HE WHO SINS IS OF THE DEVIL, FOR THE DEVIL HAS SINNED FROM THE BEGINNING
(1 John 3:8).

For the longest time of my life, I never knew the meaning of sin.  Sin seemed to be something mysterious…something unexplainable…SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME.  I was aware that I felt wrong inside and did wrong deeds, but I never really understood WHY.

Then, I came to understand that sin is explainable—THAT SINFUL DEEDS SERVE A PURPOSE.  Sin is the father-of-lies’ solutions to escape heartache. It is what we do when we hurt inside, so we might feel better.

You see, sin does not stand alone.  It does not happen by itself.  It sits on a pillar of beliefs suggested by the father-of-lies.  These beliefs hurt.  They suggest that you have been abandoned by certain people and by God.  They propose that you are unacceptable to certain people and to God.  They offer the belief that you are nothing but a being of shame to certain people and to God.

However, the father-of-lies is craftier than that.  Not only does he suggest the beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame to you, but also the solutions to the heartache these cause—SIN.  After he introduces the hurtful beliefs to your mind, he offers solutions of distraction and destruction—SIN.  After the father-of-lies plants his painful beliefs in your heart, he entices you to do what is wrong to dull the pain—SIN.

FOR THIS PURPOSE THE SON OF GOD WAS MANIFESTED, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL
(1 John 3:8).

I bless you to know that Jesus, the Son of God, was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the father-of-lies.  Jesus came to offer a different solution to escape the heartache of the father-of-lies’ painful belief—HIS SELF.  Instead of turning to solutions of distraction and destruction to ease your heartache, you can turn to Jesus and ask Him to take away the pain in your heart.  Instead of turning to SIN as a solution to the father-of-lies’ beliefs, you can accept Jesus’ solutions of Truth, Hope, and Love for your beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame.

Which sinful habits and patterns have you adopted through-out your life, in order to escape the pain in your heart? Take a moment and find out why you have adopted these sinful patterns in your life. To which negative, destructive beliefs from the father-of-lies are you reacting? What are you going to do about this?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite You to be manifested in my heart, so You may destroy the works of the father-of-lies—the beliefs of abandonment, condemnation, rejection, and shame that are causing me to sin.