Attacks from Within

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Spoken Version: Attacks from Within

Failure.  Loser.  Waste of Time.  Waste of Space.  Disappointment.  Child.  Useless.  Inadequate.

These are the words that many of us hear everyday.

It may be from the mouth of a boss or coworker.  Maybe from our children or family.  Possibly even the occasional stranger.  However odds are that most of the time when we hear these words are the whispers from within.

You probably hear the words "Failure" and "Inadequate" uttered in your subconscious more than any other source.  I personally believe that the internal utterance is much more difficult to deal with.  We are our own toughest critic.  If we are told by a boss that we are a waste of space, it is possible to process by realizing "That is his opinion.  I do not like his opinion but I know I can work harder in the future.  His opinion does not affect me."  Now in no way am I ever suggesting that the words and opinions of others do not affect us.  The opinion of society, friends, and others is actually one of the main controlling forces in our lives and is often the reason that find ourselves not doing what we are supposed to be doing in the first place.

What I am saying is this:  when the idea of "inadequacy" comes from within, you perceive it as your own personal opinion.  The blockade of self-esteem is no longer there to protect from incoming attacks.  This assassin is already inside your heart, mind, and soul wearing you down until there is nothing left except, "I am inadequate."  This is the danger of the whispers.  The whispers get projected as the opinions of others as well.  It is no longer just you being hard on you, but every person you pass is now "disgusted" by you.  Nobody can even look you in the eye.  You just know that they talking about you when you not around.  You can feel their disappointment radiating off of them like light from the sun.  There is nothing for you to do; there is no purpose for you to be around.  It would be better if........

Many get caught in this downward spiral because they believe that those whispers are coming from themselves.  They are not.  They come from only one person...Satan.  The Lord of Deceit and Deception.  His job 24/7 is to haunt you and pick at you and nag you and nudge you and whisper lies to you.  And he is very good at his job; world and personal history can attest to that.  "Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?" (Ps 43:5)

But here is the answer:  "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God" "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (Ps 43:5, 2 Cor 5:17).

You know what, Satan is right.  We were useless, inadequate, undeserving, and failures, but the old is gone and the new has come.  We are glorious shining lights of God's love.  WE ARE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE. Our hope rests in him alone.

So when you hear those whispers, internal or external, it is just Satan trying to get you to forget who you are and your worth.  It is not a joking matter, but it is funny when you compare what we have to what is attacking us.

Hope in the Lord.