Articles
Believing Lies
Scripture identifies Satan as a real being, not merely a legendary monster or a personification of evil tendencies. Further, Scripture reveals both the character and tactics of Satan; he is a deceiver and seeks to spiritually kill humans through distortion or denial of truth: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (Jn 8:44). Jesus here pulls back the wizard’s curtain to reveal what Satan truly is: a murderous liar who hates man and wants to drag him into the fires of hell. And he will say or do anything to persuade man to abandon truth.
So, why after centuries of the same, tired rationales do we continue to be ensnared by his lies?
Refer to the earlier portion of Jn 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” Satan tells us what we want to hear. The lies are not so complex that the average person can’t figure them out. Rather, we naively embrace them because they give us a rationale for what we want to do. The real problem is within us. So, what are some lies many people want to believe? Consider just one extended scenario – marital dissolution:
1) Go ahead and leave your wife/husband. You deserve to be happy. Of course, the assumption here is that walking away from one’s marital covenant will bring happiness. But God instructs us that marriage is for life: “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mt 19:6). There is no doubt that many marital situations bring challenges. A chronically sick wife. An alcoholic husband. Financial problems. The list of things that can compromise marital bliss is endless, and that is why God is so restrictive on divorce. If He weren’t, people would casually break their commitments and the foundations of society would crumble. Yes, God wants us to be happy, and He knows that true happiness comes from honor, devotion, sacrifice and endurance even in the face of trial. But Satan has a deck of “Get Out of Jail Free” cards, and he’s all too ready to deal.
2) Even though your girlfriend is breaking up her marriage to be with you, she really loves you and will be faithful to you. Yeah, right. You’re so much better than that cad she is married to that she’d never break her covenant with you. Uh-huh. Just keep on believing that and see where you end up.
3) The kids will be fine. We will co-parent them. We want to justify divorce so badly in our society that articles abound telling us how resilient kids are, how wonderful it is to have blended families and extended parenting networks, etc. Divorce is actually made to sound virtuous. Except that the statistics and testimonials tell a different story, often one of guilt, loneliness, confusion, drugs, truancy, poverty, promiscuity and far too often the replication of failed marriages in the children’s own lives.
So, what’s the answer? Recognizing falsehood is less a matter of intellect and more a choice of the heart. God has provided sufficient insight to decipher the devil’s lies, but we must want to follow truth. “I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me” (Ps 119:30).
