When the Lies of the Enemy Distract You
By Kellye Carmack
A few years ago, my husband and I had a difficult meeting with our pastor. We were sitting in his office, our shoulders slumped down, our hearts slumped even lower. After years of infertility and several miscarriages, we were agonizing over the decision to end fertility treatments and close the long chapter of trying to conceive. At some point, I looked at our pastor through teary eyes and said, “I have absolutely no hope.” As dramatic as that sounds, that’s exactly how I felt. It seemed foolish and naive to believe that our future held anything good or anything that we desired. In the previous years, we had walked through one disappointment after another: a miscarriage, followed by years of infertility, by another miscarriage, more years of infertility, and then a harsh blow in ministry. We had a collection of hurts and deferred hopes that had finally taken a toll on me. Before each loss, it looked like the fulfillment of our desires was right on the horizon, but at the last minute the rug was pulled out from under us. That “pull” was so sudden and swift that we were left feeling broken and weary. I felt like I was standing in the ocean getting hit by one wave after another, and I was bracing myself for the next wave to come.
During that time, doubts and lies about God flooded my mind. Is God really good? Are His plans really for my good? Has He forgotten me? I knew all of the right answers, but they weren’t quickly calming the storm. The truth I read in the pages of my Bible seemed to sit dormant as the lies thundered through my head. Everything I was experiencing told me that God was not working for my good. My heart was tangled up in a mixture of discouragement and fear. That fear was blocking me from believing truth or having any hope for the future.
Does that voice sound familiar? We first hear it in Genesis 3 when the serpent says to Eve, “Did God actually say…” (Gen. 3:1) Eve knew the right answer and responded correctly, but that didn’t stop the serpent from pushing further and convincing her that God was not concerned for her good, that He could not be trusted. From the beginning, the enemy has tempted us to believe that God is working against us, and we have since struggled to believe God’s promises. The Israelites did not believe He was watching out for them in the wilderness (see Num.14), Sarah laughed at the promise that she would have a child in her old age (Gen. 18), and because of my broken womb, I didn’t believe God was working out the details of my life for my good (Rom. 8:28)
God brought me out of my fear and doubt by bringing me back to the cross and to the door of the empty tomb. He reminded me that despite my circumstances in ministry and despite my infertility, I can have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3). When we walk through stormy waters, God doesn’t offer us a helping hand; He offers us a resurrected Savior. It feels easier for us to believe that Jesus rose from the dead than to believe that He will work all things out for our good. Friend, this is what I want you to remember: If Jesus really rose from the dead, then everything else He says is true. He promised he would rise from the dead, just like he promised to give you all things for life and godliness, just like He promised to never leave you or forsake you, just like He promised to provide for all your needs.
Are the lies of the enemy crushing your hope? Are they telling you that God has abandoned you in a difficult ministry or that He is isn’t working for your good? Go to the empty tomb—to the very place where the enemy was defeated and where his lies have no power. Go to the empty tomb and set your hope on Christ.
Kellye is the Women’s Ministry Director for Practical Shepherding Women’s Ministry. She has an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies and a master’s degree in Biblical Counseling. She served as a missionary in Western Europe for two years, helping to share the hope of Christ with women in difficult situations. Kellye met her husband, Craig, in seminary and they have been married for 8 years. She loves helping women discover the unique ways God has gifted them to serve the church.