2002-10-11
Good Morning Dear Ones,
It may seem strange to be discussing faith by taking a look at some of Satan’s fiery darts, but I am prompted to see what God has to say about each dart that can reassure us why we should have faith. In the manner of an important review, let me reiterate HE 11:1 another time. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.”
The first fiery dart to examine is lies. Lies have done immeasurable damage in our families, our schools, our congregations, our communities, our nation, and the entire world. When I was growing up, parents had a habit of spelling words they thought they didn’t want a child present to understand: “s-p-a-n-k;” no “d-e-s-s-e-r-t,” he or she’s too “y-o-u-n-g” for that, etc. It drove children crazy, because they did understand and were made to feel that they were less than a person by this. When they did this, parents were lying to themselves that they were able to communicate without the children understanding. Another example is the day when a wife had been out buying clothes on the family charge card. She hid the boxes in the back of her child’s closet where her husband wouldn’t find them. Then, when the monthly charge bill came in, these purchases were brought into the light and the couple would argue loudly about them where their children could hear it all.
In comparison to some lies told in families, these two examples are mild. When one party in a marriage has an adulterous affair, the wife or husband at home is often the last to know about it. When it eventually comes out, and this kind of activity always does eventually, the spouse at home is devastated, and the marriage is likely to be ended at the expense of children in the home. One more example that can be equally destructive to the family unit is the teen who is left alone by two working parents and falls into the wrong crowd of people. He or she becomes addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, gets behind the wheel of a car, and disaster happens. And we mustn’t forget the family secrets that so often lead to suicide, things like incest, pornography, and the like. All of these are Satan’s arrows designed to create havoc and destroy the family unit, all of them based on lies.
Now, let’s look at what God has to say. EPH 4: 25, “No more lying, then! Everyone must tell the truth to his fellow believer, because we are all members together in the Body of Christ.” 1 COR 5: 6, “It is not right for you to be proud! You know the saying, ‘A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.’” How can there possibly be love in one’s life and how can he obey the new commandment given in JN 13: 33-34 given to us by Christ to love one another, if people are about the business of lying to each other? 2 COR 4: 3, 6, “For if the Gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost. They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, Who is the exact likeness of God…The God Who said, ‘Out of darkness the light shall shine!’ is the same God Who made His light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God’s glory shining in the face of Christ.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention lying on a larger scale. It’s bad enough that lies are so capable of breaking down the family unit. But, we must also realize that false teaching of the kind I’ve often discussed in this series on Spiritual Warfare is also a pack of lies spoon fed to those who are vulnerable emotionally and spiritually. These lies lead those who persist in believing in them to total destruction spiritually, the kind of destruction from which there is no return or recovery. It’s the kind the devil and his unholy trinity [Satan along with the antichrist and the false prophet-discussed in REV] will suffer [REV 19: 19-20; REV 20:10]. Having at one time been that vulnerable, I have written in the past about spending 12 years as a member of a cult that was leading me down that path. I praise God every day that He was protecting me and eventually led me out of this. Paul warned us repeatedly about false prophets. 2 COR 11: 13-15, “Those men are not true apostles-they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to like an angel of light! So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.” Christ Himself issues this same warning in MT 7: 15, “Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.”
There are two citations from God that are forever instilled in my mind that give us a glimpse of the wonderful and righteous power that God wants to impart to us to keep us in His light. PS 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path.” IS 52; 7 [KJV], “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion Thy God reigneth!” I use the KJV here, because I don’t want you to miss the gorgeous word picture that this verse gives us. We are truly God’s ambassadors on earth, which in and of itself is a pressing reason why we need to spend daily time in the Scriptures. They give us the discernment we need to see what is a lie when it comes along our way. With God’s direction and encouragement through prayer, we are allowed to find a godly way to conduct our lives with dignity, taking advantage of the most excellent grace which God has been kind enough to give us even when we didn’t deserve it. Dear Ones, our God is so good and kind that He deserves for us not to waste any of the grace He has showed upon us, particularly the death of His only Son on the cross. Lying simply can’t be a part of the godly life.
PRAYER: O Lord, You were aware right from the time Satan, in the form of a serpent, took away dominion over the earth [GN 3: 6] that mankind would try to practice lies and deception. We remember GN 3: 9-10, “But the Lord God called out to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard You in the garden; I was afraid and hid from You, because I was naked.’” Lies breed terror and separation from You, and we don’t want that. In the days of ancient Israel, You had words to say about lying. DT 19: 16-19, “If one man tries to harm another by falsely accusing him of a crime, both are to go to the one place of worship and be judged by the priests and judges who are then in office. The judges will investigate the case thoroughly; and if a man has made a false accusation against his fellow Israelite, he is to receive the punishment the accused man would have received. In this way you will get rid of this evil.” Our parent-apostle, James, has reminded us of the worst kind of lie and advised us in JAS 3: 14-15, “But if in your heart you are jealous, bitter, and selfish, do not sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.” James never minces any words! Dearest Abba, we acknowledge Your love and guidance in these matters today and always. We offer You thanks and praise for the sacrifice of Your son on the cross and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We come before You in humility to confess our sins, particularly if there are any lies in our lives. Our pledge and offer to You is our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory and honor. You are our one and only God, and we love You more than words can express. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at more of Satan’s arrows and what God has to say that will encourage us to have faith in Him and His word. As direct and sometimes blunt as James is, we must acknowledge that God inspired him and all the writers of the Scriptures, OT and NT alike, solely for the purpose of enabling us to be prepared to live godly lives and one day be at His side in heaven. That life will be one of joy, health, peace, and warm fellowship for eternity. God’s love for us makes such a life possible. Remember RO 8: 18 which tells us that what we must endure on earth is small and insignificant compared to the glory God will share with us when His Kingdom is established. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn