Two Burdens Jesus Never Asked Nor Wants You to Carry
Scripture tells us that Satan was a murderer from the beginning. There is no truth in him.
He speaks not the truth, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to my Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)
If you love the Lord and have committed your life to him, the first thing he wants you to know, is that though you and I have sinned, He is faithful to forgive. He wants you to know that you are fully known and fully loved, at the same time. He wants to remind you, that while Satan tempts and accuses you, Jesus is your Great Defender.
Satan has beenlyingsince the beginning of creation, so he is very good at it. He wants us to fear, so we'll turn away from God altogether, and doubt His promise of redemption.
If you want evidence of the devil’s craftiness, consider this: Satan lures us every day with the same two lies—and even though both sentiments have proven time and time again to be fraudulent and harmful, we are still tempted to believe them.
Lie #1: Temptation (Satan downplays sin)
First, Satan—the Tempter—downplays sin. He tempts you with statements like,
Do it! It’s not a big deal!
You deserve this!
This is what’s best for you!
This is what will make you happy!
No need to resist—God will forgive you anyway!
(Yes, God WILL, but what Satan won't tell you, is that God is no fool. He will not be mocked by deliberate attempts at deceit and sin, then pretending your sorry. That is not repentance. A true believer, will not WANT to deliberately sin against God. Not out of fear, but BECAUSE they love God and do not want to sin against their Savior.)
Then here's what happens after Satan gets you to sin.
Immediately—without a moment’s hesitation—Satan reverses his course. The Tempter, who once whispered promises of happiness and God’s awaiting grace, has now changed his tune. Suddenly you hear his words of guilt and shame. The Tempter, is now your Accuser!
Lie #2: Accusation (Satan downplays God’s grace)
Next, Satan downplays God’s grace. He tempts you with statements like,
You did that?? That’s a huge deal!!
Fool! How could you think that was okay? Shame on you!
That was the worst thing you could’ve done!!
You’ll never have joy again!
God will NEVER forgive you!!
Notice that the claims Satan makes in accusation, are often in direct contradiction to those he speaks in temptation. Yet we tend to still believe his lies. He fooled us again. This is why it's so important to read our Bible and see what the devil is up to, so we can turn to God and His Word for knowledge and to resist him. The truth of the Bible sets us free and tells us how to resist Satan and make him flee. He must be fought spiritually, and that is by the word of God and His truthful promises.
Remember...Satan doesn’t need us to sin today, to bring harm. He's more clever than that and he'll use anything to accuse you. The Accuser loves to use our past mistakes and sins against us. Satan’s favorite words are, “Look what you’ve done!”—and he’s perfectly content and eager to point to regrets from years ago. As long as we are looking at what we’ve done—whether from 20 minutes ago or 20 years ago—we aren’t looking at what Christ has done for us today. That’s a win, in Satan’s book. But remember... when we learn and know better, from reading God's Word, we do better.
Our Defense When Satan Tempts Us to Despair!
Here’s the good news: While we are often weak and vulnerable to the lies of Satan, we have a strong Defender who fights for us—and His victory is sure! In fact, “The reason the Son of God came to earth, was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8; see also Heb. 2:14-15).
The same Christ who brings salvation by grace and faith alone, brings destruction to Satan (Rom. 16:20)—this is central to his mission! Never believe Satan's biggest lie ---- that you have to prove your worth or be "good enough", in order to receive salvation from God. God already loves you! You have nothing to prove to him. He ALREADY knows you well, yet loves you, though you and I have sinned. You're ALREADY "APPROVED" TO RECEIVE SALVATION, BY GOD'S GRACE, praise God!! He turns no one away, who asks and wants to receive salvation. ASK and you shall RECEIVE. That verse doesn't say you might receive, or maybe.... God's promise to you, is that if you will ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your personal Savior, YOU SHALL BE SAVED!!!
You are saved by God's grace, which is UNEARNED favor from God. The Bible says so. Jesus' whole mission was to come to save the lost....meaning all who have sinned and want to receive God's free gift of Salvation. Ask Jesus...He promises to give you the gift of salvation; it is FREE because He loves you and desires you to have it. No begging or pleading required. Jesus WANTS to save all. Read and believe God's promise to save:
"For by GRACE are you saved through faith, and that NOT of yourselves. It is the free GIFT of God, NOT of WORKS, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. There you have it. It could not be more clear. No amount of "goodness" nor "works", can save you. Only God's grace, by faith.
If you want a beautiful picture of Christ defending you in the midst of Satan’s accusations, read Zechariah chapter 3. When Satan accuses us (v. 1), Jesus stands by us (v. 5), rebuking and silencing the devil’s accusations (v. 2). Through Christ, Satan is disarmed (Col. 2:13-15), crushed (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20), overcome (1 John 4:4), conquered, thrown down, and defeated (Rev. 12:9-11).
Rejoice! In the presence of the slain Lamb of God, Satan’s accusations against those who have received salvation through Christ, have no power (Zech. 3:1-10; Col. 1:22; Rev. 12:9-11).
