Don't Believe Everything You Hear

We've all done it.  Sometimes we use them to get ourselves out of a jam; to avoid embarassment; to get our way.  Sometimes we are the victims of them and they can cut us to the bone.  Yes, we've all done it; we've all participated; we've all experienced the results--and they aren't pretty.

Lies.  They are the things that once spoken can take on a life all their own and take us to places we couldn't imagine possible.  They grow and over time and they can overwhelm us with their complexity and their heinous disregard for our well-being.

That shouldn't surprise us because the Bible tells us that the Original Liar is at work planting the seeds of lies in us whenever and wherever he can.  John 8:44 says that the devil "is a liar and the father of lies."  I've never thought this before, but when it says that he is the 'father of lies' that means that he 'sires' them; he inseminates us with lies; he nurtures them and does all he can to help them to grow in us.  An incredibly horrible thought, and one that makes me sit up and take notice of just how evil and uncaring Satan really is.

This morning, as I drove to work, a thought came to me totally from out-of-the-blue.  I won't give you the details of what it was, but suffice it to say that its purpose was to undermine the core of my identity.  I tried to argue with him for a bit, but that proved useless--he is the master of lies after all.

But then I was reminded of James 4:7 where it says "submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."  Certainly the devil doesn't flee from me in my own strength, and my clever retorts obviously didn't impress him, so submitting to God is critically important here.  To do this is to say to God "I can't, but I thank you that you want to on my behalf!"  It is to live in His strength.  The benefit of this is that we are able, then and only then, to take our stand against our Enemy and say to him "your lies are exposed and God's word about me is true.  I know who I am in Him and I take authority over you in Jesus' name--now leave!!"

And he will--he does--he did! 

That's how God's promises work.  That's how his love for us plays out.  He replaces lies with truth and where there was death, now there is life.

I can't say that when the devil flees that all the damage done by the lies is completely removed.  Sometimes God's redemption takes time to grow in us.  But He is faithful to put our hearts in a place of peace and tell us that we are in His hands now, and we can rest there.

It's good to catch our breath isn't it?

So, today, don't believe everything you hear.  If you are despairing, there's a good chance that the Enemy is hard at work trying to 'father' lies in you.  Submit to God, and cry out to him to bring his truth and life into you.  Take your authority in Jesus seriously and command the devil to flee from you in the name of the Son of God, and he will.

Promise.

BT