“From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he lies, HE SPEAKS HIS NATURAL LANGUAGE. He does this because HE IS A LIAR. He is the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
Satan’s influence over mankind began when he turned the minds of Adam and Eve against God. For this to happen he had to lie to them about God—and THEY HAD TO FALL FOR IT. In that critical moment, he lied to them ABOUT GOD’S GOODNESS, GOD’S WORD, and GOD’S INTENTIONS:
“The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “DID GOD REALLY SAY, ‘You must not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We can eat the fruit of the trees that are in the garden. But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. IF YOU DO, YOU WILL DIE.'” “You can be sure that you won’t die,” the serpent said to the woman. “God knows that when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will know things you have never known before. You will be able to tell the difference between good and evil. YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD.” The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat. It was also pleasing to look at. And it would make a person wise. So, SHE TOOK SOME OF THE FRUIT AND ATE IT. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. AND HE ATE IT.” (Genesis 3:1-6)
Satan is still up to his old tricks. Jesus said that when the devil “When he lies, HE SPEAKS HIS NATURAL LANGUAGE. He does this because HE IS A LIAR.” It should not be surprising, then, that when trouble comes into our lives, the father of lies whispers in our ears and suddenly WE ARE QUESTIONING GOD’S GOODNESS. When we are told to follow His commands, we wonder IF HIS WORD IS ACTUALLY TRUE IN THE FIRST PLACE. When Jesus tells us things like, “Do not put away riches for yourselves on earth.” (Matthew 6:19), Satan tells us that the good life is about riches here, causing us to doubt God’s good intentions.
Our problem is that we, like Adam and Eve, believe Satan’s lies. And when we do, OUR LOYALTY TO GOD IS COMPROMISED. Then our enemy crawls off to his next assignment, leaving us alone to face our troubled hearts and the realization that his lies have seduced us away from OUR TRUEST AND DEAREST FRIEND. Who have you been listening to lately?
Satan can catch you by surprise
And stop you in your tracks,
So keep on guard and trust God’s Word,
Resist his strong attacks. —Branon.
The power of Satan is no match for the power of God’s Word.
Hide God’s Word in you heart…Bill Stockham