Does Satan charge you of sin? Jesus came to take away sin (1 John 3:5). Does Satan charge you of being a sinner? Jesus came to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Does Satan charge you of being weak? Ungodly? Sinful? Rebellious? These are the exact categories of people Jesus came to deliver! (Rom. 5:6-11). Does Satan charge you of weak faith? Weak faith in a strong Savior, is saving faith (Mark 9:20-24).
Does Satan charge you with wasting your life? Christ has redeemed you and has given you a brand new life and hope, in Him (Jeremiah 29:11, Genesis 50:20; Rom. 8:28). Does Satan call you worthless or unloved? God himself tells you otherwise...you are PRECIOUS to Him. (Isa. 43:4; Col. 3:12). Not one thing, nor one person, can separate you from the love God has for you. Not even the angels in heaven or evil principalities:
"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Romans 8:38 - 39
God places value and honor on you. Isaiah 43:4 says, "Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored, I love you..."
Zachariah 3:17 says that the Lord is in your midst, and he rejoices over you with love and joyfully SINGS because of you! And what better verse than Romans 5:8, to show that God loves you?
"God demonstrates his own love for us, in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This means that God not only SAID He loves us, He PROVED it on the cross, by providing a way to KEEP us from the condemnation that sin placed on us, and died to pay for our sins, so we COULD have heaven as our home in the afterlife. These verses, along with many others in the bible, serve as a reminder of the immense value and love that God has for each of us....no matter WHO you are....no matter what you've done...Jesus forgives, if you will come to him for salvation.
Does Satan tell you God has left you? He is irrefutably wrong (Heb. 13:5). Does Satan bring any charge against you? He will fail; nothing and no one will separate you from His love (Rom. 8:31-39). At the word of Christ, the Accuser is instantly silenced (2 Thes. 2:8). Through and IN Christ, we are already free from sin’s penalty (Rom. 8:1) and power (Rom. 6:1-14), and one day we will be freed from its very presence (1 John 3:1-3; Col. 1:22; Rev. 22:3). Rejoice in this glorious hope!
Yes, because of Christ, we can confidently proclaim that we never have to carry the burden of Satan's lie that God does not love us, that he will never forgive us, nor that we are unredeemable!
Because of Christ and His promises, our hearts can sing:
My chains are gone, I've been set free!
My God, my Savior, has ransomed me!
And like a flood, His Mercy Reigns
Unending love, Amazing Grace!
He speaks not the truth, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to my Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)
If you love the Lord and have committed your life to him, the first thing he wants you to know, is that though you and I have sinned, He is faithful to forgive. He wants you to know that you are fully known and fully loved, at the same time. He wants to remind you, that while Satan tempts and accuses you, Jesus is your Great Defender.
Satan has beenlyingsince the beginning of creation, so he is very good at it. He wants us to fear, so we'll turn away from God altogether, and doubt His promise of redemption.
If you want evidence of the devil’s craftiness, consider this: Satan lures us every day with the same two lies—and even though both sentiments have proven time and time again to be fraudulent and harmful, we are still tempted to believe them.
Lie #1: Temptation (Satan downplays sin)
First, Satan—the Tempter—downplays sin. He tempts you with statements like,
Do it! It’s not a big deal!
You deserve this!
This is what’s best for you!
This is what will make you happy!
No need to resist—God will forgive you anyway!
(Yes, God WILL, but what Satan won't tell you, is that God is no fool. He will not be mocked by deliberate attempts at deceit and sin, then pretending your sorry. That is not repentance. A true believer, will not WANT to deliberately sin against God. Not out of fear, but BECAUSE they love God and do not want to sin against their Savior.)
Then here's what happens after Satan gets you to sin.
Immediately—without a moment’s hesitation—Satan reverses his course. The Tempter, who once whispered promises of happiness and God’s awaiting grace, has now changed his tune. Suddenly you hear his words of guilt and shame. The Tempter, is now your Accuser!
Lie #2: Accusation (Satan downplays God’s grace)
Next, Satan downplays God’s grace. He tempts you with statements like,
You did that?? That’s a huge deal!!
Fool! How could you think that was okay? Shame on you!
That was the worst thing you could’ve done!!
You’ll never have joy again!
God will NEVER forgive you!!
Notice that the claims Satan makes in accusation, are often in direct contradiction to those he speaks in temptation. Yet we tend to still believe his lies. He fooled us again. This is why it's so important to read our Bible and see what the devil is up to, so we can turn to God and His Word for knowledge and to resist him. The truth of the Bible sets us free and tells us how to resist Satan and make him flee. He must be fought spiritually, and that is by the word of God and His truthful promises.
