We must be careful not to ignore satan. He is the prince and ruler of this world (John 12:31; Eph. 2:2). This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate within the boundaries God has set for him. Satan pushes those boundaries—he is a scheming, roaming, roaring lion, looking for people to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
BUT, he is a lion on a leash. Satan is not all-powerful. He is not all-knowing. He is not always everywhere. God and God alone is sovereign—only God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Don't underestimate satan, but don't overestimate him either. Satan, like you and I, is a created being under the rule and reign of God.
In his limited ability, satan has one tool: deception. Satan is the original liar, the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan told the first lie in recorded history; satan planted seeds of doubt in Eve's mind that directly contradicted God's Word (Genesis 3:1). Satan tells Eve, "You will not certainly die" (v. 4). With that lie, satan led Eve to her death—Adam followed—and so have we.
Lies & Damn Lies
Lying is satan's primary weapon against God's children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from God. Because of his lack of creativity, satan has told the same two lies since the beginning of time: "You are so good, you don't need God..." and, "You're so bad God could never want you..." Satan told Adam and Eve to eat the fruit "for they will be like God" (v. 5). "Eat the fruit, and you won't need God, you'll be God," that's the first lie.
After eating the fruit, they realize their nakedness, and in their shame and guilt, Adam and Eve hide. God, who wants to be with them, must look for them. For the first time, Adam and Eve hid from God. They thought themselves unworthy. God could never want them (v. 8-11). They believed the second lie: "You're so bad God can't love you..."
Every day, you and I walk the line between these two lies. Over the next few weeks, I want to unpack these lies and give us the antidote: truth. You beat deception with truth. In Jesus, we find the ultimate truth, "a truth that will set us free" (John 8:32).
Satan has told more lies to more people than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. Adolph Hitler, a man after satan's own heart, learned to lie effectively. Hitler once said, "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."
Talk to Yourself
What lie(s) do you believe right now? Defeat deception with truth. The good doctor Martin Lloyd Jones, in his work Spiritual Depression, said the most effective weapon against the lies of the devil is speaking to ourselves. Jones said, "We need to stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves. Speaking the truth of God's word over our lives..."
Maybe you're believing a little white lie. Perhaps it is a "liar-lair pants on fire" massive lie. Talk to yourself. Remember, you are worse than you think you are, but also far more loved than you feel you are—nothing can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).
God sees you as you are, loves you as you are, and accepts you as you are. But by His grace, He does not leave you as you are. More on this next week.