You’ve probably heard this phrase sometime in your life. Maybe on a sports team or from a parent or in a classroom. Sometimes we hear that phrase, “You don’t have what it takes”, and it is not true. That’s typically the Devil lying to us and trying to tear us down.
Jesus told us in John 8 that Satan is a liar. In deed, it’s his native language. But in the same chapter of John, Jesus reminds us that Jesus is truth and the truth will set you free. Too many times, we believe the lie and are bound and shackled by Satan’s whispers rather than listening the the truth that Jesus wants us to hear and know.
And Satan has been at this deceiving thing for a while. You go all the way back to Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden and Satan is spinning his story to Eve. “You won’t really die but you’ll be as smart as God.” That’s what he told Eve and in that chapter, Eve believes the lie, eats the fruit and sin enters the world. That’s what Satan wants to do to us. Get us to believe the lie so that he can ruin our relationships with each other, ruin our relationship with God and break us. That is his goal.
We do this to each other as well through social media. We fall into comparison with each other and Satan whispers that we don’t have what it takes…we aren’t good enough…we are not worthy nor valuable. So we begin to work on ourselves by trying to be perfect so that none of this will be right.
But perfectionism is just not possible. It’s not attainable. The only way we can be perfect is through Jesus and even then, it’s Jesus, not us, that is perfect. But as we try and are unsuccessful at being perfect, we get angry. If we stay in that emotion long enough, we get frazzled, tired, and fatigued. Since we can’t handle that state of mind very long, we discover things we can escape with such as pouring ourselves into our work, or going to the gym every possible moment, or binging Netflix, or going to websites no Christian should be on. The enemy loves it when we buy into the lie so he can break us.
But this lie does have some truth to it. It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is in Jesus, you have everything you need to accomplish all things in life! And Paul knew this. He states in Philippians 4:11-13, “…I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
You can tell the enemy, “I may not have what it takes but I know the One who does.” His Name is Jesus. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. So be free from the pressure of culture and the lies. Jesus is your perfection. You don’t need to feel helpless. Jesus is your help. If you’re hurting, Jesus will heal. If you’re overwhelmed, Jesus will give you peace. If you’re lost, He wants to find you. Blessings on the journey.