Stop Being the Devil’s Advocate
- Bailee Chavez
- Jun 4, 2023
- 10 min read
If there’s one thing I have learned in my life it is that the devil will always try to steal, kill, and destroy your joy.
He wants nothing more than for you to believe you cannot experience or display faith, hope, and love.
I have found this to be true in many seasons of my life. When I am not grounded in Christ, I have neglected a lot of opportunities for happiness, peace, and contentment because I believed these things were conditional.
I couldn’t be happy until I was done studying.
I couldn’t be happy until my to-do list was complete.
I couldn’t be happy unless my diet was how I wanted it.
I couldn’t be happy unless my workout routine was just right.
I couldn't be happy unless I was the best at what I was doing.
But even when I did accomplish these things, the joy was fleeting.
I was still me — so, so, so me. With all my weaknesses, foibles, and fallings. And this might have been a tough thing to accept and acknowledge, but it was also a launching pad to discover that I had the key to feeling happy all along.
There is great danger in conditional well-being. I recently came across a post by one of my favorite creators that was quite insightful. To be honest, it initially irked the perfectionist within me. But after some reflection, I realized that this post was more in-line with scripture than my inner critic will ever be. Here's the caption of the post.
The context here is eating disorders and the anorexia to orthorexia pipeline, but it is true for many other aspects of life as well.
The slides of the post read "It's objectively a 'good thing' to go from
sick to healthy
starving to nourished
weak to strong
hungry to fed
***however, if the function of anorexia is still present in the newfound love for 'being strong' and 'eating healthy'... you're still sick.
It looks different but function is still the same.
Both ends of the spectrum give a sense of control, pride, accomplishment, numbing, worthiness, and belonging.
The same can be true for other aspects of life- grades, positions at work, parenthood, and even ministry.
Are we showing up in our roles and responsibilities with the spirit of excellence rather than a spirit of fear and compulsion- striving to maintain one's worth?
These are not bad things, but they are a shaky foundation to base your worth and joy on because they are not certain, and they are not eternal. The only thing we are ever promised is God and His presence. Our families, bodies, good grades, careers, hobbies, mobility, entertainment, etc. are not always guarantees.
Link to RD Caroline Shermer's post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrwiAdurERz/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)
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The tricky thing in our society is that darkness can be disguised as light, and if darkness isn't obviously present then it can be taken by society as good. But the truth is, there are a lot of “good” people in this world doing “good” things who are actually quite broken and lost.
Maybe you know someone who is killing it in the gym, has perfect test scores, has a beautiful instagram feed, a seemingly sweet family, or is excelling in some other way.
And maybe they are genuinely doing well. Maybe they are wholeheartedly pursuing Christ and the blessings they are experiencing are valid and an overflow of full contentment in Him.
But maybe they are suffering because their liveliness and ability to be okay is contingent on external circumstances. As Christians, we are called to deny ourselves. Does this mean we don't take care of ourselves and steward our responsibilities? No, we should do these things with balance. But, even still, they shouldn't be the basis of our wellbeing.
There have been many times in my faith journey where I have tried to put my “full” contentment in Him but have failed because I always held back in some capacity- not quite letting my mind be completely free of worry.
Sometimes I think about what I all I could do if I completely surrendered worry and the time it takes up in my life.
I think of all the books I could read
Maybe even the books I could write
All the people I could meet
All the plans I could make
The people I could pray for
How deeply I could know the Lord
The art I could appreciate
The mental clarity I could have
The Lord has recently been revealing to me the many times in my life where I have played the devil's advocate and allowed him to de-rail me from displaying the fruits of the spirit in my life.
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This week I received an email from the committee of an award I am applying to. They emailed me around 3pm and said that they had not received my letter of recommendation and that they needed it by 5pm. I emailed my professor who wrote the letter for me and asked her to resubmit it.
After an hour of no response, I emailed her again. When 4:30 struck, I decided to call her cell phone. No response. As a last resort, I texted her at 4:45 PM. She finally answered at 4:47 PM saying that she would resubmit the letter.
You see, I really wanted my professor to listen to me. And when she wasn’t responding, I reached out in as many ways as I could to get her attention. If she did not answer, my plan for winning the award would be thwarted.
Although my example is a positive example of perseverance, the devil works similarly. Here is an example from a book I have read. Again, this has to do with eating disorders, but reigns true with other temptations.
From the chapter "Whatever It Takes" from Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer
(ED= the name for the author's eating disorder)
IN THE BEGINNING, when Ed knocked on my door, I opened it wide for him to come on in. He always promised that he would stay just a little while. But, it was never that way. I did not tell Ed to leave, so he would stay as long as he wanted and then walk out the door leaving my home in a wreck and me feeling worn out, depressed, and hopeless. I would vow to never let him in again. The next time he knocked, I would always think, “This time will be different.” But it never was.
Finally, with the help of therapy, I stopped inviting Ed into my life with open arms. At first, I began to be more cautious. When Ed knocked on the door, I would still answer, but I would just barely crack the door open. I quickly realized that if I opened the door even slightly, he would push it completely open and stomp his way into my world. So eventually I stopped opening the door altogether. In fact, I now have four heavy-duty Ed-resistant locks on the one door to my home.
