An ancient lie we sometimes believe is that we are missing out. We fear that God is holding out on us. We think that we deserve more than what we have. We spend significant amounts of money, time, and searching for something more. Somehow we have been duped into thinking that God does not want what is best for us. That lie, so subtly presented by Satan, is one of his favorites. The Bible refers to him as the deceiver in Revelation 12:9 and the father of lies in John 8:44.

I refer to the lie of missing out as an ancient lie and tactic of Satan because this was the first lie believed by Adam and Eve in Eden. Genesis three depicts what Christians refer to as the Fall. God provided Adam and Eve with the greatest imaginable blessings. They experienced true paradise. Satan craftily presented himself to Eve and planted a seed of doubt about God’s word. Eve believed the lie that God was holding out on her and Adam because He forbade them from eating from a certain tree. She was convinced that she needed the fruit from the tree in order to experience her best life.

You see, we too believe that we need something else to find happiness or satisfaction. We believe that God is holding out on us when he commands us to be holy or when we don’t have whatever it is we think we deserve. Think about it for a moment: what temptation do you struggle with the most? When you give in to that sin, multiple factors are at work including the firing of synapses in the brain, unhealthy habits, and the belief that you need that sin to cope with the stress of life or to find happiness. The pursuit of more coupled with the deception of Satan leads us to doubt God’s goodness. We need to remind ourselves of an important truth every time we are tempted to believe we are missing out-God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. His nature is to bless his people and he does not change like our shadows do when the lighting changes. (James 1:16-17)

Oh, how easy it is to read about God as the giver of good gifts yet doubt whether it is true. We might even believe another lie, namely that we are not worthy of the good gift. Perhaps you believe that God wants to bless others but not you. Remember that God causes it to rain on the just an the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) I believe this is one example where theology strengthens our faith. Do we believe in a God who wants to curse people or a God who wants to bless people? Certainly, the Bible depicts curses but it also depicts blessings. One of my favorite references on blessings and curses is in Deuteronomy 28. Go read that passage and reevaluate your understanding of blessings and curses. The covenant God of Israel wants to bless his people and that truth is confirmed throughout the Bible.

Reader, be encouraged. You are not missing out. God wants you to experience his best for you. He truly is the giver of every good and perfect gift. The greatest gift God has given us is the opportunity to experience new life through the new birth and the word of truth. (James 1:18) Do not misunderstand God’s desire to bless you as a promise that you will not experience suffering or pain. I am not arguing in favor of health, wealth, and prosperity. My intent is to show you that God wants to bless you. You are not missing out!

One of the dangers of believing the lie that we are missing out is that we become prisoners of sin. Our lust for more results in a sin which eventually leads to death. (James 1:13-15) God provides all that we need. He provides more than we can ask or imagine. When you are tempted in the future pause to reflect on what you hope to get out of the sin. Consider your motive. If you believe that God is holding out on you or that you are missing out, you aren’t trusting Him well.

I too have believed the lie and have experienced the fear of missing out. Many times I have sinned against my Good Father and have believed that ancient lie of Satan. Thankfully, he is not the victor. We are. Jesus is. We are more than conquerors through Jesus. When we fight the lies of Satan with the truth of God’s word we engage with Jesus and push back the darkness. The battle takes place in our brains. God has given us sufficient armor to fight. We must actively take every thought captive to obey Jesus. We must set our minds on things above and thereby extinguish the fiery darts of the wicked one. We are best equipped to fight against the lies of Satan when we store His word in our minds and heart.