God created me and you in his image. (“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” GENESIS 1:27). Not only were we created in His image, but we were also created never to be separated in our fellowship with Him. Like a puzzle with a unique piece, we were made to be beautiful and complete, and the unique piece of the puzzle is Christ abiding in our lives. While on earth and before entering Heaven, we were intended to have a constant relationship with Christ. Simply put, our Heavenly Father made us in His image (beautiful puzzle) to have continuous fellowship with Him (the soul of the puzzle). Both the journey and the destination were to be a wonderful picture. But there is a problem: Satan!
When Satan and a third of the angels were cast down from Heaven, he became God’s enemy. Satan not only hates God but also hates God’s creation and wants to distort and destroy that creation (“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” John 10:10). Satan not only wants us to spend eternity in Hell but also aims to distort our purpose on Earth, leading us away from God’s plan. While God created us in His image for a purpose while on Earth, Satan seeks to distort that purpose to derail God’s plans for us on Earth.
Our Heavenly Father created our calling and destination. That calling and destination can only be derailed if we doubt who we are and where we are going. So, how does Satan achieve his mission? His mission, as an enemy of God, is to pervert everything God created. If he can create doubt in the minds of God’s children about who they are and where they are going, then the shadow of doubt creates such a cloud in our lives that everything that God wants for us, such as peace, joy, and rest are now replaced with fear, unhappiness, sadness and more. Keep in mind that we were built to trust in God and have a relationship with Him, resting in the fact that He takes care of His children’s needs. He created us to live in Him and reflect His character, which includes love, peace, joy, and rest. So, how in the world can this perfect creation of a holy God get corrupted and distorted?
The enemy has come to make you doubt everything, and I mean everything! First, Satan wants you to doubt the very Word of God. His playbook has not changed since the Garden. Like Eve, in the Garden of Eden, Satan’s first lie was, “Did God really say that you can’t eat of the fruit?” (Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1).
Secondly, he wants you to doubt who you are in Christ. He wants you to believe we weren’t intended to be in a relationship with God. Thirdly, Satan wants you to believe that Heaven isn’t built for everyone or even believe that Heaven doesn’t exist at all. If Satan can create doubt about who you are and why you were created, then you and I will spend the rest of our lives seeking and trying to fill the void that can only be satisfied by God.
Consider this: He is not only our Creator but has built us in such a special way that only He can fill the void in our hearts. If that void is not filled with Him, then we spend the rest of our days seeking out the special part that only He can fill. As the enemy of God, Satan now wants to rob you and me of filling the void with God. Doubt casts a shadow on every aspect of God’s intended purpose. This is why many of us end up shipwrecked on an island we never intended to be. We, as men, were created in His image. As children of God, He created us in His image and with purpose and a heavenly destination. Do not let anyone distort this image. When Satan comes and whispers DOUBT in your ear, remember you ARE a child of the Most High, and nothing can take that from you unless you surrender to Satan’s whispers.
Matthew 7:13-14 says it best: Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Our country, families, children, and men have become lost. We have stepped away from our loving Father because we doubt Who He is and why He made us. Don’t let doubt finish its work!
Have a great Thursday,
S.L. Thomas