Watch Out For The Father Of Lies

Who is the real enemy?

When we use the word enemy we sometimes use it to describe nations that hate the United States and our system of democracy. Sometimes we use the term to define terrorists; or those with different political viewpoints; or the opposing team in some kind of sport; or even someone who we may have conflict with. When we use the word enemy in biblical terms we sometimes use it to describe our spiritual enemy. The spiritual enemy that we are talking about is Satan, the Devil, the adversary, the accuser, the father of lies, the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the tempter, the god of this world.

The Bible confirms that the devil is the father of lies:

John 8:43-45 New International Version 1984  

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!

The Bible confirms that the devil is out to deceive us:

2 Corinthians 11:14 New International Version 1984 
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light

2 Thessalonians 2:9 New International Version 1984 
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

The Bible confirms that the devil is our enemy and so are those who align themselves with him:

1 Peter 5:8 New Living Translation 

 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Acts 13:10 New International Version 1984 
“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?

The original Hebrew term, Satan, is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,”

Those who have become followers of Christ will be opposed.

Ephesians 6:12 New International Version 1984

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Those who have become followers of Christ will be persecuted.

2 Timothy 3:12-13 New Living Translation 

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

(From The Message translation 2 Timothy 3:12-13):

Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble;

there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.

We can assume correctly that those who persecute us are aligned with the devil.

God has allowed Satan to operate in this world, yet God has set the boundaries, so Satan

can only do the things that God allows Him to do. God is still sovereign and in control even when it seems otherwise due to our limited human perspective.  Check out the Book of Job to get a better understanding of why God would allow Satan to test Job’s faith and perseverance.

Job 1:12 New Living Translation 

 “All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

When the Bible says that Satan has power over the world, this means that his domain is over unbelievers, not those who have given their lives over to Christ. Followers can still be deceived but their salvation cannot be stolen away. True Believers are no longer in bondage to the sin yet the enemy will tempt us to be led by our sin nature.

2 Corinthians 4:4 New Living Translation 

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Romans 8:7-9 New Living Translation 

For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.  But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the

Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 

Even Jesus was tempted by the enemy.

Matthew 4:1 New Living Translation 

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.

Luke 4:1-3 New Living Translation

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

Here is the good news for believers about temptation:

1 Corinthians 10:13 New Living Translation
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

By looking at our world today we can see that Satan, and the evil that he casts upon

this world, has influence over how people think about life, God, education, philosophy, thoughts, ideas marriage, commerce, etc. False religions of the world are under his control and have sprung out of his lies and deceptions.

So in a fallen world we must be careful how we live because we live in a

world inundated with evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16 New International Version 1984

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

Note: we need to be careful because there are false teachers who claim Christ but are actually trying to deceive us and distract us from having a real relationship with Jesus. Sadly the enemy has placed his agents in Christ's Body - meaning the Church. That is why the bible warns us about false teachers.  The False teachers hinder their Christian brothers and sisters from being obedient to the truth of the Gospel, thereby calling them to work for their salvation over receiving the gift of grace through Christ's work on the cross. False teachers confuse those who are trying to live for Christ to live a delegated existence under church authority, thereby causing them to lose perspective on God's real calling for their life. Freedom under Christ is not supposed to be bondage under the authority of the Church. False teachers also gain complete control over the church and church life thereby causing their congregations to follow their direction no matter what the cost to themselves or their families. They dominate church life and delegate the people to serve their desires rather than empower them to serve where God has called them. False teachers commonly lead by confusion, thereby misleading the people so they believe the church is being good stewards of their money and resources. They often misuse Church resources to benefit a worldly agenda over the mission God has called the church to follow. False teachers often are the source of false rumors and judge the those who serve so they can Lord over them with Church discipline in order to control them. False Teachers resort to worldly hype to fill the church in order to gain worldly success thereby being able to boast about their works rather than trusting God to provide and boasting in His work. False Teachers water down scripture and twist the truth of God's Word in order to manipulate and guilt people into doing things that serve their selfish desires. False Teachers do not provide their people with a solid foundation in Christ thereby causing them to be vulnerable to sin and the distractions from the enemy. 

Here are some verses below that describe false teachers:

2 Corinthians 11:12-14 Amplified Bible (AMP)

 But what I do, I will continue to do, [for I am determined to maintain this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who would like [to find an occasion and incentive] to claim that in their boasted [mission] they work on the same terms that we do. For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah). And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;

 Titus 1:15-16 New International Version (NIV)

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

2 Peter 2:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

False Teachers and Their Destruction

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

 Matthew 7:15 New International Version (NIV)

True and False Prophets
watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

So what can we do to prevent the forces of evil from getting some kind of foothold in our lives?

James 4:7-8 New Living Translation 

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Romans 12:1-2 The Message (MSG)

Place Your Life Before God

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Ephesians 4:26-27 New Living Translation  

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

for anger gives a foothold to the devil

For Spiritual protection the Bible exhorts us to put on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18 New International Version 1984 

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Perspective on the Armor of God:

The Belt of Truth – We need to be reminded through that our salvation and place in God’s Kingdom is secure

The Breastplate of Righteousness – We need to be reminded that the imputation of righteousness is through Christ, not due to our own works.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version 1984 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Gospel of Peace – We are to always be ready to share our faith and not let those obstacles, due to the enemy, prevent us from Bringing the message of hope to the world. We must also hold tightly on to what is truth and stand firm on the faith we share with others.

The Shield of Faith – Living by Faith in a fallen world is important as there are many pressures to conform to this world. The Bible tells us to live faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We need to rely on the truth of God’s promises.

The Helmet of Salvation – we must be able to discern biblical truth and not let the enemy tempt us or distract us away from God’s calling for our lives. We must protect our minds through the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. We must beware of false doctrine

and always try to discern the truth in every situation.

The Sword of the Spirit – This is the truth of God’s Word that speaks powerfully in our lives. God's Word counters spiritual deception and accusations

Pray in the Spirit – This is where we draw our spiritual strength from God and rely fully on Him. Our prayers should be aligned with the heart and mind of Christ and should be geared toward His will in all situations. Intercession should be a regular part of our daily spiritual discipline.

Even in a fallen world there is good news. God loves us and Jesus has defeated the enemy.

John 3:16 New Living Translation 

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who

believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:38-39 New International Version 1984

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 2:14 New Living Translation 

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

John 16:33 New International Version 1984

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

So the real enemy in this world is the father of lies, Satan, who will try to distract us, deceive us and tell us that God doesn’t love us or that He really died for our sins.  For this reason we need to be steeped in God’s Word so we can discern God’s truth in the midst of the enemy’s lies.

God has promised good things for those who love Him. We need to make sure we don’t allow the enemy to rob us of our joy or get a foothold in our lives. We need to make sure we don’t allow the enemy to distract us from the mission and purpose we are called to live out in this life.

                                                                                                                                           

Just Sayin........................Dave