Satan came to kill, steal and destroy; the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour; the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus; Satan is the father of lies; the enemy is the accuser of the brethren; and it is called the ruler of and the god of this world.

Had enough? Has it sunk in? Is this part of your reality? Do you live like it?

Let’s review the precise nature and resulting impacts of our enemy’s “assaults.” In future posts, I will expand on each item below, supported by scripture references.

1. Men and women uniquely reflect different attributes of God.
2. Men are designed to come through, and women desire to be pursued.
3. This leads to core questions. For men, it is “Do I have what it takes?” For women, it is “Am I captivating?”
4. The father of lies has strategically answered these questions with a resounding “No!”
5. Each answer is a lie, shot with precise targeting to intentionally corrupt our God-purposed strengths and desires.
6. Each lie implants evil messages that are engraved into our hearts.
7. We must decide how we will handle these messages — to accept, reject, or ignore them.
8. How we handle these messages then shapes how we see ourselves, and through that lens, how we relate to the world.
9. We then make decisions of how we will live our lives. These decisions are called agreements.
10. These agreements imprison us, causing us to live far from our God intended design.

Understanding this, when you meet someone, you see the “me” that he or she created to survive the lies and messages shot at their hearts.

Let’s put flesh to this.

The young woman had a stunning voice, but she was “thick” by Madison Avenue standards, so her world told her she was not lovely. She believed the message that her frame made her imperfect, so she struggled with her value, even to the point that she believed herself a disappointment to God. Her agreements? Survive in her worship music while accepting that she should be alone. She accepted the “fact” that she was unlovable, in spite of the fact that she was stunningly beautiful in so many ways.

As a young boy, he courteously addressed a teacher that did not suffer the voice of children. “You must keep quiet. You must shut up. You cannot speak to me. You do not belong here,” all said more sternly than warranted. His agreements, “I have no voice, and if I did, offering it is dangerous, so I will hide.” Meeting him as an adult, you leaned in to hear his soft voice, and he selected jobs where he hid his God given passion and gifts. Who is he now? Via his loud and clear, courageous, and gifted voice, he offers hope and love to kids in unforgiving lives.

The arrows that resulted in the agreements of “unlovable” or “hide,” were aimed EXACTLY at the desires, strengths, and passions God had placed in each of these stunning people. Do you think it was random?

On the 3^rd Wednesday of each month I will discuss assaults, posing, wounding, and healing. To your freedom.