Reject These 3 Lies of Satan!

Asked why he was no longer serving the Lord Jesus with his ministry gift, the first reason the Christian man gave, was the lack of appreciation given to him by the people he had been ministering to. I suspect in one way or another that’s the reason why multitudes of Christian men and women are no longer serving the Lord with their gift/s today. If only they would look to Jesus for a word on the matter rather than look to self, because the moment they do the latter they open a door for Satan to bring his word instead. And being the father of lies, Satan’s word is always going to be a lying word.

“Lack of appreciation” is a lying word! The next reason he gave was time; the man saw the number of hours that he was putting in as “a waste of time” which is another lying word from Satan. The third reason, based on the first two, “no point in continuing.” That’s definitely a lying word from Satan! “Three strikes and you’re out,” so the saying goes. Well that’s all Satan needs too when one doesn’t look to the Lord instead, and I’m not saying this because I read it in some book. The one who looks to the Lord Jesus about this matter may not hear from Him as quickly as they’ll hear from Satan, but when they do it’ll be a truthful word, not a lying word. The first word I received years ago was, You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified Isaiah 49:3.

Am I Israel? No, but I am the Lord’s servant. How am I glorifying the Lord? Other than believing the word He gave and sticking to the work He gave, I don’t truly know. But this I know; if God is not being glorified, I would know about it! I too have told the Lord my work is “a waste of time,” and, “there is no point in continuing.” Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain.’ That too was a lie, but not this word: Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, and my work with my God Isaiah 49:4. These words the Lord gave many long years before radio broadcasting and blogging. They were given when being confronted with the devil and his crowd out there on the streets for 3½ years doing house to house gospel proclamation.

When thoughts of “lack of appreciation” from others come to mind, that’s the ideal time for us to consider how much we appreciate God for all that with which He has gifted us. Examples: The gift of relationship and sonship with God Himself, the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior, Redeemer and Friend, the gift of salvation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of His holy Bible, the gift of love, the gift of mercy, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of ministry, the gift of representing Him, the gift of speaking on His behalf, the gift of spiritual power and authority over God’s enemies, the gift of wisdom and knowledge, the gift of eternal life. Short meditations on these every day in prayer and worship will soon have us overcoming woes for any lack of appreciation from people.

When we learn to appreciate God in the above manner that which we consider “a waste of time” will be placed before the Lord in prayer to see if it is or is not. Time will be of uttermost importance for us as it is for God; we won’t want to knowingly waste a moment of it. See then that you walk (be occupied) circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is Ephesians 5:15-17. (Underline mine). When we pray for such understanding and receive it in due time, that’s the will of God for us regardless of how it may look in our eyes or in the eyes of others. Too, we may never see results for our work this side of eternity; no matter, God sees it all.

It is the lack of seeing results that causes us to believe there’s “no point in continuing.” If we can see this not only as the devil’s lie but also a highlighting of pride within, we will get serious with God, repenting and seeking deliverance from it. None of what we do is about us; it is all about God, His glorification and that of His Son, Jesus Christ. The results of our work will be revealed and rewarded in the eternal age. That’s one grand reason for us to get rid of pride here and now. If we take that into eternity with us, our work will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is……. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire 1 Corinthians 3:13-15.

If anyone had sound reasons for walking away because of a “lack of appreciation” and “a waste of time” and “no point in continuing” it is the Lord Jesus Christ, but Him only. His people, the Jews, longed for the literal kingdom of God promised them centuries earlier by the prophets. Jesus came offering it to them, confirming it with a string of miracles, signs and wonders and they rejected both it and Him because He didn’t line up with their preconceived ideas as to who and what the Messiah should be like. Of the many thousands of people who should have known better, only a few of them did, so although the kingdom of God did not come to the nation at that time, it did come in a spiritual sense to those few who believed Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.

How about God’s gracious gift of salvation? Jesus came to die in our place on the cross, ensuring forgiveness and deliverance from the guilt and penalties of our sin, so we could instead, enjoy the never-ending favors of God. Through sincere repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus as Savior and Redeemer, both Jews and Gentiles were/are told they can become children of God…… heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…… Romans 8:16-17. Yet both the Bible and history itself bear witness most people have and will continue to reject this offer, even during the time of the forthcoming Great Tribulation. How’s that for a lack of appreciation! Imagine if Jesus foresaw it all as a waste of time and decided there was no point in continuing. We’d all be headed for hell today!

Imagine if the apostles of Christ had given up serving the Lord Jesus with their ministry gifts because they listened to the lies: lack of appreciation, a waste of time and no point in continuing. The gospel message of the Lord would not have gotten beyond Jerusalem.  And when the apostles died off the Jerusalem church would have died off with them. We would be bowing to the Roman Pope and the Muslims today had that happened because there would have been no New Testament Bible to deliver us out from Old Testament legalistic religious practices and into Holy Spirit-given spiritual liberty. Think of the ramifications of that; no Western nation’s Constitution would have been founded on Judeo/Christian values; we’d all be stifled living under autocracy and tyranny!

When Christians no longer serve the Lord with their ministry gifts, they open the door to Satan’s crowd to get a foothold. Think of all the world’s great institutions that were founded on Judeo/Christian values; the first Hospitals, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Law Courts, Libraries, YMCA and Red Cross for example. When God’s people ceased to serve Him in those places those God-given values gradually became devalued, whereby today they’re not valued at all, they are despised. Christians are fond of pointing the finger at the devil’s people for the evils and corruption in such places today, but I don’t believe God is doing that, I believe He’s pointing the finger at His people. He who is slothful in his work is brother to him who is a great destroyer Proverbs 18:9.

When Christians no longer serve the Lord with their ministry gifts, they demonstrate a lack of appreciation for their fellow Christians who took the gospel of Christ to nations all over the globe but died or were martyred, murdered and slaughtered in the process. In addition, they demonstrate a lack of appreciation for the families and loved ones the missionaries left behind. More: they demonstrate a lack of appreciation for the one who first brought the gospel message to them. So what shows up now, alongside pride, is a preoccupation with self. Now preoccupation with self is one primary reason for the ever-increasing number of suicides taking place in society daily and the sole effective Antidote to it is Jesus Christ. I have come that they may have life…… John 10:10.

As Christians serving the Lord in ministry, we are obligated to reject these 3 lies of Satan!  Forget about the “lack of appreciation” from others; God appreciates us and that’s all that matters. No work in a God-given ministry is “a waste of time” until God reveals otherwise. The same applies to “no point in continuing.” A time may come when God will reveal that, but if He does it means He’s opening a door to something else. What to do then? Hold to the truth of the Psalmist: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness Psalm 84:10. If we walk away from serving the Lord in ministry, Satan will have us dwelling in those tents for sure. Reject these 3 lies of Satan! Wait on the LORD….. Psalm 27:14. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye Psalm 32:8.