​I recently read a post by Derald Weber, where he said “There are 3 lies the devil told Israel when it was time to go into Canaan. The same 3 lies he tells God's church today. 1: The enemy’s too strong. 2: Your need is too great. 3: And there’s no help coming.” So I began to ponder these 3 lies and how actively the enemy uses them against so many people.

The 1st lie the enemy tells is probably the one he uses the most. He tries to convince us that everything is against us and there is no way to ever win. This lie is not just used against the lost, but it’s used against the church as well. The enemy of the church wants to paralyze the body of Christ into not trying to reach any other souls. If he can make us believe that what he is doing cannot be changed or overcome by anything else, then we will give in and give up. Don’t believe this lie, but instead reach out to the lost.

The 2nd lie plays upon people’s feeling and judgment of them self. I think at our core we all think our need is too great. We know the “us” that no one else can ever know. If you can imagine how much of a hindrance this could be for a child of God, then try to fathom how debilitating this is for someone who is trying to come out of sin. To someone who is trying to break free from the pull of self, sin, and the world the lie of your need being too great would be more easily digested. We must believe for ourselves and help those around us see that Jesus can take care of any need that we will ever have.

The 3rd lie adds to the hopelessness that already exists in our world. For someone who feels like they are pushed into the corner, to believe that they are never going to receive help would be a grievous way to live. Let me encourage someone today. Help has already come and he will not give up trying to reach you. If you will just turn to the Lord and surrender to His will he has already paid for all the help you need. This is the truth: Jesus is the answer to the questions and the needs that exist in your life.
 
Don’t listen to the devil’s lies,
Pastor Hoffman

"Is it in you?". That is the question that was asked in the ubiquitous ads put out in the early 2000's by the Gatorade sports drink company. These ads asked athletes if "IT" was in them. It was a question as to what was fueling them, and were they driven by a drive and passion deep inside to compete at the highest level. I understand that this was a marketing campaign designed to sell a product and that they were ultimately asking "are you drinking Gatorade?", but there is a truth to what the ads were implying: To be successful as an athlete "IT" must be in you, pushing you even past your physical limits to keep you going when you want to give up. If you were to go back through history and examine the athletic careers of the most prominent and successful athletes you will likely find that there was an almost superhuman drive in them. When obstacles that would have derailed the average person presented themselves, these athletes pushed through them. When they felt discouraged and wanted to give up they kept pushing on. Rejection, injury, personal loss, and the agony of defeat were not enough to stop them, but only made them better and more determined to be successful. "IT" was most certainly in them.

I am reminded of the prophet Jeremiah, who became weary with delivering the word of the Lord to the people. He had become a laughingstock for delivering God's word (Jeremiah 20:8), but in spite of the weariness, the frustration, and the shame it brought he couldn't stop proclaiming what God gave him to say. He wanted to stop, but he simply couldn't. Why?

Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV - [9] Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But [His word] was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding [it] back, And I could not.

The reason he couldn't stop is because "IT" was in Jeremiah, driving and pushing him past his weariness, past his fear, past his frustration. There were plenty of reasons to give up and quit, but there was a cause that was greater than those reasons. There was a burning inside of him that wouldn't let him just stand silently in the shadows while his community advanced in a downward spiral of sin and darkness. He had to do something no matter what it might cost him. They weren't listening. They didn't see any merit to his pleas. They mocked him. There was an onslaught outside him pressuring him to give up, but "IT" was in him pushing him through all of that to continue speaking God's word to the lost souls. 

Now here we are in 2018 and just like Jeremiah we're surrounded by people who are in a nose dive toward hell fire with no parachute to slow them down. The very concept of God and eternity is being eroded at a rapid rate in our society and sin is being celebrated like never before. The question is not "is there a cause?", because there most definitely is one. The question is not "do people need to hear our testimony?", because they no doubt need to hear it. The question is, is there a passion inside of you to involve yourself in the cause? Is there a drive within you to do something about the lost and hurting world around you? Is there a burning inside of you pushing you past your fears, past the nay-saying voices, and beyond the seemingly insurmountable odds? Are you just going to sit by while sin continues to destroy the lives all around you? The question is, is it in you?

There is too much to do, there are too many lost souls, and we are too close to the coming of the Lord for the church to be apathetic and silent. We need to be praying like never before, we need to be committed to our local church like never before, we need to be in the Word of God like never before, and we need to be telling people about Jesus and sharing our testimony like never before. We need "IT" to be in us.

So, "IS IT IN YOU?" 

Patrick Thomson