Introduction:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

The devil’s devices and end game have been the same for thousands and thousands of years. While we may never be perfect and 100% sinless, we can overcome the devices of the enemy by understanding what Satan is truly after, and understanding how God has already made provisions for us. 

The first 5 days of this devotion explains the devil’s end game to help you fight back. The second 5 days of this devotion is dedicated to Bible stories of God’s redemption from sin and lessons learned. This combination will help you guard against sin, and help you bounce back faster when you fall.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  Genesis 3:1

One of the greatest things that we can do as Christians is believe the word of God. God never lies, so if He said it, we can believe it. The reason it’s so important to strengthen our faith in God’s word, is that the devil constantly looks for ways to plant doubt in our minds about what God has said to us. It’s no coincidence that the first sin recorded in the Bible started from a seemingly innocent question “did God really say?”

That simple question opened the door to doubt that God wanted to keep good things from Adam and Eve, and was what left her vulnerable to sin. When I look at my own life, I would have to honestly say that I’ve sinned at times for the same reason - it’s human nature. We doubt that God will come through on this month’s paycheck, so we steal. Waiting until marriage seems more like a rule keeping us from having fun than God’s protection, so we give in to premarital sex. We don’t see how God will help us through this sticky situation, so we lie. Doubting God’s ability and good will towards us leads to sin. It's critical that we understand this because this is one of the major cracks that Satan uses to creep in and begin to steal, kill, and destroy the things that God has planned for us. 

Take some time today and jot down some of God’s plans for you. The scriptures below are a good starting place, in addition to the promises that God has given you specifically. Jeremiah 29:11, Deuteronomy 31:6, Corinthians 12:9, Ephesians 3:17-19, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 40:31

Prayer: Father God, we pray today that you help us to stay focused on your promises, and to know that your plans are always of good, and not of evil. Help us to stay focused on you and not to be led astray by our own doubts and fears. Amen.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

It’s amazing that the Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, but one sin can make us forget it all and question whether or not God still wants us. 

In Genesis, we see that when Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened and they ran and hid from God. Note, their initial reaction, not God’s, was to create separation between them and God. I point this out because many times, Old Testament characters help us to better see our own human nature. Have you ever felt the need to hide from God after a big mistake? Know that the devil’s entire game plan is to destroy your relationship with God and keep you away. But you can fight back by knowing that God is always there, ready to forgive us and reconcile with us after every sin, big or small. 

And you might be thinking - hey, didn’t God kick Adam and Eve out of the garden? Yes, this is true, there were consequences for their sin - there always are. However, this doesn’t mean that God ever desires separation from us. For the remainder of the Old Testament after Adam and Eve’s sin, God provided ways for His people to be reconciled to Him through the law and the prophets, and finally completed that work by sending Jesus to die for our sins and carry the sin of the world, a gift that we still enjoy today. Use the gift of forgiveness, and show your faith by returning to God quickly after your sins. 

Prayer: Father God, today I thank you for a reminder that nothing on earth can ever separate me from Your love. I thank you for loving me fiercely through my sins and flaws, and for always providing instructions so that I can do better. I ask that you help me to renew my hope in you and your word every day so that I am always reminded that You are there, and You love me. Amen

Additional reading: Genesis 2 & 3

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” Revelation 10:10

Now I know many people don’t like the book of Revelations because it’s scary. But would it be weird if I told you that for most of my late teen years, it was my favorite book? Weird? OK, I’ll take that lol. But I love the book because of the symbolism used in describing so many things happening on earth. And one thing that always struck me was that they referred to the devil as “the accuser of brethren.” Let’s unpack that for a bit.

In the book of Job chapter 1, we see that angels came before God, and so did Satan. When God asked “where did you come from” - Satan effectively said “from wreaking havoc here and there - can’t you see all the sinful work that people are doing on my behalf on earth?” This shows us that the devil literally periodically goes to God and brags about his evil bidding, and also accuses the brethren (that would be us believers) about our sins. Crazy right? The devil’s end game has always been to be like God, and while that will never happen, he brings accusations against us to God whenever he can to show his progress. But there is another side to that coin.

