Who Is Your Master?

Before I repented and allowed Jesus to lead my life, my master was Satan. Satan is real. His lies to me worked year after year. He is the master of lies and deceit. He does not care who he destroys. He ruled my life, and although I was not a bad child, I was selfish and wanted what I wanted. I never gave much thought to other people or their feelings.

I didn't know I was being lied to, I didn't know God or His word, so Satan's lies seemed normal to me. When you don't know what God says, you can't determine what is a lie and what isn't. As I grew older, I became more selfish. It didn't help that I was a spoiled only child. I was used to getting what I wanted. Satan won.

I was not nice to clerks or waitresses. I never saw them as people doing a job as best they could. It was all about me. Don't make me wait, my time is valuable. Don't think different from me, I am more important than you. I learned to lie to get out of trouble, or to avoid trouble. I never, ever took responsibility for my own actions.

When I finally met Jesus, and turned my life over to Him, He has cleaned me up, from the inside out. Jesus showed me how my temper and nasty behavior hurt others. I don't know how I became so mean, but I know Satan talked a good story and I believed him. He fed my ego, and convinced me I was really something, entitled to privileges earned from tearing others down.

Our world is in a constant battle with evil. When you follow your selfish desires, Satan wins. Never forget that Satan may win a battle, but he does not win the war! There is war all around us we can not see. Satan and his followers battle God's angels every day. It will be that way until Christ returns. Satan was God's most beautiful angel, but he wanted to be God. God kicked him out of heaven, and he has been seeking who he can devour since then.

His prideful self was his downfall. He in turn desires all of us to follow him. He knows he will be defeated at the end, so he has stepped up his program to do what damage he can. He uses our weakness as humans to try and destroy us. Part of you hates being submissive to any authority. By giving over our lives to God's authority, we defeat Satan. He hates that! He will scheme and plan anything to distract you or to take your eyes off Jesus. Once you belong to Jesus, Satan can not get that foothold. He will try, and we have to be vocal and tell him to get lost!

When I turned my life over to Jesus years ago, Satan attacked a week later. I had a massive library at home on satanism and witchcraft. God said, "Get rid of it all."  I started to gather it all to throw in the trash. God said," No! Burn it."  My husband and I started a fire in our fireplace, and started feeding it books. Most were hard bound, so it took many hours before they were destroyed. A few hours later, we started fighting and it escalated into the meanest and nastiest fight ever. We both stopped at the same time, and said "Satan!" Yes Satan was angry. I was no longer so easily managed.

If this happens in your life, just hang on. Jesus has you, and He will not let you go. Once you recognize how tricky Satan can be, you will know it's him, trying to get you to lose your focus. We are not as effective for God, when our focus is shifted. Satan knows that, and will try to trip you up. The good news is....you don't have to let him. The more you resist him, the easier it is to see his deceit. Once you are God's, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, Satan knows he has lost you.  His only defense is to be annoying. Jesus, holding your hand, has got this!  God wins!