During 2008, an election year for my country, political bumper stickers were everywhere. I noticed a particularly pithy slogan providing editorial judgment on the way the lies of one political figure were less damaging than the lies of another. Obviously, the health of our civic life seems precarious (at best) whenever we find ourselves promoting the candidate whose lies are the least destructive.
When dealing with the realities of the kingdom of God, we find no such selective moral measuring. Jesus was unambiguous: The distinction between truth and lie is one of the clear separations between the realm of God and the realm of Satan.
Accosted by religious leaders who balked at His teaching, Jesus pulled no punches, suggesting that the reason they refused His authority was because they were “imitating [their] real father . . . the devil” (vv.41,44). In Jesus’ view, the division between living in truth and living in lies is not first a matter of one’s personal integrity, but rather a matter of to whom we swear our allegiance.
Since Satan is “the father of lies,” everything related to his rule carries the stench of deception (v.44). Likewise, since Jesus is the one who “[tells] you the truth,” His rule cuts through the haze with the clarity and candor that only truth can provide (v.40).
In Satan’s world, deception fuels the entire enterprise. He loves to mix truth with falsehood to mislead us. With Satan, the lies just never end. As Mark Twain quipped, “One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.”
Worst of all, Satan’s lies are brutal: You are despicable. God can’t be trusted. Your life is hopeless. Not a word of it is truth. And not a word of it comes from the Truth-speaker.
More:
• Genesis 3:1-24
• Matthew 4:1-10
• John 14:6
Next:
What lies do you most often hear from Satan? How do the words and the ways of Jesus disprove these lies?
Hannah C on March 2, 2011 at 1:13 pm
What lies do you most often hear from Satan? Many times, the enemy deceives me by telling me that I can not be happy without a man in my life. I am a very emotional person, and I have so much love to give. Therefore, when a guy that I really loved broke up with me, the enemy tried to deceive me that I will never be happy again. He also tries to deceive me by telling me lies like, I have so many things to worry about (especially because I will go back to uni soon). He also likes to make me feel that I am not special at all. These lies can be really deceiving. It can drag anyone into a deep state of depression, leading us away from the God who can tell us the truth. It can make us neglect every good thing that God has prepared for us, because we end up dwelling too much into Satan’s lies.
How do the words and the ways of Jesus disprove these lies?
John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. — God can give the kind of peace that is above this world. It is beyond the peace that comes from earthly relationships, money, success or good works. He gave me joy that isn’t based on my current circumstances.
Matthew 6:30-32 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. — Wow. What more can I add to that? He knows my needs. I can rely on Him as the provider that will never fail. He loves me so much that He will not neglect my needs.
Psalm 139:17-18 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! — How amazing is that? Here is the God of the heavens and the earth, He has every right to deal with more important things, but no — He thinks about me day and night. He thinks about me so much that it cannot be counted anymore. He is with me wherever I go, He never leaves nor forsakes me. This is actually a passage from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible: Psalm 139. I call it “God’s love letter”. Read it, and know how deeply in love He is to all of us.
tom felten on March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Hannah C, love your biblical perspective! Your thoughts brought to mind this post from poh fang: http://www.ourdailyjourney.org/2010/10/21/single-or-married/
Hope you find it encouraging. You’re not alone!
Hannah C on March 2, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Hello Tom! Thank you so much for sharing that link. That’s a very encouraging devotional for single ladies like me. I will share that with other single ladies in my small group on Saturday!