Satan Loves Lying to the Perfectionist!

Your desire to please God should draw you closer to Him—not leave you feeling that you can never measure up.

The enemy loves for believers to walk away from God’s Word feeling like they don’t measure up. He especially targets sincere, tender-hearted Christians—those who genuinely want to please God. Satan loves lying to perfectionists, whispering through misapplied Scripture until conviction feels like condemnation and relationship feels like rejection.

If that sounds familiar, I want to share something from my book, Pick Up the Bible and Let the Bible Pick You Up! I believe it can bring tremendous freedom into your relationship with the Lord.

“Satan loves lying to perfectionists—those precious believers who are hardest on themselves.”

Take a minute and watch this

I’ve pulled this short message from our latest Pick Up the Bible Power Podcast. I would love for you to watch it—and think of someone who needs to hear it, too.

Watch the short message here →

When the enemy turns your sensitivity against you

Here is how I describe it in the book:

“Many devoted Christians, though sincere in their love for God, live under the weight of feeling like they never measure up. The enemy twists Scripture to condemn what God is actually trying to restore, strengthen, and heal.”

Because he knows that you can’t give to others what you don’t first have yourself. If he can keep you small, he can keep you on the sidelines. Before God can use your life in a greater way, He first wants to infuse your life in a greater way!

Craig Groeschel puts it this way:

“The enemy will try to use your sensitivity to God as a weapon against you.”

Believers who genuinely want to please God can become easy targets for condemnation if they do not understand how the enemy twists Scripture and how although every scripture is written for you, not every scripture is written to you!

Because if Satan can’t keep you from the Bible, he will try to distort it. If he can’t stop you from reading it, he will try to twist how you understand it. He will use it to accuse instead of affirm, to condemn instead of correct, to push you away from God instead of drawing you closer.

That is why this distinction matters so much: Every Scripture is written for you, but not every Scripture is written to you.

The enemy takes verses that were written to warn the rebellious and whispers them as if they were aimed at the righteous. Then he turns encouragements into accusations, and commandments into impossible standards. But remember this truth: the greatest thing the Spirit of God and the Word of God want to correct in your life is how you see God, what you believe about God, and what you believe God believes about you.

God has called us to be perfectly loved

God has not called us to be holy perfectionists. He has called us to be perfectly loved.

The voice that feeds your inner perfectionist—even when it sounds holy, even when it quotes Scripture—if it pushes you down, discourages you, or fills you with guilt, it is not the voice of God!

Romans 8:1 declares:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
—Romans 8:1, NLT

No condemnation! If you belong to Christ Jesus, let that truth establish your confidence in Him.

And when you wonder whether you can ever become the person God has called you to be, listen to Philippians 2:13:

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
—Philippians 2:13, NLT

God is working in you! He gives you the want to, and He gives you the how to!

These verses, and many others when read through condemnation, crush. When read through grace, they heal. The Holy Spirit always corrects us to restore, never to reject.

I would love for you to watch the full podcast

I want to share something personal with you.

I believe this is the best podcast I have recorded so far. As I finished, I felt the presence of God in the room in a very special way. I literally could not leave my seat. I just had to worship and thank Him.

My prayer is that you will encounter His encouragement as you watch—that something weighing on your heart will lift as you begin to see more clearly what His Word says about you.

In the full Chapter Two episode, we explore how Satan twists Scripture, how to distinguish accusation from God’s correction, and why understanding the New Covenant changes the way we see our heavenly Father.

Watch the full Chapter Two podcast here →

Would you help me share this message?

Send this article or the podcast to someone who loves God but struggles with feeling that they are never enough. Share it with your family, your Bible study, or a friend who needs to hear the voice of their Intercessor above the voice of their accuser.

And please let me know what you think. I would love to hear what speaks to you as you watch.

Continue our time together in the Word

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of Pick Up the Bible and Let the Bible Pick You Up!, I would love for you to join me in these pages. Almost nine years in the making, this book shares the Bible reading secrets that have transformed my life and my relationship with God.

Get your copy of Pick Up the Bible and Let the Bible Pick You Up! on Amazon →

And if you already have a copy, thank you! Would you take a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon? Your words can help more people discover the book and begin their own journey in the Word.

If you’re looking for a meaningful Christmas gift, I would also love to share The God That David Knew: 365 Attributes of God from the Book of Psalms. Two years in the making, this devotional offers a year of encouragement as you discover the God David knew through the Psalms. Consider a copy for yourself and someone you love.

Explore The God That David Knew on Amazon →

Pick up the Bible and let the Bible pick you up!