Father of Lies

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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” (John 8:44).

Every Christian knows that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. We just don’t always remember what that means.

His lips are moving.  We need to remember that the father of lies is talking. He may speak through just about anyone or just whisper in our heads. Those words that pierce or harm might be his. The ones that cause fear to rise are almost surely his. We need to constantly be alert for his lies. They could be coming from anywhere.

He’s really good at it. We all know some really bad liars. Satan isn’t one of those. He’s a really good liar. Lying is his native tongue. We all speak easily in the language we were born into. A good lie sounds like truth. It has an “element” of truth. When Satan lies, it won’t be obvious we are being lied to.

He Probes Prejudice. A good liar takes advantage of our prejudices. For example, if we don’t like a person, we are more than willing to believe a lie told about him. A good liar will take advantage of our insecurities and fears. If we aren’t secure in a relationship, he will take advantage. If we aren’t confident of our place in Christ, we will buy his lies of unforgiveness, works, and insecurity.

True Facts. False Conclusion. Sometimes this expert in deceit will take a fact and bring us to outlandish conclusions. We cough. It’s lung cancer. We have days to live. We receive an unexpected bill. I’ll never be able to pay it. I’m going bankrupt. We see two friends talking. They are talking about us. They are conspiring against us. We have no friends we can trust.

Lie Detector. The most reliable lie detector is the word of God. It’s one of many reasons we should be familiar with it. If we carry the word of God around in our hearts, a lie from Satan will be more easily detected. It just won’t seem right. Satan goes about seeking to steal and destroy. He wants to steal our joy. If we are grounded in the Word, we know that our joy is based on our status as children of God not circumstances. Satan will attempt to magnify our negative circumstances and distort the good in our lives. With our lie detector, we know circumstances are secondary. If we are secure in our relationship with the Lord, our joy is theft proof.

Satan, you’re a liar and a lot more than your pants are on fire.