Hi I'm Christin Ditchfield with Take It To Heart!
In the classic allegory Pilgrim's Progress, author John Bunyan describes the journey of a man named Christian from sin and bondage in the City of Destruction to eternal peace and joy in the Celestial City. Along the way, Christian faces many trials that test his faith.
At one point, he passes through a dark valley inhabited by hideous demonic beings that hover about, just out of sight. They begin to whisper the most awful, blasphemous things in Christian's ear. Stumbling along in the dark, Christian mistakes their voices for his own thoughts. He's overcome with horror and shame and self-reproach. How could he think such things? What a terrible wretch he is! Christian staggers under the guilt and despair.
Down through the ages, many believers have experienced that very same thing. Satan whispers his blasphemies, introduces evil thoughts – and we're shocked and dismayed. We think WE came up with these vile expressions. We ask ourselves, "Can I really be a Christian and think such a thing?"
In Bunyan's story, Christian is rescued when a friend comes alongside him and begins quoting the Word of God to him. Just as the Scripture promises, the demonic beings are forced to flee. It's a strategy that will work for us today.
So often we mistake the voice of the enemy for that of our own hearts. We feel guilty and ashamed and question our salvation – when what we need to do is rebuke the devil and watch him flee. We need to stop taking credit for his filth, refuse to listen to his lies, and counter every blasphemous thought with the Scripture, words of truth and praise.
Scripture References: John 8:44, James 4:7; see also Genesis 3, Matthew 4:1-11
