The lens in which we view the world is created by the circumstances of our life, our experiences, how we’ve been raised, the good and the bad. We are born into a fallen world, filled with sin and every known evil the devil has been able to devise. Abuse, trauma, life experiences that leave our lens, the mirror we look through, busted, broken and completely shattered, distorting and perverting the way we see things. Abuse causes us to view life through the lens of distrust, bitterness, unforgiveness, hate and so on. It causes us to see God in a completely distorted way. The enemy wants us to blame God or see Him as a fairy godmother or as if He “owes” us something because of what has been done to us.
The truth is God is not a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle, and He doesn’t owe us anything. The bill for our sin was paid in full when He sent His Son to the Cross. Jesus brought us salvation, healing, deliverance, and defeat over the enemy. It is hard for us to see that truth through our brokenness. It can give us an “entitlement” spirit that makes us believe that God or people owe us an explanation, an apology, or whatever it is that we feel is owed to us.
God is a Restorer. The enemy is a destroyer. God gave man free will to choose how they want to live their lives. The devil knows that and will do everything he can to turn man away from their Creator. It reminded me of Job in the Bible. The enemy challenged God to remove the hedge of protection that God had around Job. God did, knowing that Job would not turn his back on Him. Job didn’t understand why these things had happened. God never gave him an explanation.
And even though Job questioned God, challenged Him, demanded a fair trial from God, He never turned away from God. The devil did everything he could to get Job to curse God. He even sent three “friends” to Job. They went with the intention of sitting by their friend and encouraging him. But when they opened their mouths, they judged Job and told him what they thought was right.
In the end, God challenged Job but declared him to be righteous before Him. While his three friends would have received judgment from God if Job had not prayed and interceded for them before God. Through the trials, Job was left in complete darkness, but in the end, it caused him to truly see the truth about God.
If our perception of God is negative, then we must know that the enemy has lied to us and deceived us. Only God can fix and heal the broken, shattered lens that we see through. By knowing the truth, we are set free, the Word of God says it. John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
God has been faithful in who He is. In my life that was “destroyed” by the abuse, God has continued to tell me truth as I’ve been able to handle it. Abuse and trauma shattered the lens in which I viewed this world and God. He has been long-suffering with me, and while it took me a while to “get” what He was trying to teach me, I am finally seeing the truth, one small step at a time. I didn’t know that I viewed God as a fairy godmother and I didn’t realize that I had an entitlement spirit or a victim-mentality…but each step of the way, God has been able to expose the truth and help me to see things as they are. Especially who He really is.
I didn’t understand about God giving man free will and all that it meant. I had to learn how the devil lied and deceived me and did everything he could to stop me from walking in the truth. I’m learning to get angry at the enemy, the devil, and cause damage to his kingdom of darkness. God told me to believe what His Word says. God said if he says it, I believe it and that finishes it! If God sent His Son to the Cross to reconcile us with Him, then He cannot be both good and evil. The doubt and unbelief come as a result of us not knowing who God really is. I’ve got a long way to go, but like Apostle Paul, I press forward. Philippians 3:13-14, 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Truth: Get the Facts
