Kate didn’t fear what lay outside the castle, but The Voice within the high, stone walls made her shrink inside her skin. Kate knew The Voice belonged to the lord of the land. She feared his condemnation as much as every peasant in the Kingdom of Krad.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t fear The Voice, Kate thought. Well, except maybe Edward. The tall boy had recently joined the castle servants and didn’t seem afraid of anything.
One day Edward passed Kate in a dim corridor and pressed a burlap sack into her hands.
“There’s a treasure inside,” he whispered. “It’s from your real Father, and it can guide you to the Kingdom of Light.”
“My real father?” Kate cocked her head and peered at Edward. “The Kingdom of Light?”
Edward nodded, and his eyes shone. He bowed and continued down the hall as Kate gripped the rough sack.
What treasure? she wondered. Hand trembling, she reached inside.
True Treasure
Like Kate, we often live in fear because of the dark voice that whispers to our minds. But our true Father sent us a treasure—God’s holy Word—to explain who we are. This treasure exposes “The Voice” as Satan, the father of lies, who tries to keep us from our inheritance in the Kingdom of Light. Satan wants us to dwell on negative thoughts that steal our joy.
Perhaps you have heard “The Voice” and need to discover The Treasure. Dive into The Treasure, for it has the power to set you free!
The Voice says: You’re alone.
The Treasure says: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5
See also Psalm 118:6
The Voice says: You’re stupid.
The Treasure says: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” —1 Corinthians 1:27
See also Proverbs 1:7 and 1 Corinthians 1:25
The Voice says: You’re not good at anything.
The Treasure says: “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” —2 Samuel 22:33
See also John 14:12 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-25
The Voice says: You’re a weakling.
The Treasure says: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. —Isaiah 40:31
See also Habakkuk 3:19 and 2 Corinthians 12:10
The Voice says: You’ll never amount to anything.
The Treasure says: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” —Jeremiah 29:11
See also 1 Timothy 4:12
The Voice says: Nobody loves you.
The Treasure says: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” —1 John 3:1
See also Psalm 103:11 and Ephesians 3:17-18
The Voice says: You don’t really matter to anybody.
The Treasure says: “For the LORD takes delight in his people.” —Psalm 149:4
See also Psalm 27:10 and 1 Peter 2:9
The Voice says: You’re so ugly!
The Treasure says: “The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.“ —Psalm 45:11
See also Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Voice says: You have tons to stress about!
The Treasure says: “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” —Matthew 10:30-31
See also Matthew 6:34
The Voice says: Can you really trust God?
The Treasure says: “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” —Romans 10:11
See also Isaiah 54:10 and John 15:9
The Voice says: God is distant and not interested in you.
The Treasure says: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” —Psalm 145:18
See also Matthew 11:28 and 1 Peter 3:12
The Voice says: You can never please God.
The Treasure says: “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” —Isaiah 66:2
See also Ephesians 2:8-9 and Hebrews 10:14
The Voice says: You have so much to fear.
The Treasure says: “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.” —Psalm 27:3
See also Isaiah 41:10 and Isaiah 43:2-3
All Scripture taken from the New International Version.
