Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

June 5

Read: John 8:39-47; Rev. 12:7-17

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

“The Devil was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in 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.” - Jesus; v.44

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers (Satan) has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” Rev. 12:10

Satan is a liar and an accuser. These are the modes of operation for EVERYTHING that wars against the Lord. Our sinful flesh, the brokenness of the world, the devil and his demons… all of it. They traffic in lies and accusations. This is why it makes sense that what is evil (Satan and his plan) masquerades as light - this is at its heart deception which is in line with his true nature as a liar. There are many lies that Satan speaks and our flesh and broken world echo over and over again. (We will look at those more deeply later.) What it is important to remember is that lies and accusation are the primary tools of those things and people that war against the Lord.

It may seem obvious to say, but God is the antithesis of Satan. BecauseGod knows all things, he does not need to “accuse”… he already knows. Satan on the other hand is an accuser. He pretends to know because he wants to be like God. (cf. Rev. 12) This is one of the ways we can tell the difference between the voice of God / things rooted in God’s truth and the voice of the enemy / things rooted in lies. Satan accuses… God knows. Satan takes a guess, assumes, attacks… God is sure and he loves. Loving correction is quite different from malicious accusation, and we all can tell the difference in our gut! Satan and his minions are actively accusing the people of God day and night. These accusations can take root in our thinking. We begin to believe the lies as if they were the truth. These patterns of thinking then wage war against the Lord within us… they develop internal “voices” that run contrary to the truth and love of God.

There are a pair of fascinating sections in the beginning of the book of Job. (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-10) Satan comes to hang out with God and the other angels. While there, he does EXACTLY what he always does: ACCUSE. He accuses Job of only loving God because God had blessed him. God KNOWS this is not true about Job - he had already declared Job “upright”… and that was not a guess! This is a powerful insight into the way that Satan attacks with his accusations. God says what is actually true about us, Satan accuses and attacks that truth - claiming it is a lie. God says “I love you.” Satan says “he would never love a ‘sinner’ like you.” God says “you are forgiven.” Satan says “you will never shake your past”. God says “there is HOPE and better days ahead.” Satan says “your best days are behind you and there is nothing to live for.” God says “I will continue the work I began in you and make you more and more like my son Jesus.” Satan says “you are stuck and will never change”. The list goes on and on. Satan is a liar and an accuser. This is the modus operandi of the enemies of God.

What accusations are being brought against you? What lies have you bought into? Whose “voice” are you listening to? The people of God have suffered too long under the lies of the enemy. Many have mistaken the soundtrack of the enemy as the soundtrack of the Lord… remember the Devil masquerades as an angel of light and so do his co-workers. Have you bought into the accusations? Write out today the accusations that come at you. When you hear that voice say “you are a loser”, or “God is out to get you”, or “you have messed up too much, there is no hope left”, or “you are destined for destruction” - I want you to write it down. Then some time today, I want you to sit down, look at that list, and ask God if he is saying this to you. (I know that you know the answer to this… but I want you to ask the Father.) Listen as God then speaks to you. Experience his peace, love, and correction. It is time to break free from the cycle of accusation and begin to rest in the TRUTH that God speaks to us as his Children. Love you guys! - JDP