As we are getting to know our enemy, we must know the tools and the ways by which he does all that I mentioned before. What I am about to tell will be used by the devil at any given scenario.
Jesus says like this of the devil in John 8:44,
… 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.
John 8:44
Here we see Jesus saying that the devil has nothing to do with the truth and is the father of lies as it is in his character. The main tool that the enemy uses against us is, LIES. The most disheartening fact about the lies of the devil is that they are very much believable and more so presented to us as the truth. That is why the devil is called a deceiver. He uses deception as his main tool and strategy against us to stop us from walking in the call that God has kept over our lives.
What is deception?
Deception is the act of making one believe in a lie as the truth
There are three areas about which the devil lies,
1. God
2. Us
3. Surroundings
If one knows who they are and who their God is, then there will be no way by they are going to fall and that is why the devil lies in those very specific areas. The way by which we get to know our God and us from the eyes of God is through the Word of God that has been given to us because the Word of God is the truth.
The Word of God mustn’t just be read but must be taken in as the food for the spirit-man. Sometimes we just read or glance through the word of God and expect so much result out of it. Let me tell you that there is no use in just reading the Word of God. We need to absorb it and be rooted in the Word of God because the devil will use the Word of God itself to deceive us. We need to know the Word of God in its true and authentic context through the Holy Spirit. If we fail to do this, we won't know what the truth is when the devil uses the Word of God to deceive us.
· LIES ABOUT GOD
Firstly, let's look into what are the lies that the devil tells to us about God and the right way to respond to the lies of the enemy.
1. God doesn’t love you or God hates you
This thought is always put in our head by the devil to make us feel guilty and unworthy because of our past or what we have done. But let me tell you, God loves us and there is no place where God cannot reach us. God is sovereign and mighty and loves us more than anybody can ever love us. This is the truth and anything apart from this is not to be believed.
Response:
God loves me and I am made righteous and holy through Jesus who died for me on the cross bearing all my sins and shame upon him. I cancel every lie of the enemy and declare the truth that Jesus LOVES ME NO MATTER WHAT.
2. God cannot save you from this situation
This is another lie from the devil saying that God cannot save us from the situation that we are in. The truth is that God is the saviour of our soul and there is no mess, no mistake and no situation that can stop Him from doing what He does. He is over all and is powerful enough to deliver you. All you need to do is call out to Him and He will deliver you from all that we are in.
Response:
God is powerful and I believe in Jesus who is strong and mighty who will deliver me. I cancel every lie of the devil and choose to believe in the truth that is found in Jesus and will not believe in the lies of the devil. I am a child of the Father and my Father will never leave me nor forsake me to perish but will come to my rescue to save me.
3. God will forgive you, so sin
This is a lie that pushes one to sin taking advantage of the love and grace of God. Paul addresses this lie that the enemy puts in the book of Romans.
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Romans 6:14-16
Paul says that just because we are not under the law does not mean we mustn’t obey God rather we must live a righteous life. He tells us that the truth is that grace is there for us to repent and to live a holy life. But there are so many wrong doctrines that tell us that God has done everything for us on the cross and there is no problem if we sin. But that is the lie of the enemy who is diluting the truth and leading us astray from the path God has kept for us.
Response:
I will not take advantage of the grace God has shown towards me. I will go before God with a repentant heart always going a step closer to God in the path of righteousness and obedience. I cancel every lie of the enemy that tells me that sinning is okay. I will live a life of holiness and purity because that is who I am in my father’s eyes.
· LIES ABOUT US
Secondly, the devil lies about ourselves that we won’t know who we are. Therefore, we must have a clear understanding of the truth about our identity in Jesus.
1. You are not good enough
This is the thought that comes to everyone’s mind at some point in their life. But the truth is that this is the lie of the enemy. Many times these lies may seem so true in our life. But, what God says of us is what matters and is the truth about us. We must learn to look at our life from God’s eyes.
Response:
I will not believe in the lies of the enemy rather will see the truth that is found in Jesus. I cancel every lie of the enemy. I am a child of God. I am the apple of my father’s eyes. I am beautiful and talented and good enough because the lord of all creation resides inside of me. I am known by my creator and that is all that matters.
2. Your past defines your present and future
This is yet another lie of the enemy by which he traps us in our past. He tells us that because we did so and so in the past we can never be who we are to be. But, the past doesn’t matter. All that matters is what you do in the present. That is why the devil never lets us realize this. In the book of Isaiah it says like this:
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Isaiah 43:18
This is what God expects of us and we must dwell in the past.
Response:
My past doesn’t define me and will not authority over my actions in the present. I cancel every lie of the enemy. I will live in the present and look unto God for direction. The only influencer of my life will be Jesus from this point on. I am who my God says I am.
· LIES ABOUT OUR SURROUNDINGS
The last thing about which the enemy lies is our surroundings or the things we can’t control. It gets easy for the devil to lie as we are in a state where we cannot know the truth all the time. But let me give a solution. No matter what the other person does, let your reactions always be good. This is a good practice. Do what you would expect them to do to you. Don’t get offended even if you are right because you are the one who is going to get hurt. Think of Jesus who said “Father forgive these people who don’t know what they are doing” when he was on the cross. I don’t think we will find ourselves in a worse condition than Jesus. Let’s do good and show love.
Sometimes we let other’s actions and reactions define who we are and this can be taken as a lie because we know the truth and still allow what others do affect us. But we need to be careful to be authentic to who we are in Christ. Only let what God says about you in all situations and circumstances define your actions and reactions. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you to do the right thing. Ask God for wisdom as Solomon did. Sometimes we just say and do wrong things because of someone else’s actions. With the help of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God, we can overcome all the lies of the enemy through our surroundings.
Good one��
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