Exposing the Counterfeit & Getting Released into Freedom: Suspicion vs. Curiosity

God is always moving and He loves to create newness. In Isaiah 43, 48, 65, Jeremiah 31, Revelation 21, etc.  He states that he is creating a "new thing." I believe that is one of the many reasons why He chose to give His children gifts, talents & passions. He loves to see how we will create, and even more so, create together with Him.

But many times I see the body of Christ struggle in how to move forward in their giftings. And there is also the thief that tries to "kill, steal & destroy" (John 10:10) everything that God loves to lavish on, in and through us! 

But as I seek to see more as Jesus does, I do. As He sees His Father doing, He does! He has come to bring life and life to the full! (John 10:10) 

God loves even taking what the enemy does and makes all things new. He is not satisfied in letting things "as is." But to be clear, He never forces anyone to go on a journey of using their gifts and talents. He waits for His child to unwrap the gifts he gave then and move forward in using them! He also desires to spend time with us as we use these gifts!


For the past few days, I had this phrase lingering in my head:

"Suspicion is Accusation hiding in the dark."

It took me a pause, to digest what this meant and I had been asking the Lord the depth of this revelation. Holy Spirit is exposing and breaking down the counterfeit mindsets, but not only that, He wants to establish God's established Kingdom values and mindsets in its place!

Suspicion is a counterfeit mindset (from the enemy) vs. Curiosity's freedom to explore.

At first I didn't think that Curiosity would be the counter to Suspicion, but perhaps Wisdom or Holy Judgment. As I asked more questions to the Lord, He revealed that there was an inner fruit and an outer fruit that was being produced and dealt with and the enemy uses similarities to confuse the valuable prize with the counterfeit rubbish.

Here are some of the similarities:

• Suspicion and Curiosity have a questioning nature (at first, not fully knowing the answer)
• Require a quest (active search) in order to find an answer
• Require a searching of knowledge, wisdom and/or understanding from the quester (all three are different)
• Can have emotional snowball effects (negative vs. positive)
• Quest to satisfy/validate the original question

 Here are some differences between the two:

Suspicion:

• Hints at: tearing down, slandering, defamation
• The drive to find the answer usually comes from a wound
• Will attract lies and unattractive imaginings
• Puts up walls against "Trust" as a defense mechanism
• Becomes more convinced on singular events of "facts," but not on truth (principles, character or the majority of integrity of the subject)
• Looks to be validated by emotions and toward similarly emotionally charged opinions 
• Becomes frustrated when the ends don't match the expected answer
• Leads to accusation and harsh judgment
• Emotions are still not satisfied with decided outcome and the quester is emotionally compromised

Curiosity:

• Can build towards wonder, excitement and learning
• Requires an open mind
• Questions the quester's information as being sufficient enough
• Looks to find answers outside of oneself, opinions and information (verification)
• Celebrates growth, learning and a bigger picture
• Inspires toward "dreaming," imagination & creativity (building upon)
• The journey doesn't keep count of the "dead ends" but enjoys the journey of finding the answer
• When the quest is over, greater understanding is obtained
• The quester feels satisfied and a sense of gain is added when coming to the conclusion

When the attributes are clearly categorized as such, its plain to see that they are quite different. But in the midst of the moment, things can seem a bit hazy. I know I have experienced suspicion in the past, but I would have labelled it as "innocent curiosity." ***BBzzztt!!!*** (Buzzer sound) Wrong. 

Suspicion clearly does not have innocent motives. It's the enemy's counterfeit to deceive and breed destructive qualities. (And this is not just for others but also towards oneself as well!) The enemy is always trying to steal (what is rightfully given to us by Jesus), kill (the truth and life [to the full] that Jesus spoke of), and destroy (the work of God in and through us) because he can't stand how he is not God and how much God pours His likeness in us.

But when we can identify the enemy's schemes, we can also redirect our attention to see what God's intentions are! When Jesus said that he came to give life, and life to the full, He meant it! Greater than the enemy's schemes, Jesus has all power and authority when he dealt with the enemy at the cross! The enemy just parades around with lies of his "powers", ignoring the fact that He has been dethroned a long time ago. Its up to us whether who we believe has the real power.

"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."  Revelation 1:18

And not only that! As fellow coheirs with Christ, He came to destroy the work of the enemy (I John 3:8) and He gives us power and authority to do the same and establish Jesus' Kingdom!

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 16:19


 All of us, one time or another, has fallen victim to unholy suspicion. Its not a pretty thing, but it is nothing to fear about. The question is, where are you most likely to dwell in? Its a choice that can be made. If you don't choose, most likely, the enemy will make it on your behalf.

Most of us don't choose to live dissatisfying lives, but many of us just let it happen. Here's a chance to choose... choose to believe the words of Jesus or let things continue to slip by unnoticed.

If you have found yourself in the slippery slope of suspicion, it's easy to start turning away!
Just ask Jesus for help. Admit that going that path wasn't the best choice and maybe even harmful, but that You are making a willful decision to believe him. Let him dismantle the lies. Discard each one and give it to him. He deals with it at the cross! Let him wash you clean with His love and sacrifice for you. And also, don't forget, Receive it and all that entails (his life, his forgiveness, his truth, his promises, his blessings)!  

If you are stuck with a string of negative thoughts of suspicion in your head, ask Holy Spirit for new thoughts, promises, phrases to take its place and start implementing them in your daily thoughts! It is crucial to let His love transform you but you must do your part to receive and walk it out. ;) Then, start to see how your outlook will start to transform your way of thinking! Just part of receiving life to the full!