We've all felt the discouragement and occasional depression that comes when Satan lies to us. The only tricky part is to identify those thoughts as lies, not truth. The past few days, I've been blessed enough to consciously recognize Satan's lies...to know that what I'm hearing in my mind is coming from him and not the spirit. Satan is persistent though. Even if we detect his strategy, he'll keep trying. His lies are low blows--always discouraging, usually backwards, and occasionally very twisted. And even when we know that he is feeding us a disgusting lie, it's easy to take the bait. It's easy to give in. Only when we turn toward Christ and grasp his ever outstretched hand can we escape the power of Satan's lies. It is in the safety of Christ's Atonement that we can see things (and ourselves) as they really are. Here's an excerpt from Brad Wilcox's book, "The Continuous Atonement" which I related well to:
In those anxious moments when you don't feel you "all" is enough, the greatest comfort I have found is in knowing any effort is pleasing to God even if He and I both know it's not my all or my best. It may be far from an acceptable offering, but God accepts it nonetheless because ultimately He is more concerned with the offerer than the offering. Elder Gerald N. Lund wrote: 'Remember that one of Satan's strategies, especially with good people, is to whisper in their ears: "If you aren't perfect, you're failing." This is one of his most effective deceptions...We should recognize that God is pleased with every effort we make - no matter how faltering - to better ourselves...' If I am halfway up the mountain and on my way to the top, it is better than being at the bottom and refusing to try." (Brad Wilcox,
The Continuous Atonement, 108)
So keep on trying.
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