The Father of Lies

I recently heard a story that broke my heart. A woman who for years served faithfully in ministry alongside her husband is now depressed, divorced, and very seriously and openly questioning the gospel she once gave her life to further. We’ve all heard stories similar to this one and they usually leave us wondering what happened? I’ve been thinking this over all day because as the wife of a wanna be church planter, I want to take every precaution to prevent this from happening to myself. I know there are probably a lot of right answers to explain how someone ends up where this woman has found herself, but today the Lord has been reminding me of the importance of knowing our enemy and fighting him. Every time we sin it is because we have believed a lie from Satan.

We operate out of what we believe.

Every attempt we make at changing our actions is nothing more than behavior modification until we seek God and ask Him to reveal the lie we have believed that is causing us to sin in the first place. We must recognize the lie as a lie and replace it with the truth of God’s Word. Only then will any “practical” sin-fighting tactics help us gain lasting victory.

We will always do what we really believe will bring us more joy. So until we actually believe God’s Word in a particular area of life, we will fail to have consistent victory over sin.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, we wrestle against an enemy who is constantly whispering lies to us until one sticks. And unfortunately for us, after we believe the first lie, it’s easier to believe the next, and the next and so on until one day we wake up and find ourselves totally depressed and unsure of everything we once believed. So we must practice the discipline of taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. This isn’t a suggestion for those ‘super’ Christians who meditate a lot and have the time to really think about what they are thinking about. It’s necessary for perseverance.

Thank you Lord for warning me of what could be if I choose not to intentionally ask you to reveal the lies I am believing and show me how to replace them with the truth you have freely given me in your Word. What a gracious Daddy we have, who delights in showing me mercy!