Overcoming the Enemy’s Lies with God’s Truth

The following are a few excerpts from Lesson 4 in The Freedom Journey Discipleship Manual on how God’s truth empowers us to walk in freedom from the lies of the enemy.

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

The opening Scripture shows us in very strong language that one of the primary characteristics of the devil is that he is a liar. He thrives on deception, untruths, partial truths, and falsehoods. His motive is destruction, but his method is deception.

A few verses prior to our opening Scripture, Jesus made the following statement:

• • “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

There is a principle that we can glean from this verse: it is a revelation of truth that leads to freedom. Something being true does not automatically make us free—it is only as we know the truth that it will impact us and bring us into greater liberty.

Example: It is true that God loves you. But if you do not know this truth, it will not have a positive impact on your life. Only when you know His love for you personally will it bring transformation to your life. Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers to have a greater revelation of the love of Christ (see Ephesians 3:17-19).

How Lies Lead to Bondage

Now here is the flip side of this principle: if knowing the truth leads to freedom, believing the enemy’s lies leads to bondage. It is not the fact that the devil lies to us that enslaves us. It is when we believe his lies that we become susceptible to coming under their influence and can ultimately become bound.

One of the tactics of the enemy is to lie to us in hopes that we will come into agreement with the lie. If we believe the devil’s lies, we have agreed with him. And agreement with the enemy gives access to the enemy. When we agree with his lies and receive them into our lives, these lies begin to influence us and keep us under their oppression. But when we resist his lies and stand in the truth, his lies do not influence us or keep us in a place of bondage.

Below are just a few examples of how the enemy’s lies can seek to enslave us.

• • Suppose a woman has a past that includes sexual sin, an abortion, and a period of much godless living. Now she has come to Christ in repentance and faith and is living a new life. But because of her past sins, the enemy whispers lies that she can’t really be forgiven. In moments of weakness, she believes these lies and comes under feelings of condemnation.
  • Suppose a man grew up in a traumatic home environment and was often called belittling names and told he would never amount to anything. The devil often tells him lies that he is a failure and will never be able to make it in life. He comes under a cloud of heaviness as these lies sink into his heart.

Standing in the Truth

As stated before, the lies of the devil only impact us if we believe them and agree with them. Otherwise, they will not have a lasting effect on our lives. The biggest way to combat Satan’s lies is to stand firmly rooted in the truth. Perhaps this is why the first element of wearing the armor of God is to, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth” (Ephesians 6:14).

In order for us to stand in the truth, we must keep in mind the following three keys:

1. 1. God’s Word is truth: The more time we spend reading, studying, and meditating upon the Scriptures, the more we will become rooted in what is true (see John 17:17 and Psalm 119:160).
   2. Jesus is the Truth: The more we get to know Jesus, the more established we will be in the truth (see John 14:6).
   3. The Holy Spirit leads us into truth: The more we welcome the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, the more we will be guided into what is true and protected from what is false (see John 14:16-17 and John 16:13).

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