You Have Been Lied To. We Have Been Deceived.

I invite you to take a walk with me back to where all our problems began:  the Garden of Eden, the first home of Adam and Eve --a perfect, ideal environment.   I want you to see how a lie was the starting place for all the trouble in the history of the universe.   Eve had listened to that , believed that lie, and acted on that lie.  Every problem, every war, every wound, every broken relationship, every heartache --it all goes back to one simple lie.

As lies have a way of doing, that first lie grew and spun off more lies.  Eve believed the lie, and we, the daughters of Eve, have followed in her steps --listening to, believing, and acting on one lie after another.

I want to rip the mask off the one who tells us those lies.  Satan poses as an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).  He promises happiness and pretends to have our best interests at heart.  But he is a deceiver and a destroyer; he is determined to dethrone God by getting us to side with him against God.  I want you to see how Satan may have used some of the subtlest lies (or half-truths) to deceive and destroy you and those you love.

Pray to the Lord, "God what lies have I been believing?"  He will show you the lies you are believing.

Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death.

Satan deceived Eve by causing her to make her decision based on what she could see and on what her emotions and her reason told her to be right, even when it was contrary to what God had already told the couple.

From that moment to this, Satan has used deception to win our affections, influence our choices, and destroy our lives.

Why do we fall for his deception?  Why do we go for the lure?  One reason is that Satan doesn't usually appear in the form of a serpent --instead, he comes disguised as a New York Times best-seller, a popular magazine, or a movie, or a TV show, or a Top Ten hit song.  He may also pose as a relative or friend giving sincere counsel, a therapist, or even a Christian writer, preacher, or counselor.

Regardless of the immediate source, anytime we receive input that is not consistent with the Word of God we can be sure Satan is trying to deceive and destroy us.  What we read or hear may sound right, may feel right, may seem right -- but if it is contrary to the Word of God, it isn't right. 

 Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss