If you have been a Christian, even for just a short while, you have probably come to the conclusion that choosing to follow Christ does not mean the end of all your problems. In fact, the day you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, a big target was painted on your … ears. Yes, that’s right, your ears–the spiritual ones, the ones that hear from God, and the ones that hear from your enemy.
Don’t you know that the enemy of our souls likes to whisper his lies into our ears? The Bible warns us that “he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
The weird thing is, he’s not even very original with his lies. He uses the same ones over and over. I will address six. Ever hear this one?
#1 “GOD CAN’T POSSIBLY FORGIVE YOU.”
“Remember all those bad things you’ve done? God knows. He remembers. You have been far too wicked for Him to extend forgiveness to you.”
Oh yes, God knows us very well, but so does our enemy. He has been around for long enough to pick up some really nasty tricks, like reminding us about everything we have ever done wrong. Ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking about that thing you said to that kid in fifth grade, and then that kid grew up strange, and then he got arrested … Then pretty soon you were blaming yourself for all kinds of things that are wrong in the world, and heaping yourself up with all kinds of responsibility. Soon you felt exhausted, condemned, and guilty, guilty, guilty … Oh, and “what about that time you really messed up as a parent …”
“What about that time you denied Christ?”
“Then they seized [Jesus] and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
“Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, ‘This man also was with him.’
“But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’
“And a little later someone else saw him and said, ‘You also are one of them.’
“But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not.’
“And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, ‘Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.’
“But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’
“And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:54-62).
Here’s another one of his favorites:
#2 “YOU WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH.”
“You are not qualified. God could never use you.”
Moses suffered from this lie. He tried five excuses to explain that to God:
First, I’m not good enough. Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
Second, I don’t have all the answers. …
Third, people won’t believe me. …
Fourth, I’m a terrible public speaker. …
And finally, I’m not qualified …
When I was young, I suffered from awful shyness and insecurity. It wasn’t because I felt unloved. I had a very loving and encouraging family, but the devil has shackles that he can place on the young and unsuspecting.
When I was in the fourth grade, my mother was called to the school for a conference with my teacher. It seems I was failing, of all things, art. The reason I was failing was that I was not turning in my work. When my mother and teacher looked into my desk, they discovered all the missing assignments shoved into the back. That really puzzled them. They asked me, “Why didn’t you turn in your work?” My answer: “They weren’t good enough.”
I would love to say things turned around there, but they didn’t. In fact, they got worse. By high school the enemy had convinced me that I was pretty worthless. I had a hard time talking to most people. That’s all he needed. I couldn’t be a threat to him. Uh, did I mention I was a Christian?
“So, you believe in Jesus? You believe He died to save your soul? Big deal! You don’t scare me because you’re not going to say a word to anyone.”
Here’s another one of his favorites.
#3 “YOU HAVE A BETTER WAY.”
This is like the flip side of not being good enough: this lies says, “God just needs a little bit of my help.”
The biggest problems I ever got into in my life were the times when I tried to “help” God. Maybe things weren’t moving quite as fast as I thought they should–”God’s really busy; I could help Him out by …” Anybody else know that feeling?
There was a woman named Eve who thought God hadn’t quite made her “all that she could be”:
“The serpent said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’
“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’
“‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom …” (Genesis 3:1-6).
Can you see the thought process here? “God’s way isn’t quite perfect. I’ll do this one thing to fix it.” Well, she fixed it, all right, and Adam jumped right on the bandwagon with her.
The enemy has so many lies, and those are only three, but they’re three pretty powerful ones. So let’s address God’s truth spoken to refute these lies.
#1 GOD CAN AND WILL FORGIVE YOU!
The book of Romans tells us that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (3:23) and that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord” (6:23).
The Apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testament, but he started his career by killing Christians. Matthew, who wrote the first gospel, was a tax collector–a thief! And Peter denied his Lord three times; however, he was given the opportunity to return to grace:
“As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“‘Don’t be alarmed, he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:7).
Peter may have been afraid to show himself to the risen Lord whom he had so recently denied, but he was called by name.
And then:
“Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’
“‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’
“Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’
“Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’
“He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’
“Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’
“The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’
“Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’
“Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:15-17).
ALL have sinned: Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, you, me, and He still says to us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Here’s a thought: I once had a student who wrote a poem titled “What Would You Do If You Met Hitler in Heaven?” That thought probably makes you cringe, and rightly so, but to deny the possibility is to deny the power of the blood shed from the cross of Calvary. Do I believe it will happen? Well, no. Do I believe it could happen? I believe the blood of Christ is powerful enough to cleanse all the sins of everyone who repents.
#2 GOD SAYS, “YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH.”
I have heard it said that “God has a tendency of picking up a nobody, making him a somebody, in front of everybody, without consulting anybody.”
I have also heard it said that “God doesn’t call the qualified, but He qualifies the called.”
David wasn’t qualified to fight a giant. Peter wasn’t qualified to preach. And Moses wasn’t qualified to lead God’s people out of bondage. But God …
And you, when you hear that lie of the devil, remind him that “[you] are God’s handiwork–His masterpiece–created in Christ Jesus, to do good works that God planned” just for you.
#3 HONEY, YOU DON’T HAVE A BETTER WAY!
I used to have a pastor who would say, “There are two ways to do something. There’s God’s way, and there’s God’s way. The only difference is the second one takes longer.
Jeremiah testifies to the words of God, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you,” ( Jeremiah 1:5) and again “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
God is the only One who sees the end from the beginning, and He doesn’t need our help. If you don’t believe me, ask Eve and Adam. As the old song goes, “They took a pic and they took a plow, and that’s why we’re all workin’ now.”
So when the devil comes at you with his lies, don’t just stand there and take it. You don’t have to talk back to him. He is not your friend and you’re not required to be polite, but if you do talk back, use the strategy of the Master:
WHAT DID JESUS DO?
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’
“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
“Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
“Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.
“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’
“Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him” (Matthew 4:1-11).
The way to fight the enemy’s lies is with the truth of the word of God. To do that, you must know more than the words of scripture! Reciting a memorized prayer or rattling off mere words won’t do it. The power is in personally knowing the One who dictated those words, and in believing their uncontestable truth.
Stay tuned for “Lies the Enemy Whispers: Part 2
God bless you, and may you walk in His truth.
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