Battling the Voice of Condemnation

Dear Friends,

Battling the Voice of Condemnation
(Photo by Juan Pablo Arenas from Pexels)

How often do you listen to the voice of condemnation rather than God's voice which speaks words of love and encouragement to you? Maybe you don't struggle with this. But it is something I battle against time and time again. 

It's Mothers' Day this coming Sunday in the UK and it's in the area of being a Mum where the voice of condemnation is at it's strongest and loudest. I heard somewhere that the Devil personalises his words of condemnations so that they seem as though they are coming straight from my own mouth. He is so cunning at getting me to think and feel and believe these words are truth. It's as though he has the tape in my mind on a loop or on repeat over and over again. I tell myself I'm not good enough as a Mum, I've let my children down and not been there for them when they were young, I've failed them, I haven't shown them enough love or said the right things to them, any difficulties they've gone through/are going through are all my fault, it's all on me because I failed as their Mum.

What are the words of condemnation you keep speaking over yourself? Any condemnation we encounter is from our enemy, the Devil and we need to fight against him. He is a powerful enemy, but we have God who is in our side and he has the ultimate power.

What is there we can do in this battle against the words of condemnation the Devil pierces us with?

We can come time after time to God and ask for his help to overcome. God doesn't get fed up with us keep coming back to him. He wants us to come to him, he wants us to rely on him and his strength to overcome the Devil. We can come to God as many times as it takes. It would be nice if we only had to come once and it was sorted but I've not found this to be the case in my experience. At least not when I've had years of listening and taking notice of the voice of condemnation. But we can persevere and God gives us the power we need to persevere. Rather than beating ourselves up that we're back in the same place we were a few months back, let's go as many times as it takes to God who will tell us the truth so we can overcome.

To battle against the voice of condemnation, we need to be regularly feeding on God's Word. When we do this God will give us truths to prepare us for when the battle comes. 

For example, I've been meditating on the book of Psalms for some weeks now. As I was reading Psalm 71 God drew my attention to particular verses in that psalm:

O Lord, you alone are my hope.

I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.

Yes, you have been with me from birth;

from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.

No wonder I am always praising you!

Psalm 71:5-6 (NLT)

God was reminding me of how he has always been there for me and cared for me, ever since I was a baby. As I looked back over my life, I remembered how he has been with me during my childhood, as a teenager, a young adult and now in my middle-age years. The psalm reminded and encouraged me that he would continue to be there for me on into my old age.

I sensed God was telling me that just as he has been with me, he has always been there for my children in the same way. He was caring for them whilst they were growing in my womb and he has been with them through their childhood and as they now head into their years of young adulthood.

I also sensed God was saying to me that I am bearing a weight and burden which is not mine to carry on my own. Yes, he has given me my children but he does not expect me to take all the responsibility for them on myself. Their successes or failures are not all on me. They are his responsibility. He has always been with them, watching over them, caring for them, protecting them, nurturing them. I can completely trust God with my children. God is a part of my children's lives, whether they recognise that right now or not. As their Mum, I might believe the voice of condemnation which tells me that my children will end up with messed up lives all because of my parenting, but God tells me I just don't have that much power and that there is no truth to that voice of condemnation. The truth is God is the only one who is all-powerful and he is the one who has control over everything, over me and over them.  

When I sensed God saying those things to me, it really felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was so encouraged by his words to me. My children are not my sole responsibility. It's OK if I, when I make mistakes in my parenting because God doesn't make mistakes. God is the one who can redeem any and every situation. 

This doesn't mean I can now neglect my responsibilities when it comes to being a Mum to my son and daughter. They have been gifted to me by God and I do have a responsibility to him and to them. God is the one who planned me to be their Mum and he expects me to work with him in raising my children. 

As their Mum, I can continue to pray for them, that they might first and foremost desire an ongoing relationship with God. I can seek to be the best Mum I can be for their sakes as I ask God to make me into the Mum he always meant for me to be. I can pray to God for wisdom as I parent. But no longer do I need to carry and bear the load God never intended for me. I have God beside me, the same God who loved and knew me and cared for me when I was in my mother's womb. And still continues to do so.

Now when the condemnatory voice of the Devil starts to sound in my mind I have something definite to fight with. I have God's Word, the sharpest sword there is and the Devil cannot stand against it. The more we read God's Word, meditate on it and listen to what God is saying to us, the sharper the sword gets and it will always be at hand, ready for battle.

Our best defence against the voice of condemnation is God's Word - our sword. Keep reading God's Word and ask God to teach you the truth that is in it. Ask him to show you how best to use your sword and equip you for battle. You know where the Devil likes to strike best. You know where the chink in your armour is and where you're weakest and most vulnerable. When God gives you something you know will help when the battle comes make sure you make a note of it and find ways of keeping it in your mind so that it is readily available for the day of battle.

Also, keep going to God for help, don't make the mistake of thinking you can or should handle the fight on your own. We have a God who will fight for us. It's in him that we have the victory.

Just one final truth to share with you which God gave me from his Word today. It's a promise he makes to each one of us and is an encouragement as we face whatever our battle is today:

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

To Think About:

What are the words that the voice of condemnation speaks over you?

When this happens how can you use the Bible as a sword? 

As you read your Bible ask God to give you truths to combat the voice of condemnation. When you find a truth, write it down somewhere and commit to memory ready for the time when you need it most.

Go to God again and again, as many times as it takes, and ask him to help you fight the battle you are facing against the Devil.

If you enjoyed reading this devotional blog, then you may like to know that I have two devotional books both of which are available to buy from Amazon. (The content of these books is material adapted from past blog posts.)

This is my latest book, published in November 2018.

"Dear Friend...52 Weekly Devotions to Encourage, Challenge and Inspire" Volume 2. 

The book's format is the same as my first one with the added extra of room for journalling after each devotion. To learn more, click here

"Dear Friend... Vol 1 is available from Amazon as a paperback book and also to download on Kindle.

To learn more, please click here

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