Not only does the devil accuse us to God, he also accuses us to ourselves. The shame that you feel after sinning, is from the devil. The voices that say that God no longer wants you and can’t use you and that tells you that you may as well give yourself over to your sin because you’ll never get better is all from Satan, not God.

The bible tells us in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. God sent the Holy Spirit to convict us, which reminds us where we went wrong and puts us back on the right path, but never to condemn us. Any time that you feel condemned and shamed, know that it is from the devil and you have to fight back. Shame is a powerful feeling, but God’s grace, forgiveness and love is much stronger. Lean into it. 

Prayer: Father God, thank you for always loving me and always being there. I thank you that I don’t have to be a slave to sin and shame, but that you are always there to pick me up when I fall. Father please help me to learn to give over my shame and to let your love and forgiveness fill me instead everyday. Thank you. Your child _____[your name here]______

Additional Reading: Job 1. Romans 8. 

“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.” Genesis 4:3-5

From the beginning of time, God has told man that we were made after His own image. That we were chosen to rule over the land and animals on earth. And essentially that we are the apple of His eye. And from the beginning of time, the devil also has looked for ways to make us question who we are. 

In the story of Cain and Abel, who are Adam and Eve’s first and second sons, we see that they each gave offerings to God. Now Cain gave some of what he had, while Abel gave the best of what he had to God. God showed favor to Abel’s offering, and this set off a whole chain of events where Cain forgot his identity as 1) a child of God, 2) someone who could control circumstances and also give his best to God, and 3) an older brother, who is supposed to look out for his family. Instead he embraced the identity of Abel’s competitor, which led to the thought that life would be better without his brother Abel. All of this was thrown away due to envy and anger, which eventually led to murdering Abel. 

The worst part of this all is that in the end, even after Cain “got rid” of his brother, he only pushed himself further away from God and his parents by getting himself exiled from the land. In essence, this loss of identity caused him to lose it all instead of getting closer to what he wanted. This is very relevant in today’s age where identity crises are rampant, and it seems that the more our society looks to redefine identities, the further we get from connecting to one another, to God and even to ourselves. Embracing who God created us to be brings peace, and the devil knows this which is why he fights hard to cause us to question and want to change our identities. 

Prayer: Father God, today help me to embrace who you created me to be; including the things that I like about myself and those things that I wish were different. Help me to love myself on the inside out and rid myself of envy and self hate. Help me to see clearly that my design was on purpose and for a great purpose. Thank you for creating me just as I am, and continue to guide and help me to become more like you every day. 

Additional reading: Genesis 4

“Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years.  He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made.  Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.” 2 Kings 3:1-3

In reading through 2 Kings, the stories of each king of Judah or Israel started similar to the scripture above. Kings usually followed family lines, and the new king was always compared either to the sins of their fathers (men in family line) or to doing good in the eyes of the Lord and compared to David. Sadly, many more kings were recorded as doing evil than as doing good. 

This is another tool of the enemy, because not only does he want to cause us to sin, but he wants us to make it a lifestyle which our children and lineage witnesses and continues along the family line as well. There’s a popular saying that says children don’t do what we say, they do what we do and those habits formed in childhood usually follow into adulthood. 

The good news however is that even if you were not brought up in a born again Christian home, we have hope. Much later in 2 Kings, we are introduced to King Hezekiah the 13th King of Judah, who also was referred to as the most righteous though he had 12 generations of bad examples ahead of him. 

2 Kings 18:5-6 says “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.“

What we can learn from King Hezekiah is that we can fight against generational sin by 1) trusting in God and 2) studying and understanding God’s word & instructions for ourselves. It’s not enough to rely on faith from our parents or from others’ interpretations of what God says, but we can break free from generational sin by getting to know God and His word for ourselves. 

