing is going right, and we can think of a hundred things to complain about. He loves us when we obey. . . and He loves us when we sin.
Isn’t that amazing?
Can you imagine a love so great that it’s still with us even when all we want to do is deny its existence? How deep is a love that someone is willing to suffer and endure torture and eventually die from it because they loves us so?
That is unconditional love, my friend.
TRUTH #2
God will never leave us.
This one is even deeper than the last one. God tells us that no matter what we do, He will never leave us and never abandon us.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Take a second and let that soak in. Now repeat after me: “God will never leave me.”
Did you do it? Keep saying it, over and over again. Play it on repeat in your head like you would your favorite song. Now combine that with “God loves me.” You’ll probably wind up with an awesome chorus somewhere along the lines of “always loves and never leaves.”
Isn’t that amazing? (The truths, not my attempt at song lyrics.) Even when we crash and burn, even at our very worst, guess who doesn’t just walk away? When we’re forced to our knees and stranded in no man’s land, guess who’s standing right next to us?
You heard me.
God.
This is a truth to cling to. We are never alone. We are never forsaken. When everyone else turns their heads and pretend they never knew us, the Lord is the one running to us with open arms.
That is the kind of friend everyone needs in their life.
Now we get to the lie, that slick little falsehood all wrapped up nice and innocent looking. Beware the ravenous wolf’s lies that the devil disguises as fluffy sheep. He has a whole arsenal of them, but to complete this game, I shall exploit only one of many.
THE LIE:
You are not enough. You are nothing. You are worthless. You are unworthy. Lies, lies, lies, I say, each and every one of them.
My friend, if you are believing that you are an unworthy scoundrel, certain that you are nothing more than pond scum, I am here to tell you that you couldn’t be further from the truth.
Satan wants us to believe we could never be anything better than the dirt we tread on every day. But this is simply not so. It is one of his big fat LIES, and yes, it deserves to be in all caps. Because it is simply. Not. True.
In the beginning, we were created and formed by God, using the dust of the earth. We were made in His image. How can something bearing His likeness be so worthless? The simple answer? It can’t.
You are worthy, you are valued, you are beloved because the Father Himself created and knew you before you even drew your first breath–before your heart took its first beat.
Forget the lies that Satan has gleefully filled your mind with. Cast aside the thoughts that tell you that you could never deserve the love of God, that you never in your life could be enough. The Lord gave you purpose on this earth. He thought that you were so worthy, so important, so beloved that He was willing to lay down His own life for you.
You.
Because God is merciful, with a love that we could never hope to see the end of. And He loves you. And He will never leave you, no matter how worthless, how meaningless, how insignificant you tell yourself you are. You are beloved.
And you. Are. Enough.
So what about you?
What lie is Satan making you believe?
How are you going to combat it?
Meet the Writer
A bookworm at heart and a desert girl by choice, M. L. Milligan is a lifelong horse lover with a passion for Jesus, rainy days, and long chats with her characters. She’s always up for a bowl of popcorn and a movie, or a long trek through uncharted territory, provided someone supplies the coffee. She makes her home in the Sagebrush state with a small gaggle of hens, an array of dogs and a cat, all proudly rescues.
Vessels of Honor 