Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

A lie is define as, something that is false, untrue or meant to deceive. The apostle Paul tells us not to "be ignorant of Satan's devices, lest he should take advantage of us." (2 Corinthians 2:11) Satan's tactics have not changed from the beginning, "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said..." (Genesis 3:1) Satan's greatest tactic is to twist God's Word (Truth) with the ultimate intent to keep God's Word from people. He knows that if he can keep people from the truth, they will succumb to his lies and live defeated lives. So, believers should not be ignorant of his device, but unfortunately many believers are. Listening to most sermons today, one would conclude that Satan and his gang of demons either do not exist or that they are only found in the slums of large cities. However, this thinking is quite far from the truth.

When looking at history we see a period of time that is called the Dark Ages, or the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages are defines by historians as, a period of intellectual darkness and economic regression that supposedly occurred in Europe following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire from about 500 to 1350 AD. This is very interesting to say the least. When looking at church history, it was during the Dark Ages that the hierarchy of the church disregarded the Word of God and embraced the doctrines of man. So we can assume that when or where the Word of God is absent that intellectual darkness and economic regression will be present. We may not want to admit such a claim, but the same thing is happening today. Darkness will always find its way into all sectors of humanity, including what we call the church. When the Word of God is not present or when the Word of God has been replaced with the wisdom or doctrines of man darkness is always present.

Jesus, when talking with the Jews who believed Him said this,"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32) Knowing truth and being set free from deception and lies comes by abiding in the Word. In their attempt to convince themselves that they were already free, the Jews refer to themselves, Abraham descendants. They even go as far as to say that God was their father. However, Jesus saw through the deception and their ignorance, and gets to the heart of the matter, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me." (John 8:42-45) Basically, Jesus tells the Jews that they listen to and have embraced lies, therefore are void of truth. They have bought into the deceptive lies of Satan.

The apostle Peter warns believers to, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith..." (1 Peter 5:8-9) This epistle is to the church! Look what Peter tells the believe as to how to resist the devil. First we must be alert and always watching in the way a sentry stands his post. A sentry stands and watches being  aware that the possibility exists that an enemy may try to breach even a secure perimeter. We are also to resist the devil in the faith.or be firm in faith. In other words, believers are to resist the devils devices by believing and acting on God's Word which is what the Bible calls faith. But think about this. If one is not being taught or learning the truth, then the only path that can be followed is one of lies. There is an old saying, "You would not believe the lie if it didn't contain a little truth." However, with that said, any truth that contains a lie is still a lie. Do we see the subtle deception?

As was with Jesus and the early church, believers today are also engaged in a conflict "...against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) The sooner that we realize that these forces are at work attempting to steel or twist God's Word, destroy our fellowship with the Father, and deprive us of our service which is to do the Father's will by enforcing and upholding all that Jesus did for humanity, the better our odds are that we will not fall prey to every wind of doctrine and the wisdom of man. When believers deal with the devil, they should always approach him from the position of victory and triumph. We resist him, exercise our faith, use the Word of God in the Name of Jesus and he must flee.

If you feel defeated due to circumstances such as sickness, worry, anxiety or financial struggles; If you feel that your life is hemmed in by the devil, then it is time to rise up in the mighty Name of Jesus and put the devil to flight. It's time to embrace God's Word, take your inheritance and receive deliverance from the deception and lies of the devil. Once this happens, go and set other free. Jesus said, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)     .