Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Defeating Lies With Truth

PSALM 103:8-14 – The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

THEME OF THE DAY. DEFEATING LIES WITH TRUTH. Christians must live aware of the accuser of their souls who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour them (1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:10). This foe of ours, the devil, is not primarily looking to destroy us physically. Oh, no, he will accomplish far more by spiritually paralyzing us. If successful, the devil will render Christians ineffective in the work of Christ and sour their witness for Christ. Perhaps the most effective way he does this fiendish work in the heart of Christians is drawing us to believe his lies. When it comes to his lies, they are targeted toward two things; who we are in Christ and who God is. It is the latter we want to focus on today.

In the Garden of Eden, we see the devil unfolding his lies to Eve. He slandered God’s character. He questioned God’s authority. He cast doubt on God’s Word. And with this barrage of lies about God, Eve believed, and humanity fell into sin (Genesis 3:1-13). And the devil’s tactic has not changed. He continually attacks God’s people with a barrage of accusations about our God. He wants us to question His character, His goodness, His love, and His Word. If he gets us into this arena, like Eve, of listening to his lies about our God instead of God’s truth revealing His true being, we are easy prey for him. Gone will be our effectiveness and witness for Christ. We will be spiritual cripples. So, in order not to become a spiritual casualty, we must do two things.

First, never interpret God’s Person or Character based on God’s work and ways. If we begin to judge God’s love, interpret His care based on our circumstances, situations, or emotions, we will paint a picture of Him that aligns with the devil’s lies. Think about this. When life is very hard and we are going through a difficult time and see little light at the end of the tunnel, are we not tempted to question God’s love and dealings with us? Those are the devil’s lies. Learn to see what is happening to us, not by circumstances, but through the truth of God’s Word and Person. He said, “All things work together for good” (Romans 8:28) and “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This is the first step in defeating the lies of Satan.

Next, immerse ourselves in the scriptures. When Jesus was confronted by the devil in the wilderness temptation, He defeated Satan every time by quoting scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). If the Son of God needed and used the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) to defeat the lies and attacks of Satan, how much more do we need to use the same weapon? But here is the “catch” . . . if we are not daily, yes daily, being in the Word and prayer to equip our hearts and minds with the Sword of the Spirit, when the devil’s lies come, and they will, we will be defenseless. We cannot use a weapon we do not own. Make time in the Word both a delight and a necessity. Without our hearts and minds saturated with God’s truth, we cannot defeat Satan’s lies.

There is a real devil seeking the destruction of real Christians. Confronting us with lies about God is a chief tactic of his. Let’s learn to defeat it by responding in truth; God’s truth about Himself that will always bring victory to the warring Christian.

PRAYER: “Lord, let me always see You as You are revealed in Your Word and not my own understanding.”

QUOTE: “We must let the Bible define our God and not our wavering emotions or circumstances.”