The Father Of Lies

Scripture

He [devil] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

~John 8:44, NLT

Quote

The lie of the serpent in Eden was this…”If we obey God fully we will be miserable, that rich living lies outside God’s will and not in it.”

~Timothy Keller

I am currently reading Timothy Keller’s SONGS OF JESUS [Psalms] and it may be the most refreshing devotional I’ve ever read and I have read a few. Jesus told us emphatically that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies but it is not as simple as it seems. Some lies are hard to detect. The devil is no idiot, he dresses heresy in a shroud of truth. He told Eve that the forbidden fruit would not kill her but would make her more like God. He was right about one thing, the fruit didn’t kill her physically but it made her more like him instead of God. Just for the record, the fruit did kill her spiritually but the point is–he mixes some truth with his error, enough to make his lies believable. When the devil accuses you, he will have evidence to back up his accusations. Our own conscience condemns us and of course he is there to point out our sins and transgressions. He is so good at lying, the only way to detect the lie is to know the TRUTH. Without the WORD of God by our side, we don’t stand a chance.

The world has swallowed the big lie–happiness, joy, pleasure and fulfillment are found when we go our own way, when we cast off all restraints and do our own thing. Cain believed this lie and so did the Prodigal. The fact that you are reading this blog assures me that this is probably not the lie that he bombards you with, but he uses others on those who are living for Christ. Think of his lies as arrows. Arrows were an important weapon in ancient times. They could not penetrate stone walls but they could go up and over these walls. Satan’s arrows of doubt, fear and subtle untruths fly over the walls daily. You may as well get use to it, he is relentless and he will not stop. Or weapon of defense is the word of God and the shield of faith. The other day I gave some thought to the constant lies he uses against me…

  • God doesn’t love you–why should He?
  • The bible is not true–why do you trust it?
  • You are a hopeless case–why don’t you stop trying to be something you are not?
  • You have only one life and you are wasting it by spending all your time trying to help others–why don’t you try looking out for number one.
  • You will never be able to please God–why don’t you stop trying?
  • You are throwing your money away when you give to the church and to missions–Why don’t you keep it for yourself, then you would have some of the things that others have that you really want?
  • Vulnerability is a big mistake–why can’t you learn to pretend.

Hey, these are just a few. The devil has a quiver filled with arrows and a slew of demons manufacturing more. I was mediating on this a few nights ago: he is not going to run short of arrows. So get use to the bombardment; strap on the SWORD, get your SHIELD in hand, the relentless evil one is not going to show us mercy. Personally, I have no use for him. He is not only the father of lies, he is the father of cruel and discouraging words. We have to learn not to take insults personally: they all come from the same source.

Did a little yard work but is was pretty chilly. Big Mama is forecasting rain. Supposed to be warm Sunday. Have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

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