Inception...

Meaning, the established or starting point of an institution or activity; a beginning. A seed that is planted is very powerful. The smallest, most seemingly insignificant thing can shape our entire thought process, can change our mindset, can & will shape generations. What things have you been taught that dictate how you choose to see the world, how you choose to respond to good things, to bad things, dark things, light things, lies, truth? How do you view the world? How do you view your world? Do you see things the way they really are, do you see things the way you have been taught, or see them the way you are? How is your perception of things? Two people can experience the exact same event, yet one walk away traumatized while the other goes unscathed. Why is that? Could have much to do with seeds that have been planted in the heart. Maybe the traumatized person has a lot of pain, hurt, & trauma already within them, while the other person knows hope, peace, & joy. These things are very normal. We all see the world differently than the next person based on our experiences, based on our DNA, & based on our INCEPTION. No 2 hearts are the same, no 2 personalities are the same, no 2 lives are the same. We are meant to be unique & different, have different experiences, handle things differently. BUT, there is ONE universal truth in all things. My truth or your truth is simple opinion, but there is ONE truth that exists & His name is Jesus. He holds the keys of death, hell, & truth. We search for truth, for something to hold on to, something real to believe in. It's encoded in our DNA to seek something higher than self, it was a seed planted at the INCEPTION of human kind, in each & every one of us. When life was breathed into our being, these things were put there too!

I think of the blockbuster hit called INCEPTION that came out in 2010. Its a brilliant movie with an all-star cast. The plot is that the cast will go deep into a mans (the dreamer) subconscious via a dream within a dream within a dream, in order to plant a seed to change his entire future for the benefit of a man who hired these dream-thieves. They enter the dreamers mind while he is dreaming. The dreamer has no idea what is happening, yet these intruders have to fight against "protectors" that protect the mans subconscious, They seek to plant a very seemingly insignificant seed that changes everything for the man. The movie is a very brilliant, very complicated way of suggesting the power of an idea, the power of a seed planted in our mind. Do we ever even question the seed, or why we think the way we do? Do we ever wonder why we react or behave a certain way? Or do we live in such a shallow world that we all just assume that we are who we are, no need for change, I am good enough, or God made me this way? I am constantly at war with my flesh so I am constantly seeking the Lord & attempting to think differently. I am always asking the WHY behind everything I think, especially if I know it is unholy & not beneficial. The Word says that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23); & I want to live a life benefitting from every circumstance, because I can learn from everything.

I say all that to say this: satan has no real power. We go to church & hear that satan only has the power which we give him, which is completely true, but never taught what gives him power & how to take it back. Satans power comes in the form of seeds being planted in our minds. His "gifts" appeal to our human nature, our carnal flesh, our vain desires in this world. Satan uses persuasion, fear, negotiation, intellectualism, religion, & manipulation against us, but for what purpose? His goal is to keep us from God, from who He designed us to be, from knowing our authority in Christ, from telling satan to kick rocks & take a hike, from casting him out of our lives. HIs lies & deceptions are often so clever that our human minds cannot possibly comprehend them; we need the Holy Spirit to alert us to such deception. If deception was easy to detect it would not be useful to the enemy. Most deception has some root in truth, that way it is more palatable & easier to accept. If satan cannot deceive us using this lie, or that lie, he can always find another. He has nothing but time. He will continue to attack us with the things that brought us down in the past. And if that won't work, he will look to the past of our ancestors, look in our bloodline to find ways to attack. As I was journaling this morning, he was whispering in my ear that I was tired & needed a nap. I recognized him misleading me in a way that has worked before. I do like to sleep, though I rarely take naps anymore, there was something he was trying to distract me from doing, perhaps writing this post & calling him out.

It is vitally important to know who we are in Christ & that we belong to a King, making us royalty. Satan is forever willing to make deals with man to keep us from love, joy, peace, etc; to keep us from Jesus. He tells us what we want to hear, he appeals to our human nature, our corrupt flesh. He will help us stay comfortable & content, whispering nonsense in our ear, things contrary to what God says. The Word of God applied to our hearts & lives is essential for combatting the enemy. God gave us instruction on how to live, NOT to keep us from living our best life, but so that we could live ABUNDANT LIFE! John 10:10 (Jesus) says, "The thief comes only to steal, kill, & destroy, but I came so they may have life & have it ABUNDANT!" Abundant life comes in the knowledge & authority of living in Christ. Satan knows all too well the power of a thought, the power of man's thoughts. Thought & word have creative power. The thoughts we have & the words we speak have the power to shape, not only our world but that of others. Are you shaping your own world because you are living the ABUNDANT life Christ wants you to live? Or are you allowing satan, his lies & deceptions to shape your life? Scripture tells us not to be greedy or desire earthly treasures because satan has corrupted such things like money. He has corrupted sex, turning it into something God did not intend for it to be. Scripture tells us not to covet what others have because our human nature wants more & more, especially if we see someone else has something we want or didn't even know we wanted. Scripture tells us to cast down vain imaginations because satan has planted unholy seeds in our minds. We are to crucify our flesh to keep satan at bay, neutralizing him, by not giving in to those fleshly desires. Satan offers the most vile things in the prettiest, shiniest packages. What he offers if death. Let us not lose our soul by gaining the world (wealth, fame, success) (Matthew 16:26).

Vengeful people are the easiest for satan to manipulate; God says that vengeance belongs to Him alone. Vengeance is a deep-seeded hatred full of bitterness & unforgiveness that will destroy a person. It is not for me to seek vengeance in order to destroy another person. What would have happened in Scripture had David killed Saul out of vengeance when one might think he was entirely within his right to do so? It may have also destroyed him in the process, his destiny, the plans God had for him. All those whom he affected, would have been vastly different. Wouldn't satan have just loved to corrupt David in this one act? David committed many sins, & killed many in his lifetime as king, but God specifically told David NOT to kill Saul. Had David disobeyed this particular request from God, how different the past, present, & future would look.

If you could sit down & write your life, your hopes, dreams, & desires, what would that look like? If everything you wrote down came true, what would your story constist of? Would it be one that is in God's will for you? Or is it based on fleshly desires, carnality, lies, & deceptions that satan has been teaching you since the beginning? Since your beginning? When we have already decided & remain unteachable, we are deceived already. God will never accept the excuse, "The devil made me do it." Everything is a matter of choice. We get to choose. Satan cannot make us do anything. He will push us & push us, manipulate us to get us to do what it is he wants us to do, but it is ultimately our choice. I will always talk about choice. A person who says "I had no choice" is deceived by satan. There is always a choice. Own the choice, whatever it is. And if the choice is wrong, we have a wonderful Father in heaven who, through Jesus Christ, is willing to forgive us whenever we repent (ask for forgiveness, acknowledge our wrong-doing, & turn from it). Excuses such as "its not my fault" are not acceptable. It is time to learn what the truth is, how to combat the enemy, & how to take responsibility for our own actions.