The Subtle Lies of Satan

In the Bible it is clear how God feels about lying. Proverbs 12:22 is but one of many admonitions against lying telling us that “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD” and the New Testament in Revelation 21:8 goes so far as to declare that “all liars” will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Lying is a serious thing.

“But I wasn’t really lying, I just held back a little of the truth.” Who of us has not done that in our lives? We have a thing we like to call a “white lie” and by that one word “white” we imply that though it’s a lie, it’s a pure one and for the best. Often we use that term when we have withheld the truth from someone in order to be polite or to be tactful. Maybe there are times when telling someone the truth has no value and it would be pointless to hurt them with something meaningless but the problem with that term is that the term itself is by nature a lie. The other problem is that we abuse that term when we describe our lies. More often than not our lies are just what the word says they are; lies.

 

We see an amazing dichotomy in scripture as we look at the difference between God and Satan.  Isaiah 65:16 calls our God, the God of truth. Titus 1:2 says God never lies and Hebrews 6:18 reminds us it is impossible for God to lie. In John 14:6 Jesus declares Himself to not only be true but says He is the truth.

Satan on the other hand is the very antithesis of God. Scripture is clear on who and what Satan is. John 8:44 tells us exactly who Satan is saying that “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Scripture is also clear about what Satan wants to do to us. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us saying this, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  John 10:10 says the devil comes to steal and destroy. The Bible is clear; we have an enemy and it is him. Ephesians 6:12 spells it out, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The first lie of the devil is to tell you he doesn’t exist. God’s Word says differently. Your enemy is not man; it is a spiritual army of cosmic powers led by the fallen angel himself, Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan or the devil.

The reason I began this writing talking about the white lie is because we need to aware of the schemes of the devil. Certainly there are things in this world that are clearly lies of Satan. But as Christians, most of us can see those clearly. The warning this morning I feel called to give involves a specific word and that word is subtle. Satan will use subtle means to slip into our minds and trick us if we are not constantly vigilant. The very beginning of all sin came from Satan’s subtle twisting of God’s Word back in the Garden of Eden. We need to take time regularly to study that part of scripture. In Genesis chapter 3 we find Satan putting just a little question into Eve’s mind. Listen to how it works from Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"

Do you see how crafty he was? “Did God actually say…” he asks her. And from that one little deceptive question came the entire fall of mankind and sin and death entered into the world. And ever since that day Satan has been working on our minds to question everything God says.

Married people, have you ever been around a member of the opposite sex and felt just that little twinge of excitement when she(he) gives you that look or compliments you. You know deep down you are walking a dangerous path. But in that subtle little way of lying to ourselves we think “Oh this is harmless.” Then later there is a little harmless lunch and so goes the path to destruction. Then one day you wake up and realize you have fallen into a pit and there is no good way out. My friends this is how that word subtle will get you.

There is no end to the various ways Satan can lead you subtly down the wrong path. There is a great book and later a movie called A Simple Plan that demonstrates how a simple little plan to keep some unaccounted for drug money that three men find in the woods, ends up in betrayal and murder. It all seemed so simple.

We cannot be blind to the schemes of the devil. We cannot dabble around with sin no matter how minor it seems. It was just one piece of fruit that Eve took in the garden but it would have catastrophic ramifications for all time until Christ returns. The Apostle Paul reminds us being a Christian does not prevent us from falling into the traps of the devil saying this in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

But as always the word of God is filled with good news. Jesus defeated the devil at Calvary and we do not fight for victory but we fight from victory. If this very day you are stuck in that pit because you fell for the subtle lies of Satan there is hope. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” In Luke 15:11-32 is the story Jesus told about the prodigal son and in it we can know that no matter how far we have fallen into the pigpen our Father in Heaven is waiting for us to get up and come back to him. It really is that simple.

So this very day wherever you are you can cry out to God and He will come get you. Chapter 15 has two more parables about those who have fallen into sin.

Luke 15:3-10
So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

There is joy in heaven when we repent and are back in the arms of Jesus. But I don’t know about you but I am tiring of my own foolish nature leading me into these pits. The answer is to stay focused on Jesus. We must read His Word, we must listen to sermons that call us out on our sin, we must pray, pray, and pray that we will become more like Jesus every day. We do not have to keep falling down.

So wherever we are today it is time to be aware of the subtle schemes and lies of the devil. James 4:7-10 is good counsel. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

My prayer today is that we Christians ask God for the wisdom to see through these subtle lies. Then we can get back to the mission Jesus calls us to and take the Gospel to a lost and dying world. May God richly bless all who hear His Word.