I know you’re wondering, what a funny title of a message?
I recall a time in the past that I needed to have some official photos for some specific official use and so I had a professional photographer do it. After taking & showing me the raw photos, the studio team asked for a few days so as to give me the “final product”. I didn’t think much of it but when they shared,oh my! I didn’t like the photos. They had edited my image. I love my natural self & skin color so I was surprised to see lighter skin on the photos. In fact i looked like I had applied a cake of makeup. The funny part was the thought that the photographer didn’t know me but she decided to create another image of what she thought I should look like, expecting me to not only to love but also accept her image of me.
“Sorry, but these don’t look like me at all, please just send me the original photos.” I asked.
She seemed a little amused by my request just as I was by her hesitation.
“Pearl, our studio policy is that we don’t release the original photos but only the edited version and only after we have to put a water mark of our logo at the bottom”, She politely advised.
I reflected on this encounter recently.
How many times do we allow the enemy to modify our image & who we are as Christ sees and then presents it to us to his advantage?
We then easily empower the enemy by believing what he not only creates of us but also what he wants us to believe about us &which we are not. It’s a spiritual mind game that the enemy plays.
If you don’t know who you are you in God, you will surely fall for all that the enemy says, sometimes even the lies about you. He is the father of all lies according to John 8:44 that when he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
For instance, the enemy doesn’t want you to know that you have authority over him in God.That good health,prosperity,joy, a full life are all yours to have.
Which mirror are you looking at? That should be the word of God. We should pray for revelation as we study scripture so we can see truths therein according to James 1:22-25.I think partly how the enemy succeeds in fogging our mirror is by ensuring that we are as far away from the word of God as possible.
God is opening my eyes to see deep truths in the book of Romans especially on our identity in Christ as believers. What it means to be a new creation because of the work of the cross.
According to Ephesians 2:6 That God raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. However,the enemy doesn’t want you to know such as a truth and will instead make you feel as if you are under his feet.
So based on this alone he will try to show you how big he is, how small you are and if you don’t know, you will walk around in fear.
As an example, not to long ago my immediate boss popped into my office for a pep talk.
“Pearl,i think those lawyers are hesitating reverting to us because of your approach”,he said.
“Perhaps try be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
I was perturbed.
“No,i mean,they are from a patriarchal society and here is a young well educated girl telling them what to do.I think if you try be the iron fist in the velvet glove,they will be nice to us” he continued.
“They reverted last night on the documents i asked for and we since filed them in court this morning,”I attempted to explain as i tried to hide my confusion.Were it not for my being firm with the external lawyers,we would have been in a lot of trouble.
“Don’t you think i am right though Pearl?”he continued.”That you being a young- educated woman woman is an issue to them?”
No.I don’t agree,sir.I am just trying to do my job diligently”,i said
“Pearl,am helping you in life. Just the fact that you are a lawyer and confident is intimidating enough to them”.
Here was my boss who instead of appreciating the result,he was questioning my work and pulling the gender card.Telling me how i should be-more to him,if you ask me. He had done it a few times with unwelcome comments trying to downplay what he called “my education”, my “corporate approach to matters”. He at times would openly tell me that i was too professional and asked that i be like everyone else.
I often had to block my ears from the pep talks as i couldn’t openly disagree.The one time i respectfully disagreed with his falsehoods in the name of “am saying this to help you grow as you are young”,they would end up putting me down.I have grown up being told by my father i am good enough and have a lot to offer.To date dad will still tell my siblings and i that we are not just ordinary,yet here i was facing someone constantly project his own insecurities in putting me down to make himself feel better.
What is the enemy often after in presenting a skewed image to us?
He wants us to agree with him, to agree to what we were before we knew what God has said about us. Like the photographer wanting me to agree and accept the edited photos of myself. You might be in a position like mine- a boss at work who puts you down by trying to show you that you are not good enough. Unfortunately,women at the workplace often face such prejudice. Don’t agree with someone’s negative opinion of you especially if it’s incorrect. Politely disagree or depending on their position of authority over you, silence them in prayer. If you don’t, you might just end up believing their words as words carry life and death in them.
“No. That is not me” I disagreed. “Send me the original photos please”.
That’s exactly what we need to do. Apply the power of ignore and even disagree where we have to. Let the enemy know that you know.
No, I disagree I am healed. No. I disagree. Based on the word of God, I am victorious. Decree what God has said about you & ignore the enemy & his well-intended troops if you have to.
That means that we must know how God sees us and that can only be from studying God’s love letter to us. Submit to God resist the devil & he will flee from you. Every time the enemy reminds you of a lie, resist him. Remind him the truth from the word of God instead. Splash the mirror with the water of the word of God to remove the fog.
Refuse to give the enemy power over your life by believing in his lies. Ignore the enemy and he will lose the power you unknowingly gave him.
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