The calendar may be telling us that spring has yet to arrive, but someone forgot to show Mother Nature her planner.  It is sunny and warm here in Indiana, which if you’ve ever been a Hoosier, you will realize is not the norm.  Many spring breaks from days gone by found us wearing scarves, mittens, and snow boots.

Spring is all about new.  Growth.  Opportunities.  Possibilities.  The green of flowers determinedly pokes through the still brown ground that has held them captive for months.  It’s a continuing reminder of the way God brings something beautiful from a barren wasteland.  A reminder that He is all about restoration and renewal.

I don’t know about you but those are truths I find myself needing to hear.  It’s so easy to buy into the lies the enemy is pedaling.  Maybe you’ve already purchased some of his wares…

You are not good enough and you never will be
God would never use someone like you
You will never really be free from your past
You don’t deserve to be loved
And the list goes on…

But the air of spring and the newness it brings with it seems to beckon us to a new way of thinking.
TRUTH
And the TRUTH is, satan is a liar.  In John 8:44, he’s referred to as the father of lies.  He wants us to question who God says we are.  He wants us to be held captive by thoughts of self-loathing and inadequacy.

But that’s not the only TRUTH.  There’s more…it’s called GRACE and it’s the greatest thing!
GRACE says…

You’re forgiven
You’re loved
You’re mine
It says great things like…
If you know Christ, you’re a new creation
It also tells us that in Christ there is NO CONDEMNATION (Romans 8:1-2)

Check out these great words from Isaiah 43:18-19.  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Spring has sprung, my friends, and it is time to accept the GRACE and reclaim the TRUTH.  

How do you combat the evil one?