Lies, Lies, Lies

This is from the February 3rd edition of the Summitview Announcements...

I've heard a number of stories recently of struggles in our church that have been termed "spiritual battles."  Many times such battles have a link to physical events or circumstances.  We just have to look at the life of Job to see a clear example of that.  Once God gave Satan permission to test Job, lives were lost, money was lost, and Job's health was affected.

But let's not give the devil more than his due.  I would put forth that 99% of his battles against God's people today come not in the form of 'physical' attacks, but rather in the form of lies.  In John 8:44 Jesus says of the devil, "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."  The one cataclysmic event that set all of human history on the course that we're on, a world full of selfishness, sin, and suffering, was brought on by Satan's lies.  The lie is Satan's greatest weapon and he uses circumstances in our lives as opportunities to whisper those lies to us even if they were not initiated by him.

• The event: Job loss or financial hardship.  The lie: God does not provide.
• The event: Loss of health or of a loved on.  The lie: God does not have the best for me.
• The event: Victim of physical or verbal abuse or attack.  The lie: I have no value (even in the eyes of God).

The list goes on and on and the lies are many.   If we believe these lies and they take root in our lives (as with Eve then Adam), the results are devastating.  One lie believed opens us up to many more pouring in and soon our whole view of ourselves, the world around us, and even God is shaped by lies.

So how do we combat this kind of attack?  Here are a few ideas...

• Get a regular dose of truth by reading the word daily ("Ah yes," you say, "the usual trite Christian answer."   But have you tried it?  Scripture was Jesus' first response when Satan tried to deceive Him in the desert).
• Be tied to the Source of Truth through daily prayer ("Another trite answer."  But have you tried it?).
• Listen to the counsel of Christian friends.  Share your struggles with them.  This is really important if the lies are starting to overwhelm you.
• Shut off the source of lies (areas of sin in your life, messages in popular culture, input from people who are themselves ruled by lies, etc.).
• As we talked about this past Sunday, believe and obey what you know to be true about God and He will give you even greater discernment of what is true and what is not.

Satan's 'secret' weapon is powerful, but you and I can stand up to it.  God has given us everything we need to combat these lies with truth.  Satan may whisper lies in our ear, but the Holy Spirit is with us always to speak truth as an antidote.  And the best news is that when all is said and done, only the truth will prevail.

- Doug

P.S. How many of you that grew up in the 80's like I did read the title and finished it off with "Yeah!" thanks to the Thompson Twins?  "Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah!  There gonna' get you..."  Okay, I'll stop now.