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for choosing me as your own. Today, I dedicate/rededicate myself to getting to know and trust You, and to learning about your promises and instructions from Your word. Father please guide me towards a study and prayer plan that is plain and easy for me to understand and please open the eyes of my heart so that I can understand everything that you have for me. Amen.

Now that you have finished the first 5 days of this devotion that explains the devil’s end game to help you fight back. Next 5 days of this devotion is dedicated to the Bible stories of God’s redemption from sin and lessons learned. This combination will help you guard against sin, and help you bounce back faster when you fall. 

“But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15: 2-6

The story of Abraham is a great example of how God’s plans do prevail even when we mess up. To summarize, God promised Abraham not just a son, but countless descendants through that son. But many years passed, Abraham and Sarah both beyond usual childbearing age, so they decided that Abraham should get Hagar, their slave pregnant since it seemed God could not bring His promise to pass. This was a sin as Hagar wasn’t Abraham’s wife, and the custom of sleeping with a slave was cultural and not of God. This caused a lot of “family drama,” which got worse once God finally brought Isaac, Abraham and Sarah’s promised son into the picture. Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent away, and the strife between Ishmael and Isaac’s offspring continued for generations. But even with all of the drama and missteps, God still gave Abraham a son, and his offspring eventually grew into the great nation of Israel. 

This story is powerful because we can see that Abraham and Sarah sinned because they doubted God’s plan (remember discussing this on day two of this devotional). But it also shows that even with that, when God promises a thing, it happens regardless of our mistakes. We can take comfort in knowing that God can see the future, so he’s already accounted for our mistakes before making the promise. And finally, it’s a reminder that even though God will bring promises to pass, there are still consequences for every action as we can see in the family drama between the two sons. It’s a sobering reminder of why we can’t sin recklessly - we still have to face our consequences in the end. The story of Abraham is a great story to help us understand both human nature and God’s nature as we battle against sin. 

Additional reading: Genesis 15-21

After going through the Heart check process you may be feeling convicted, or you might still be unpacking your thoughts. Not to worry! We have a God, a loving and compassionate God that receives us just the way we are. That on its own is comforting because we serve a Good Good Father that never condemns us. Instead, He provides opportunities for us to make things right with Him. All He seeks is a Repentant Heart, the bible says "And “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. But since you have shown total contempt for the Lord by this affair, the son that is born to you must die.” 2 Samuel 12:13-14

“Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to bed with her, and she later gave birth to a son. David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child.” 2 Samuel 12: 24

King David is known as a man after God’s own heart, but also for making a grave mistake in having an affair with one of his soldier’s wife, Bathsheba, then killing her husband Uriah once he realized that she got pregnant and they would be discovered. If this is your first time hearing this story, yes, it was a lot. Don’t let anyone tell you the bible is boring - trust me it’s better than a soap opera. 

When Bathsheba’s first child through David was born, David was excited and happy. By this point, he’d married Bathsheba and it looked like he escaped any consequences of sin, but then a prophet Nathan was sent by God to convict David. Though David then confessed, God still chose to kill the first son, sending both David and Bathsheba into grief. However God still showed mercy and allowed them to conceive again, eventually giving birth to Solomon, David’s heir to the throne who was known as the wisest king ever in Israel, and who was the one who got to build God’s temple. 

I find it amazing, that God allowed such a great legacy to come through a union that started in sin. Afterall, Bathsheba wasn’t David’s only wife so there were other options. But God did, and in doing so He showed just how merciful He is. Not only do His promises come to pass, but He provides a way forward for us. If you’re struggling with the pain or consequence of sin, stay close to God, pray to Him and He will show you how to overcome and make it to the next step. 

“The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4:25-26

John 4 records the longest conversation recorded between Jesus and another person in the bible. And the interesting thing is that it was between Jesus and a woman who not only was not a Jew, but a woman known for sleeping around. Even in today’s culture we are quick to label such women as damaged goods or hopeless. A famous Jay Z song says “once a good girl’s gone bad, she’s gone forever” right? So many of us believe this, about others and about ourselves and it’s amazing how that thought process alone keeps us in a cycle of sin. 

