The Lies Others Are Told

I seem to come across a lot of devotions and even books on the subject of lies.
Specifically the lies Satan whispers ..about our self worth..our value.
"You aren't good enough" "No one can ever love someone like you." etc
But as I was reading the other day I kept thinking about the other lies...the lies of the self righteous...
I believe Satan whispers in those ears as well.
"I know I read the bible more than they do. Obviously"
"I don't ______ (you fill in the blank with what ever vice you notice in others), and they do.  And mine is the more righteous behavior."
"Look at the choices they make.  How can they be a believer?"
"I don't do that ...I have made the better choices."
"I am the better Christian (person) ...look at the better choices I have made."

I can't help but feel the minute the thought  " I am the better Christian because..." enters our minds....we are NOT!
📖  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Romans 12:3

If we let Satan whisper that we have the ability and power to judge another by the choices and actions we see....we are truly calling that judgement down on ourselves.  The other lie with that is we believe that we can stand up under that judgement.

📖 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2

 But God sees the heart and judges righteously.  

Our heart is already haughty, and prideful...because we have thought less of another.

So can we...and our thoughts and actions ..stand before Him?!

 📖 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Little children seem to judge less...they will grab hold of the rumpled, shabby man's hand, or giggle with the woman who lives a questionable life because they see beyond the outside.  They don't judge them.by their choices...they see the kindness and love beyond.

📖 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

📖 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”   He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:1-5

Little children don't seem to have the same self righteous pride as the more "knowledgeable", "intelligent", "educated" adults. What a prideful statement!

Pride is something we are to put away.  Satan prays on the prideful... easily.
He can whisper and we listen.  I feel, it is easier to draw the prideful in.
When Satan whispers to the wretched..." You are unlovable.....undesirable" we can show them God's love for them...we can counter his arguments with proof of Christ's love in action.
BUT how do you take a self righteous individual and convince them to be humble?  I believe it is a much harder task...and Satan knows this...and that is why it is such a rampant problem in the Christian faith...
There is statement that I have heard said, "Christians devour their own."  What a sad commentary, but maybe a bit of truth.  We can have compassion on the lost souls, but we tend to judge our brothers and sisters in Christ far more harshly.
I believe that is EXACTLY what the following passage is referring to.

📖 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?  But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble."

 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.   Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:1-12

We are selfish, self righteous by nature, and satan will appeal to that every time...IF we let him.
We must humble our hearts before God, and draw close to Him. Remove all that gets in the way of that and the devil will not have a foot hold....he will not have a way in...he will FLEE!!
It should cause us great sorrow to see the prideful, wretched state we get ourselves into and only humility before the Lord will lift us up and out of that pit of judgmental self righteousness.

 📖 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

📖 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8

As we see over and over, we must love with a humble heart!  First our Lord and then each other! Only then can God be glorified!

All we need to do is follow Christ's example.

📖 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.  

And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name   

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.     Philippians 2:5-11

My prayer is that each of us can hear satan's whispers of self righteousness but that we follow Christ's example of humility and make satan RUN!