true friend wouldn’t share such information. And the second problem is that with an already suspicious mind, you now believe secondhand information without even giving the accused an opportunity to share their side of the story.
Once your mind has been poisoned against someone, suspicion grows. Satan gains a stronghold in your mind. Every time Doris says something to you, you are automatically suspicious, thinking, What does she really mean? Or if she’s nice to you, you think, I wonder what she wants from me.
This is the way Satan works. If he can make you suspicious of others, it isn’t long before you don’t trust anything they say. And if you’ve been hurt like this several times, the devil can poison your thinking to the point you start wondering who else may be talking about you behind your back.
Let’s continue the example. Suppose that one day in church, Doris is sitting just a few rows in front of you, clapping her hands and praising the Lord. Immediately you think, She’s such a hypocrite. Unless you make a decision to believe the best, the devil will keep filling your mind with suspicious thoughts until you are literally tormented not only about Doris but about many others as well.
Our ministry encountered a very hurtful situation once. A man we knew for over twenty-five years and who we considered to be a trusted friend was caught stealing from us. The first thing I thought was, Well, I guess you just cannot trust anybody! Satan used the wound I had to try and poison my attitude toward everyone, but thankfully I knew not to let that negative, suspicious attitude take root in my heart. I actually stopped and prayed, “Lord, I will not allow myself to be cynical and have a suspicious attitude. Help me deal with this properly and not let it affect my future.”
----
Unless you make a decision to believe the best, the devil will keep filing your mind with suspicious thoughts until you are literally tormented.
----
The world is filled with distrust and suspicion, and I encourage you to not ever let yourself be part of that way of thinking. The Bible says love always believes the best of every person!
CHAPTER 34
Passive or Passionate?
T he apostle Paul said, “Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]” (Ephesians 4:27). Perhaps the best way to summarize these words is: When the devil knocks on the door, don’t open it and invite him in. There are many ways we actually give the devil an opening to pounce on us. One of those ways involves being passive.
To be passive is the opposite of being active. This can be a dangerous problem because it means you aren’t on guard or aren’t actively standing up, and you aren’t alert. One of the devil’s most deceitful tricks is to get you to do nothing and to feel content about it.
I have found a wide variety of definitions for the word passive, but I describe it as a lack of feeling, a lack of desire, apathy, laziness, and lukewarmness. It is what John referred to when he wrote to the church at Laodicea: “I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!” (Revelation 3:15).
That statement reminds me of something someone told me years ago. “I’ve been a good Christian today,” he said. “I haven’t hurt anyone or done anyone any harm.” In a moment of insight, I said, “But have you done any good for anyone?” He stared at me for several seconds before he said, “I guess I never thought of it that way. I was so concerned about not doing anything wrong, that I never thought about doing anything good.”
This illustrates one of the tricks the devil plays on our minds. All we need to do is read the Bible to find out what God says. Paul wrote Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him (see 2 Timothy 1:6–7). Paul told his young disciple to shake himself up and do something—which is good for us to consider as well. This passage urges us to get
Once your mind has been poisoned against someone, suspicion grows. Satan gains a stronghold in your mind. Every time Doris says something to you, you are automatically suspicious, thinking, What does she really mean? Or if she’s nice to you, you think, I wonder what she wants from me.
This is the way Satan works. If he can make you suspicious of others, it isn’t long before you don’t trust anything they say. And if you’ve been hurt like this several times, the devil can poison your thinking to the point you start wondering who else may be talking about you behind your back.
Let’s continue the example. Suppose that one day in church, Doris is sitting just a few rows in front of you, clapping her hands and praising the Lord. Immediately you think, She’s such a hypocrite. Unless you make a decision to believe the best, the devil will keep filling your mind with suspicious thoughts until you are literally tormented not only about Doris but about many others as well.
Our ministry encountered a very hurtful situation once. A man we knew for over twenty-five years and who we considered to be a trusted friend was caught stealing from us. The first thing I thought was, Well, I guess you just cannot trust anybody! Satan used the wound I had to try and poison my attitude toward everyone, but thankfully I knew not to let that negative, suspicious attitude take root in my heart. I actually stopped and prayed, “Lord, I will not allow myself to be cynical and have a suspicious attitude. Help me deal with this properly and not let it affect my future.”
----
Unless you make a decision to believe the best, the devil will keep filing your mind with suspicious thoughts until you are literally tormented.
----
The world is filled with distrust and suspicion, and I encourage you to not ever let yourself be part of that way of thinking. The Bible says love always believes the best of every person!
CHAPTER 34
Passive or Passionate?
T he apostle Paul said, “Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]” (Ephesians 4:27). Perhaps the best way to summarize these words is: When the devil knocks on the door, don’t open it and invite him in. There are many ways we actually give the devil an opening to pounce on us. One of those ways involves being passive.
To be passive is the opposite of being active. This can be a dangerous problem because it means you aren’t on guard or aren’t actively standing up, and you aren’t alert. One of the devil’s most deceitful tricks is to get you to do nothing and to feel content about it.
I have found a wide variety of definitions for the word passive, but I describe it as a lack of feeling, a lack of desire, apathy, laziness, and lukewarmness. It is what John referred to when he wrote to the church at Laodicea: “I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!” (Revelation 3:15).
That statement reminds me of something someone told me years ago. “I’ve been a good Christian today,” he said. “I haven’t hurt anyone or done anyone any harm.” In a moment of insight, I said, “But have you done any good for anyone?” He stared at me for several seconds before he said, “I guess I never thought of it that way. I was so concerned about not doing anything wrong, that I never thought about doing anything good.”
This illustrates one of the tricks the devil plays on our minds. All we need to do is read the Bible to find out what God says. Paul wrote Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him (see 2 Timothy 1:6–7). Paul told his young disciple to shake himself up and do something—which is good for us to consider as well. This passage urges us to get
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