The enemy has a plan for each of us, just like God has a plan for us. Satan’s goal is simple: stop God from getting the glory. He uses all kinds of tactics, and rarely are any of them seen. Most of them are in our heads.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.
— James 1:14–15
Satan wants to plant seeds of destruction in you. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10). For most people, this starts in our thoughts. He begins with the things we try to hide from everyone. He tries to make you feel useless and evil. He wants to stop your future, and he will do everything he can to make you feel comfortable while you are under attack.
The enemy wants you to see your past as failure and not as a victory of God’s grace. He wants you to focus on your sin instead of the cross. He wants you to feel the burden of your mistake and not the freedom that is found in Christ. As you read this, there is no doubt in my mind that you can see the enemy’s attack on you, and there is a chance he has already whispered in your ear, “That’s about other people. You are far worse than others.” Don’t listen to him!
John 10:10 also says that Jesus came to give life and to give it abundantly! Our past has no hold on us. If you are in Christ, then you are new, and the burden of your past should not have a grasp on you. If anything, we should use our stories to point people to Jesus. We need to remind ourselves daily that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus!
God is in the business of using broken people to point others to a perfect God.
God used Paul, who killed Christians.
God used David, who slept with a married woman and killed her husband.
God used Moses, who killed a man and tried to cover it up.
God can use [insert your name], [insert whatever it is you think that God can’t overcome].
God can use you!