The Devil is a Liar (and a Loser)!

It’s not uncommon for people to identify “the enemy at the gate.” We need to know who “the other” is that threatens our way of life. For some that is a certain class of people; for others it is a political party or movement. Let there be no mistake: we have a real enemy who is waging a real war against us. “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” (Ephesians 6:12). Paul seems to be very clear that the enemy is never human. In fact, it is human beings who are at stake in the war the enemy is waging. (It supports the enemy’s strategy when humans war against each other.) In another place Jesus taught, “The enemy . . . is the devil (Matthew 13:39). That settles the matter for me.

Our common enemy is clearly identified as the devil. Peter gave us insight into our enemy when he advised, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). While the enemy is real and the battle is real, this particular enemy has limited authority. He is “like a lion,” a lion who has already been defeated by the Lion of Judah. After Jesus won the victory over sin, the devil, hell and death, he declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to me” (Matthew 28:18). If Jesus has all authority, then the devil has no authority. Yet, he still likes to act like a lion, and his favorite strategy is a (toothless) roar. Even defeated the enemy has the ability to lie, intimidate and discourage. In fact, the #1 weapon used against us is deception.

“Deceive” comes from the (Greek planao) word that means “to cause to stray, to cause to wander, to lead aside from the right way; to lead into error, to be led aside from the path of truth and virtue (especially through ignorance).” Deception does not involve a clear lie but rather a clever twist of what would otherwise be considered true. Deception is a strategy designed to trick you into wandering from the Jesus way until eventually you find yourself defeated and lost. On several occasions Jesus warned his followers to be on the lookout for deception (see Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24). Paul taught that the sin-nature everyone deals with (the enemy within) is itself a deceiver (Romans 7:11). Because of our tendency toward self-centeredness, it is possible to deceive ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 6:3; James 1:22, 26). In fact, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

The apostle warned of those who, having succumbed to deception, had become deceivers themselves. Consider these warnings about the possibility of deception:

·         “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (Romans 16:18).

·         “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:3).

·         “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 5:6).

·         “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments” (Colossians 2:4).

·         “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

·         “Evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

·         “For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception” (Titus 1:10).

·         “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters” (James 1:16).

·         “I say this because many deceivers . . . have gone out into the world” (2 John 1:7).

If deception is the primary scheme of the enemy, it’s no wonder that Paul described our role in the battle as a matter of taking every thought captive. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). God has given us divine power to demolish strongholds. But where are these strongholds? Are they in the world? Are they in certain people groups? It’s clear that the strongholds that need to be demolished are in our minds. Sin and Satan have sought to twist our thoughts in a way that will cause us to wander and lead us astray. The battle of the mind, the warfare against deception, involves demolishing “arguments” and “pretensions.” We win the battle when we succeed in taking “captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

The opposite of “deception” is “discernment.” This ability to rightly discern is possible only by and through the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2:14; 11:29: Philippians 1:10). There’s no use us wasting time warring against people or institutions or cultures. The battle must be fought and won inside of our own heads. The tendency toward deception is a constant enemy that must be guarded against and overcome. And God will empower us to win that victory as we submit every thought to the Lordship of Jesus.