The Lowdown

The proportion of lies to Truth in the world: ∞/1, haha.

However, there is no amount of lies that can in their number or combined strength overpower the Truth and there is no amount of darkness that can snuff out the tiniest speck of light! This is not new, in fact, it’s becoming somewhat of an anthem in my life. What God showed me today is this- that though there is an infinite amount of lies possible for us to fall into, there are (in my understanding at this time) three roots that all of those lies come out of. Three things the devil lies about most often and that all other lies come out of:

1. Who he (the devil) is.
2. Who God is.
3. Who we (humanity) are.

Each of these lies are a direct attack on identity and compromise the way the other two parties are seen/understood. If Satan can deceive us to the point that we do not know who he is, that is, accept his masquerade as an angel of light or a being capable of speaking truth- then we do not know who we are warring against. Here are some truths about Satan:

1. He is NOT omniscient.
2. He is NOT omnipresent.
3. He is NOT omnipotent.
4. His authority is limited to the subjection of will, therefore his most effective weapon is deceit.
5. He has no glory outside being a creature (a glory he has rejected).

These lies that he attempts to make us believe are the lies that give him what he wants most- the place/glory of God. They are not true, the devil does not know all things, cannot be in all places, and does not possess unlimited authority. I think you can see how believing these lies would increase his bondage on our lives. I think you can see how accepting his false identity would be giving him much more credit than he deserves!

If Satan can deceive us to the point that we do not know who God is, that is, mask the identiy of God from our understanding/relationship, then we are at a loss of where truth comes from/what light is in any way. Many people do not want anything to do with God and are choosing not to pursue Him because they have an false understanding of what they would find in Him. GOD IS NOT A LEMON. GOD IS GOOD. HE IS ALL GOOD. There is nothing about Him that we should not want to pursue with everything we have and there is nothing about who He is that will drive us away from Him as see know Him in Truth. Some truths about God:

1. GOD is good.
2. GOD is light and there is no darkness in Him- pure.
3. GOD is just.
4. GOD is love.
5. GOD is perfect/lacks nothing.
6. GOD is necessary (He is not dependent on anything, but all things depend on Him).
7. GOD is True.

The lies that Satan comes against us with often are those that will confuse God’s identity with the his. If you hear someone say, “I can’t follow God because He is a harsh taskmaster who has no grace,” or “God seems to be all about death and killing those that don’t agree with Him,” then you’re hearing a description about the devil masquerading as God. The truth is, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10). This is to me the very definition of blasphemy- when something that is not God is given His title and rejected on that basis alone. That is the work of the devil. How will you recognize lies about God if you don’t know Him? Get to know Him! Also within this issue is the one regarding the truth found in scripture. For as God has chosen to reveal Himself through word, if the devil can taint/distort the word itself as a source of truth, he can control the Truth you receive from It. Yes? So also in this question of God's identity is that referring to what role/authority does the Word of God have in your life? Is it authoritative and absolute, something that you must conform to instead of it conforming to anything else? I believe that if you can't trust scripture as holy/pure then your understanding of God cannot be accurate. What do you think? Can scripture be relative? Do we have a right to pick/choose what applies to us and what does not? Is the Bible literature that can be analyzed and broken down scientifically, or is it alive and spiritual in nature?

Finally, if Satan can deceive us to the point that we do not understand who we are, he can remove the very thought/drive to find God. I think that as the devil comes against us as humans, his lies will often focus on distorting our value- whether increasing or decreasing it. If he can decrease us, we fall into despair and depression; if he can increase us, we fall into pride and arrogance (that is, the belief that we can oppose God with success, an attitude that reflects his nature, not ours). Some truths about us:

1. We are created in God’s image (that is, as a reflection of who He is and possessing innate characteristics from Him) and given life by His will, and this cannot be denied or reversed.
2. We are created to be with Him/live in His holy presence.
3. We are created to declare His glory through obedience/love for Him.

There are no “accidents” when it comes to people. All have value and all reflect Him. In life that image that we bear can either be sharpened in chasing down the perfect representation of Himself, Jesus Christ, or distorted by chasing anything else. We are clearly created to need purpose, but that purpose is not a mystery- it is evident. It is evident and it is GOOD, for our purpose is found in Him. However, we cannot accept lies about ourselves and still see God as He is. There is only one way to find out who we truly are- and that is by getting to Know Him. We are copies, unique, yet still reproductions. If you want to know yourself- know your Maker as if you want to better appreciate a Rembrandt copy, look at the original!

I believe we are often closer to God than we realize, for He has given us passions that reflect His own. I recently was able to encourage a friend, simply by discovering that a passion of His was justice- “Congratulations!” I said, “Justice is a passion of God’s as well, in pursuing justice you are near God’s heart.” Do we realize this about ourselves? That the passions and desires He gives us are reflections of Him and meant to draw us closer to Him? We should, in recognizing this we will know better how to defeat lies in our and our friends lives and we will know better how to encourage in truth.

What do you think? What passions has God instilled in your life- those things that calls you nearer to Himself? What are your friends? Do they realize those things are God's DNA in them? Calling them to Him? Do they see Him as He is or through a tainted filter?