But Jesus took the time to speak with her. Not to condemn her, but to show her that she had access to living water, and He even told her in plain words that He was the messiah, something that he’d only alluded to in parables leading up to this. Isn’t that amazing? No matter how bad or far gone you think you are, this story shows us that God is literally right there, always ready to turn us around and put us on a new path. He’s ready to reveal Himself to you and give you access to Him. You just have to listen and believe. God doesn’t discard what the world calls “damaged goods.” He draws us to Him. After all, Jesus was referred to as a “friend of sinners” during His time on earth. So if you’ve ever sinned, you’re in luck. Jesus wants you.

Additional reading: John 4 & John 8

“After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly - Matthew 26:73-75

“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”  -Matthew 27:3-5

The two scriptures for today illustrate two very different reactions by two of Jesus’ disciples after they betrayed Jesus. One wept, and the other committed suicide. This shows the weight of sin. The truth is that while we’re sinning, it usually feels good, but immediately afterwards it feels horrible and that also is usually when the devil speaks the loudest and makes us feel hopeless. 

Whenever I think of Judas, I think of how sad it is that he spent so much time with Jesus yet missed the whole point. Jesus had forgiven sins of many people right in front of Judas during His ministry, yet Judas forgot that Jesus had the power to forgive his sin and resorted to suicide. Peter on the other hand, we can see was remorseful and pained but returned to the path and eventually became the “rock” on which Christianity was built after Christ’s death. 

Cross referencing these two stories and their lessons is really important for us to understand how to handle the pain and grief of sin once we come to terms with what we’ve done. We should never condemn ourselves. It’s ok to cry, scream, or be disappointed for a while, but we should never forget that there is hope if we keep moving, and keep taking one step after another. Choose Peter’s path, not Judas.

“ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man [Paul] and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” “ Acts 9:13-16

The story of Paul (formerly known as Saul) in the New Testament is another amazing and TV worthy story. No seriously, you can take a break from Netflix and get into some of these Bible stories, they are just as full of plot twists, but will feed your soul in the process. 

Paul was introduced to us as a very zealous Jew who hated the change that Christians were bringing by proclaiming a new way of serving God through believing Jesus. He dedicated his life to finding and killing Christians in the name of Judaism. One day, as he was on his way to a new town to find and kill more Christians, he fell blind and heard the voice of Jesus asking why he was persecuting Him? Next Paul turned over his life, but hadn’t gotten his sight back. Jesus directed him to the home of a Christian (who knew very well of Paul’s killing sprees) to nurse him back to health so that Paul could join them in proclaiming the Good News. 

Paul went on to write over half of the New Testament and to spread the gospel to many new cities and countries. He is credited for starting many churches and converting many deacons who then converted many more. He went from Christian killer, to preacher and that in and of itself made him an amazing testimony to God’s work and drew more people into the fold. 

Here’s the thing. God can use your past, your sins and the things that you try to hide for His good. It sounds crazy, but He can. The power is in your testimony and telling your before and after story to show how Jesus transformed your life. Just like teeth whitening commercials are more believable when they show photos of yellow teeth on the left, and white teeth on the right - your witness to God’s goodness also becomes real to unbelievers when you also share your before and after story. God literally can use anything - including your sins and flaws for His glory, and this is another reason to never condemn yourself when you fall. Turn it all back over to God, and let Him use it. You’ll be amazed and what He does with it

Prayer: Father God, I thank you for everything that You’ve shown me in this devotional. I know I will never be perfect, but I thank You for always being with me and helping me rise again when I fall. I thank You for sending your son Jesus to die and pay the price for my sins, and I thank You for Your word, the Bible for providing examples and lessons on how to live for You. From this day forward I will not be held back by my past, but will focus on pressing forward knowing that You are for me, and You are by my side. Thank You for being a loving Father and for choosing me as your son/daughter. Amen.