Belovedness by Sarah KrogerSample

Lies vs. Truth

I had never paid much attention to gardening until we bought our first house a few years ago. We moved in during the winter when everything was barren. So, you can imagine my surprise when the spring came, and our backyard was bursting with weeds of every shape and size. We essentially had our very own tropical rainforest in the middle of Nashville. It became my personal mission to destroy the weeds, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. They were persistent little jerks. If you only remove what can be seen from the surface, their roots allow them to come back again and again. 

In the garden of our heart, lies are like weeds. They show up uninvited, having complicated root systems running deep that make them hard to eradicate. The only way to uproot them is with patience, self-awareness, and persistence. 

I’m reminded of the words from John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly.” The devil’s goal is to destroy us, which often starts from the inside out. One of the oldest tricks in his book is using lies to distort the truth. He can’t actually create anything - only distort it. Humanity has fallen for it since the beginning of time. 

While it’s almost impossible to get the enemy to stop talking to you, you can learn to tune him out and tune into the voice of God. The Lord will always encourage you, never shame you. If the voice calls you by your mistakes, that is not the Lord - He calls you by name, and He calls you beloved. 

The Lord does not sow confusion, despair, or greed. He speaks with clarity, he gives hope, and he offers abundance. 

You can always simply just ask the Lord to talk to you. Didn’t realize it was that simple? It worked for Samuel in 1 Samuel 3. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” And remember, it probably won’t be in a loud, thunderous voice from the Heavens. Remember in 1 Kings 19, the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake or the fire, the snapping trees or the crashing rocks. He was in the still, quiet whisper of wind. Why? I’ve always liked Steven Furtick’s answer: “The Lord whispers because he’s close.”