# 293: Exposing the Devil's Lies

John 8:44: “When he [the devil] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” It is absolutely imperative that every serious disciple of Jesus Christ learns of all, if not most, of the shenanigans (trickery) that Satan the devil has up his sleeve. He knows what type of lies certain people will fall for. In fact, with the help of his demons and angels, he knows us as well as (if not better than) we know ourselves. That is scary to say the least. We all have weak spots in our lives; these are the areas where he is instrumental in having us do his will, often without us even having a clue about what he is up to.

Don’t ever forget this: He is an angel, though fallen, and angels have superhuman abilities and intellect. Just when we think we are doing so well in spiritual matters, this is when he can get the best of us. The only—ONLY—way we can avoid being caught up in his clutches is to take the New Testament (NT) literally, and obey everything it teaches, regardless of how unnatural it may sound on the surface. Every command is there for that very reason: to spoil the devil’s schemes.

Other than having faith in Jesus Christ and keeping God’s love in our hearts and lives, there is no better advice anyone can give you and me. Repeating, strict obedience to all of God’s Word is the only way to know we are making it almost impossible for Satan to get us under his power.

The fighting thing is that many of us are not aware of it when we are doing his dirty work because many of us are living in the status quo of organized Christianity as it is/has been presenting itself for years on end. One of the weakest areas in many (if not all) humans, among other things, is that we go for what feels good and is easy and comfortable.

Satan’s shrewdness is almost comparable to God’s knowledge of all things. That tells me that we are not fooling around with a benign pussycat when we desire to have things our way, regardless of what any 2,000-year-old book teaches. That is the reason the majority of the world’s population is unknowingly under the power of his seductive charm.

These are only a few of the attitudes the devil loves to instill in all people. He silently says: “You are very important; you must love and take care of yourself because no one else will. It doesn’t hurt to be selfish; you are only human. It is okay to step on others as long you are not too conspicuous. Your motto should be, ‘I love me; who do you love?’ The top of the mountain should be your ultimate goal; that is where life is at its best. Cheating is acceptable in this ‘dog-eat-dog world.’ Don’t feel guilty about it. Don’t let God scare you about hell; there is no such place. If you want to be respected in your community, go to church and outwardly be an outstanding person, but don’t believe for a minute all the foolish garbage they preach. Porn is just as natural as Adam and Eve: It relieves much of the pressures this world puts on you. Being unfaithful to your mate is okay as long as you do it discreetly. Your ultimate goal in life must be to become wealthier than the next person. You can’t beat wealth; it is supreme. It will do you much good to profess Christianity, but by all means, don’t get serious about Jesus Christ. He is a fairytale.”

This list could be unending. But in short, Satan wants your lifestyle to be emulated by as many people as possible so that you will become their idol. “Avoid outwardly evil attitudes/actions; you will only be labeled a bad person, and we don’t want that.”

“One of the most helpful things you can believe/do to help others believe the same is to tell yourself that hell and I (Satan) don’t really exist; it is only a tactic that was made up to scare people into doing good, and believing in God and Jesus Christ.”

Another of the devil’s attitudes is: “Just because men/women are pretending to belong to Christ and performing miracles, healings and the like, don’t be in a hurry to follow their teachings.” This is where it is important to know what the NT teaches so that you can’t be tricked. The reason I say that is because the devil has power with certain individuals to do things that defy logic. One such individual/organization is Benny Hinn Ministries. He has a following in the millions worldwide. I spotted him about 16 years ago on a so-called Christian network. The way he lives, and what he preached—and is still preaching—is not in accordance with the NT; he is a good fake.

The apostle Paul gives us such a warning in 2nd Thessalonians 2:9-11. I will quote it for those who don’t have a Bible. “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, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. . .”

Here is another section of Scripture that will give teeth to the previous scriptures. 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. [If nothing can frighten every serious Christian into knowing what the NT teaches, verses like this should] It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

It has been emphasized dozens of times in this blog that it is utterly imperative to be familiar with every aspect of the NT, and to know that verses such as those above do exist. The NT was written not for gullible people, but for those who don’t want to be tricked by the evil one. I could almost guarantee that everyone who says he/she is saved and does not intimately know the contents of the NT may be on a path to destruction, regardless of how religious and devoted they are.

In fact, it can be dogmatically said that behind anything done in an ungodly fashion, for selfish or hateful reasons, etc., the devil is instrumental in making it happen.

Some might ask, “Is it possible for someone to obey/practice the NT to the letter and still be a fake?” I would say no. But God reads the heart, and if the motives do not spring from love for God and our fellow man, then the answer is yes.

In conclusion: one thing is for sure—the devil knows his stuff. And for us to outwit him, we must know God’s stuff and not what many preachers teach. Believe it or not, the majority of the clergy are the devil’s most prized comrades. If we listen to them only while thinking we know what the NT teaches, we are doomed, all the while thanking God for His salvation, love and goodness.

I have been associated with several well-known preachers. Although not one of them would ever admit it, their main interest is your name on their roster and your 10%. The more you earn, the more you will tithe, and they can continue to live high on the hog with little effort. It is no wonder that many of Satan’s workers who wear the cloth, secretly and some even openly, promote wealth and prosperity, which is a no-no according to God’s word. As a matter of fact, this deception has been one of the evil one’s most gleeful lies/deceptions. To put it another way: He gets more joy in having supposedly holy people in his ranks than openly evil people.