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Lesson 14: God Wants You to Know the Truth
When you trusted Christ as your Savior, you took a step that made Satan very angry. You left him and joined those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Satan cannot take you out of God's family, but he will do all he can to cause you to be discouraged and to fail. But God has begun a good work in you and you can be sure that He will continue that good work. The Bible says,
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
It is important that we understand how Satan attacks us. Most of his temptations have to do with putting wrong thoughts into our minds. He tries to make us doubt God's love and care for us.
How can we overcome these attacks of Satan?
We can overcome them by knowing the truth! When we know God's truth, we can overcome Satan's temptations. Jesus said:
"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
Satan tries to get us to believe error, that which is not according to God's Word. He knows that this will bind us. The Lord Jesus wants us to know the truth because this will set us free. Remember, error binds us, but truth sets us free.
We are going to consider five truths that God wants us to know. A Bible verse will be given for each of these. Be sure to memorize these verses.
"This is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." 1 John 5:11-12
God wants His children to know that they are saved! But one of the first things Satan will do after you are saved is to try to make you doubt your salvation. Perhaps he will put thoughts like these into your mind:
"You don't really think that you are saved just by believing on Jesus and taking Him as your Savior, do you? That's too easy. Besides, you are still the same person you were before. And how can anybody know for sure that they are saved?"
* The truth is: You ARE saved by believing on Jesus and taking Him as your Savior.
And you are not the same person you were before. The Bible says,
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Corinthians 5:17
You CAN know that you are saved by the Word of God. The Bible says,
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YOU MAY KNOW that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13
Jesus said that all believers are in the hands of His Father. Nothing can ever take us out of the mighty hands of God. Speaking of His believers, Jesus said,
"My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck (take) them out of My Father's hand." John 10:29
"There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Here is another way the devil may attack you. He may put thoughts like these into your mind:
"All right, so you're a child of God, but you are different from other Christians. You have temptations that others don't have. You will keep on sinning."
* The truth is: Other people are tempted with the same things that tempt you.
But God is faithful. He will never allow you to be tempted beyond what you can take. He will make a way of escape for you.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SIN.
Remember, our weapon to defeat Satan is the Word of God. Be sure to memorize 1 Corinthians 10:13. It is a long verse and it may take time to learn it perfectly, but work at it until you know it by heart. Then use it when you are tempted.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."1 John 1:9
It is true that we do not have to sin. It is also true that we still have the sinful self-life within us, and we often fail.
What happens when we sin? Immediately Satan comes to condemn us and to bind us with error. He will say:
"Now you've done it! You are supposed to be a Christian and look what you've done. Now God is angry with you and He will not forgive you."
* The truth is: God is not angry with us; He will forgive us.
God says in His Word,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." (1 John 1:9)
No matter how many times we fail, God promises to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him.
"Until now you have asked nothing in My name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
Becoming a Christian does not mean that we will not have any more problems. We will still have problems. Everybody does. But now we have a heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers.
When you have a great problem, Satan comes along with his lies. He may put thoughts like these into your mind:
"God is too busy to care about you and your problems. He is far, far away and He is concerned with more important things."
* The truth is: God DOES care about you. He is never too busy to hear your prayers.
Our heavenly Father DOES hear and answer the prayers of His children. The Bible says,
"The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers." 1 Peter 3:12
Jesus taught us that God really is our Father. He loves His children and He loves to meet their needs. We are to come to Him in Jesus' name and ask for what we need. Jesus said,
"Until now you have asked nothing in My name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24
"We have known and believed the love that God has to us." 1 John 4:16
One of the ways Satan attacks us is by trying to get us to doubt God's love for us. At a time when we are sick or in great difficulty, Satan may put thoughts like these into our mind:
"God doesn't really love you. If He did, he wouldn't let this happen to you."
* The truth is: God loves you as no one has ever loved you.
And His love for you never changes. God said,
"I have loved you with an everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31:3)
God loved you and me when we were at our worst, sinners and enemies of God. And He expressed His love toward us in the most wonderful way possible. He gave His Son to die in our place and for our sins. Now that we have come into His family, He will surely not stop loving us. The Bible says,
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32
Child of God, whatever happens, remember this: GOD IS FOR YOU. There will be difficulties and trials. The Bible says,
"We must through much tribulation (trials and troubles) enter into the kingdom." Acts 14:22
But God is for us, and if He is for us, it does not matter who is against us. The Bible says,
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
There will be times when we may feel that no one loves us, not even God. But feelings are not facts. We are to live by what God says in His Word and not by our feelings. The Bible says,
"We have KNOWN and BELIEVED the love that God has to us." 1 John 4:16
GOD'S TRUTH SETS US FREE
God wants us to know the truth. In this lesson we have learned five wonderful truths.
God wants you to know:
- you are saved.
- you can overcome temptation.
- He will forgive you when you sin.
- He hears and answers prayer.
- He loves you with an everlasting love.