After the door was no longer an option, Ed starting lurking around my windows. He would try to reach me by sneaking in through each window. And one by one, I had my landlord install extra locks on all of my windows. My home is now Ed-proof. Do you think Ed left me alone at this point? No way. He decided to reach me by phone. So rather than answering my calls immediately, I began paying more attention. When Ed gave me a ring, instead of the screen displaying “Ed,” he somehow disguised himself as “D. Pression,” “I. M. Pain,” or “Ms. Ery.” But I always knew it was Ed and would not pick up the phone. What did Ed do next? He got an e-mail account, of course. At first, I easily recognized his e-mails as ed@loser.com. Then, he changed his e-mail address and I began to notice his messages by the subject lines: “Miss Me?” “Reminder: You’re Fat,” and “Lose Ten Pounds in Ten Days.” I finally got a great filter that removes junk mail from my mailbox. That easily took care of that. I just hope Ed doesn’t find some other way to get his messages through to me online. But Ed does not give up easily, and it just may come to that. If it does, I will take the necessary steps to keep Ed out of my life once again. I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep Ed at bay.
Because I am willing to go to any lengths to remain separate from Ed, I am doing well in recovery. The minute that I let my guard down and stop being proactive is the moment that Ed will make his way back into my life. I don’t know how Ed will try to sneak into your life after you have shut the door on him. He may try the windows or even the chimney. He might start visiting you via the postal carrier. If you get a letter from Ed, treat it just as if it contains anthrax anthrax or some other biochemical weapon. Because Ed is just as hazardous to your health.
Do whatever it takes to separate and maintain that separation from Ed. If you have to, get a restraining order against him. After all, the police are used to dealing with low-life offenders like Ed. Maybe they will even give him some jail time. But even then, you must be cautious. Whose number do you think Ed will dial with his one allotted phone call?
The devil works in this same way. And because his tacts are persistent and creative, our distraction from God is understandable, but it is not okay.
Are you guarding your heart from the devil’s schemes? In what ways are you still letting him creep in? How can you better protect your heart?
Knowing God's truth is one thing, believing it is another, but LIVING it takes radical faith and humility.
It will require a brutally honest evaluation of yourself and your motives. You will have to drop your defenses and see if your heart is truly pure. It takes time, and I am right there with you. Nevertheless, let’s do this together.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
“Being pure in heart involves having a singleness of heart toward God. A pure heart has no hypocrisy, no guile, no hidden motives. The pure heart is marked by transparency and an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. It is more than an external purity of behavior; it is an internal purity of soul.”
from Pure-in-heart.html
The FFA taught me that when my values are clear, my choices are easy. As a Christian, I should value loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. If I am prioritizing this, decisions can me made by asking myself "Does this support the life that God is calling me to live?"
It's okay if change doesn't happen overnight. Oftentimes, change takes stages. Although God can perform immediate changes, sanctification is usually a process.
In Kaela Scott's blog “The 10 Phases of Eating Disorder Recovery,” she talks about the different phases individuals go through during recovery. She notes that many people will find a phase that they are comfortable in, set up camp, and decide that is as far they will go. She says that it is each person's right to decide how far into recovery they want to travel- but that she believes once they reach phase 10, they have the greatest chance of a happy, full life.
This parallels our relationship with God. The goal of life should be to walk in step with Christ and stay as close to Him as possible. This gives us the greatest chance of an abundant life, regardless of the circumstances we face.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 (ESV)
But how far will we go? Will we sell ourselves short by settling for a mediocre faith? Is there a step we could take that might help us move closer to God?
Loving Him first brings everything into perspective. It brings our life and reason for being into perspective, His perspective. Everything that is truly you, is in Him. His ways for you, His pre-paved path, His direction, His thoughts and plans for you, are light years higher than yours and can take you millions of miles further than anything you can ever dream of, creating a tangible excitement that oozes out of you, encapsulating everyone you encounter; spreading like a wildfire during the heat of summer; allowing Christ’s love the freedom to flow and set ablaze your neighbor’s will of God for their life; creating a perpetual cycle of the love, the glory and the very essence of God, commanding humanity’s attention with our display of true morality... I know this may seem to have nothing to do with health, but it has everything to do with health. The love of Christ is to be our foundation, and when that foundation is disrupted, it causes all types of problems spiritually, mentally, physically, locally, nationally and internationally.
In writing this, I ask myself why I am so quick to pursue excellence in the finite but resistant when it comes to the eternal. Possibly because the things of God oftentimes involves what is unseen. Even so, the Bible tells us that this is how we are supposed to live.
"A Christian’s life revolves around “grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). This teaches us that the abundant life is a continual process of learning, practicing, and maturing, as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, and overcoming, because, in our present state, “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12). One day we will see God face to face, and we will know Him completely as we will be known completely (1 Corinthians 13:12). We will no longer struggle with sin and doubt. This will be the ultimately fulfilled abundant life... Although we are naturally desirous of material things, as Christians our perspective on life must be revolutionized (Romans 12:2). Just as we become new creations when we come to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), so must our understanding of “abundance” be transformed. True abundant life consists of an abundance of love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not an abundance of “stuff.” It consists of life that is eternal, and, therefore, our interest is in the eternal, not the temporal. Paul admonishes us, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:2-3)."
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