As we separate ourselves from God, the enemy will start to whisper things like, “God doesn’t care about you & why should He after what you’ve done” & the thing is, these things the enemy whispers to keep us further from God, are not necessarily “lies” at the surface. It’s just not the whole truth! The enemy is crafty & manipulative & if we aren’t grounded in God’s truth then it is SOOOO EASY to fall into the enemy’s “half-truth” trap.
The more we live contradictory to the heart of God, the more the enemy will convince us that we are in control, that a relationship with God is unneeded to feel happy & fulfilled, that personal finances are critical for our wellbeing & “success” etc.
Are half-truths still true when they omit the whole truth for selfish gain, spiteful deceit & intend to mislead.
No.
What I’ve realized is that, when the enemy “lies” it isn’t exactly what I would consider a straightforward “lie”
But rather half-truths or manipulated truths. Which is honestly, in my opinion, much scarier.
It’s scary because the only way to detect these “lies” or half-truths is to fully know Gods Truth!
Let’s look at some biblical examples.
Lets start from the beginning with Adam & Eve! We all know the story, but lets look at what the enemy actually says when trying to trip up Eve.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-7
Yikes…I mean…He wasn’t lying…
He was just super conniving & convincing! & got us to do what we wanted rather than keep aligned with what God commanded & wanted for us. Drawing us further from God.
The other example I want to look at is Jesus being tempted in the wilderness:
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Matthew 4:1-11
This is so insane to me…I mean Satan is QUOTING SCRIPTURE here. Am I the only one who is freaked out by this. Most of my Christian life I’ve been skipping along like, “the enemy is obvious” “if it’s “bad” it’s from Satan, if it’s good it’s from God”
But I’m realizing…. it’s not that “easy”. If we do not know God’s word & do not cling to God…I would go as far as to say…we are not going to be able to decern what is truth from deceit. I know that sounds harsh but as we draw evidently close to the end of this age, Satan knows his time is short & is actively deceiving as many as he can to separate as many from God as he can.
These two biblical examples show me: Just because someone comes up to you & acts & speaks like they are on Gods side (quoting the word of God, acts like they care about your wellbeing) does not mean it is from God. Today, it is so easy to follow “Christians” online & listen to videos of people who claim to hear from God & that God has told them…fill in the blank. But how many of us are actually opening the Bible ourselves & reading & studying & praying individually.
I don’t think we are taking this as seriously as we need to be.
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:8-11
41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
I am not wanting to “exalt” the enemy in any way shape or form, but the truth is…
Satan is the “god of this world” & I am sure that he knows the bible better than most of us. He has been around since the beginning! He has seen heaven & earth for all of time! He was once the highest-ranking angel! He knows God & has seen God! I don’t think we give him enough credit or take this serious enough. I’m guilty of sometimes having a self-righteous attitude when it comes to spiritual warfare. “I believe in Jesus, I go to church, read my bible most days, I’m nice to people, etc. So, there’s no way the enemy could fool me!?”
Let’s look at Judas, shall we? Home boy was a disciple of Jesus Christ & walked by His side during His ministry, not only witnessing all the miracles & teachings He did, but also being personally mentored & taught by him on the daily! He believed He was the messiah & look what He did…
2 The religious leaders and the teachers of the Law looked for a way to kill Jesus. But they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan came into the heart of Judas who was called Iscariot. He was one of the twelve followers. 4 Judas went away and talked with the religious leaders and the leaders of the people. He talked about how he might hand Jesus over to them. 5 They were glad and promised to pay him money. 6 Judas promised to do this and then looked for a way to hand Jesus over when there were no people around. Luke 22:2-6
Believing in Jesus is enough to secure everlasting life in heaven. But is it enough to withstand & sustain in spiritual battle, day in & day out?
Jesus Himself explains this in Matthew Chapter 13:
A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears,[a] let him hear.”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
4 The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 2 Corinthians 4:4
I pray for you all who found yourself here reading this post. It is no coincidence you are here.
I beg you, put down your phone, tablet, computer, tv remote, etc. & pick up your Bible. Jesus is coming soon. But not before “the man of lawlessness” is revealed. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:23-24
wholeheartedly,
