Dust Bunnies Beward

Thoughts swirled like dust bunnies released from captivity. Self-talk pulled me farther down with each ticking moment.

“You’re not good enough.”

“No one wants to pick you.”

“What makes you think anyone would hire you.”

“Your words don’t flow well enough.”

And the darkness tugged harder.

Another line of accusation joined.

“And you write about lies and fear? You can’t hear truth yourself. How do you expect anyone else to make changes you suggest when you don’t apply them to your own life?”

But another Voice broke through the tirade.

One Voice offered hope against the cacophony of incrimination.

One Voice presented truth with substance.

One Voice extended grace to silence the onslaught of doubt.

A single question: “Where did the accusation begin?”

I would love to tell you this situation happened many years ago. But I can’t. It happened too recently to have fully healed from it. Fresh wounds haven’t yet turned into scars.

I write about fear and lies. I speak about the same. Right now, I’m teaching about having a deep relationship with God.

So why am I surprised at the devil’s taunting attack?

He won’t confront head-on. He comes in through a small crack and sneaks in where I’m not paying attention.

A dear friend and I used to talk about blind-sided strikes. A surprise like this happens like a sucker punch from the least expected place. This kind does the most damage because it often comes from a trusted source.

Therein lies the problem for me. I trusted the wrong voice.

I know who I am but I forgot to remind the devil when he began his ambush.

I failed to speak the truth of my Father God.

The devil knows who He is as well and needed to take notice again.

There’s a wonderful song out right now about God parting the sea of fear so I can go through on dry ground. Multiple times in Joshua 1, God reminds us not to be afraid; to be strong and courageous. Why? Because of His consistent, unfailing, all-powerful presence.

So many voices call out each day. Some give insincere promises while others give accolades with false motives. And yet others give straight-up lies with enough truth attached to cause doubt to rise.

That’s the work of the devil.

But God . . . isn’t that the best phrase?

God speaks truth into swirling dust bunnies and vacuums the mess by His Spirit. He will release me from destructive self-talk. He affirms I’m not good enough without Him (Romans 6:23), but with Him I am now in Him and that is enough (2 Timothy 1:9). He reminds me of truth—He already picked me (John 15:16). He helps me remember I don’t need anyone else to hire me because He’s already given me a job (Ephesians 2:10). And then He shows me truth for He is truth (John 14:6).

Why do I occasionally listen to the wrong voice even after over 50 years of walking with God? Because at times I let life’s busyness get in the way of having a good, deep amount of time with Him. When I allow this to happen, I have chosen to look for my strength, wisdom, and guidance outside of what God and I share.

Yes, the devil uses his cunningness, but I allowed the crack in the first place.

So today, I will put on God’s armor again (Ephesians 6:10-18), stand in His strength (Joshua 1:7-9, Psalm 46:1-3) and faithfulness (2 Thessalonians 3:3). And I will put the devil on notice to remind him of who God is and who I am because of Him.

The dust bunnies are gone and my inner voice is singing praises.

 

 

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