Remember...Satan doesn’t need us to sin today, to bring harm. He's more clever than that and he'll use anything to accuse you. The Accuser loves to use our past mistakes and sins against us. Satan’s favorite words are, “Look what you’ve done!”—and he’s perfectly content and eager to point to regrets from years ago. As long as we are looking at what we’ve done—whether from 20 minutes ago or 20 years ago—we aren’t looking at what Christ has done for us today. That’s a win, in Satan’s book. But remember... when we learn and know better, from reading God's Word, we do better.
Our Defense When Satan Tempts Us to Despair!
Here’s the good news: While we are often weak and vulnerable to the lies of Satan, we have a strong Defender who fights for us—and His victory is sure! In fact, “The reason the Son of God came to earth, was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8; see also Heb. 2:14-15).
The same Christ who brings salvation by grace and faith alone, brings destruction to Satan (Rom. 16:20)—this is central to his mission! Never believe Satan's biggest lie ---- that you have to prove your worth or be "good enough", in order to receive salvation from God. God already loves you! You have nothing to prove to him. He ALREADY knows you well, yet loves you, though you and I have sinned. You're ALREADY "APPROVED" TO RECEIVE SALVATION, BY GOD'S GRACE, praise God!! He turns no one away, who asks and wants to receive salvation. ASK and you shall RECEIVE. That verse doesn't say you might receive, or maybe.... God's promise to you, is that if you will ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your personal Savior, YOU SHALL BE SAVED!!!
You are saved by God's grace, which is UNEARNED favor from God. The Bible says so. Jesus' whole mission was to come to save the lost....meaning all who have sinned and want to receive God's free gift of Salvation. Ask Jesus...He promises to give you the gift of salvation; it is FREE because He loves you and desires you to have it. No begging or pleading required. Jesus WANTS to save all. Read and believe God's promise to save:
"For by GRACE are you saved through faith, and that NOT of yourselves. It is the free GIFT of God, NOT of WORKS, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. There you have it. It could not be more clear. No amount of "goodness" nor "works", can save you. Only God's grace, by faith.
If you want a beautiful picture of Christ defending you in the midst of Satan’s accusations, read Zechariah chapter 3. When Satan accuses us (v. 1), Jesus stands by us (v. 5), rebuking and silencing the devil’s accusations (v. 2). Through Christ, Satan is disarmed (Col. 2:13-15), crushed (Gen. 3:15; Rom. 16:20), overcome (1 John 4:4), conquered, thrown down, and defeated (Rev. 12:9-11).
Rejoice! In the presence of the slain Lamb of God, Satan’s accusations against those who have received salvation through Christ, have no power (Zech. 3:1-10; Col. 1:22; Rev. 12:9-11).
Does Satan charge you of sin? Jesus came to take away sin (1 John 3:5). Does Satan charge you of being a sinner? Jesus came to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Does Satan charge you of being weak? Ungodly? Sinful? Rebellious? These are the exact categories of people Jesus came to deliver! (Rom. 5:6-11). Does Satan charge you of weak faith? Weak faith in a strong Savior, is saving faith (Mark 9:20-24).
Does Satan charge you with wasting your life? Christ has redeemed you and has given you a brand new life and hope, in Him (Jeremiah 29:11, Genesis 50:20; Rom. 8:28). Does Satan call you worthless or unloved? God himself tells you otherwise...you are PRECIOUS to Him. (Isa. 43:4; Col. 3:12). Not one thing, nor one person, can separate you from the love God has for you. Not even the angels in heaven or evil principalities:
"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." Romans 8:38 - 39
God places value and honor on you. Isaiah 43:4 says, "Since you are precious in My sight, since you are honored, I love you..."
Zachariah 3:17 says that the Lord is in your midst, and he rejoices over you with love and joyfully SINGS because of you! And what better verse than Romans 5:8, to show that God loves you?
"God demonstrates his own love for us, in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This means that God not only SAID He loves us, He PROVED it on the cross, by providing a way to KEEP us from the condemnation that sin placed on us, and died to pay for our sins, so we COULD have heaven as our home in the afterlife. These verses, along with many others in the bible, serve as a reminder of the immense value and love that God has for each of us....no matter WHO you are....no matter what you've done...Jesus forgives, if you will come to him for salvation.
Does Satan tell you God has left you? He is irrefutably wrong (Heb. 13:5). Does Satan bring any charge against you? He will fail; nothing and no one will separate you from His love (Rom. 8:31-39). At the word of Christ, the Accuser is instantly silenced (2 Thes. 2:8). Through and IN Christ, we are already free from sin’s penalty (Rom. 8:1) and power (Rom. 6:1-14), and one day we will be freed from its very presence (1 John 3:1-3; Col. 1:22; Rev. 22:3). Rejoice in this glorious hope!
Yes, because of Christ, we can confidently proclaim that we never have to carry the burden of Satan's lie that God does not love us, that he will never forgive us, nor that we are unredeemable!
Because of Christ and His promises, our hearts can sing:
My chains are gone, I've been set free!
My God, my Savior, has ransomed me!
And like a flood, His Mercy Reigns
Unending love, Amazing Grace!
