Lies I Believe Part 1: God Just Wants Me to Be Happyনমুনা

THE LIE

Reflection:

When we fall prey to one of Satan’s lies, we do not just believe that lie. We’re actually believing a deeper lie about the character of God and about who He created us to be. When Satan lied to Eve in Genesis 3, he used the question of eating fruit to target a deeper belief in her heart. It wasn’t the fruit that Satan cared about. It was her belief in who God was. He made her doubt God’s goodness. He planted the seed of a lie that God alone wasn’t enough for her. She needed something more. She needed to be something more. God had already made her in His image- and He said that she was “very good”! Satan’s lie whispered that she was not good enough. She would be better (happier!) if she ate that fruit.

We tend to think that we would have seen through Satan’s lie. That we wouldn’t have chosen fruit over peace with God. That we wouldn’t have listened to the voice of a snake over the words of our Creator as He walked with us in the Garden. But Eve did. Adam did. And we do too.

In the choices we make, in the priorities of our lives, in our scheduling and financial planning, our lives reveal a lie. And underneath that lie are more lies. Lies about who God is and about who He made us to be.

The Lie: God just wants me to be happy

- Lie about me: My needs are the most important thing

- Lie about God: God exists to serve me, to meet my needs

As you read those lies, you’re likely insisting that you don’t actually believe them. But before you move on with your day, pause and invite God to reveal your blind spots.

Ask Yourself:

How do your daily habits and activities reveal this lie in your life?

Pause to Pray:

Jesus, I don’t want to live in a lie...

Take the Next Step:

Consider pausing for a few minutes at the end of your morning, the end of your afternoon, and before going to bed. How did you put your happiness above God, above others above truth?