by Jay Dennis
Jesus exposes man’s number one enemy in John 8:44. He said: “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.” Lying is Satan’s number one weapon. Every lie has its source in him. Lying is his native language. Satan is real, not just a force of evil. Although he is not all knowing or everywhere present, nor is he all powerful, however, he has studied you and knows exactly what to tempt you with, where to tempt you and how to tempt you.
Jesus links Satan’s motive with his method. His motive is to kill, destroy and murder and his method is to lie. If he can get you to believe a lie he will enslave you with it.
These are a few of Satan’s favorite lies to men. As long as a man continues to believe Satan’s lies, you will stay in chains and bondage, but the moment you believe God’s truth, you will experience blessed freedom.
1. You Can’t Be Forgiven for What you have Done
Satan wants you to believe God will never forgive you for what you have done, so he condemns you and tells you what you have done overwhelms the grace of God and you are left with nagging guilt and shame. Either you believe Satan or you believe God. You cannot believe both. God promises in I John 1:9 that if you confess your sin, God will forgive you. The truth is, there is no sin a Christian can commit that God cannot forgive. If God forgives you, you also need to forgive you.
2. You are the Only one Struggling with THAT Particular Temptation
Satan wants you to believe you are the only one struggling with a specific temptation. He wants you to feel isolated and alone. The truth is you are not the only one struggling with a particular temptation. Someone you know is struggling too. It’s when as men we begin to build godly friendships with other men we realize we are not alone. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 10:13 that temptation is “common to man.” In other words, we are all tempted.
3. Sex is your Number One Need
Satan suggests to men, “Sex is your number one need.” He also whispers, “The sex life with your wife is not enough.” That’s where flirting, pornography, affairs and betrayals have their genesis. The truth is, man’s greatest need is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and maintaining closeness with Him through continual obedience to God’s Word. Only then will you find real fulfillment.
4. Love is Only a Feeling
Satan trips up a lot of Christian men with this lie. He suggests that if you don’t have that, “in love” feeling at all times with your wife, you have a right to bail out of your marriage. The truth is love is something you choose and something you do. If you keep doing loving things toward your wife, loving feelings will follow. Recently the Lord placed on my heart this principle: You don’t feel your way into acting, you act your way into feeling. Do the right thing toward and for your wife and trust God to work in your heart and hers.
5. God Doesn’t Love You Anymore
Satan wants you to feel that God has stopped loving you because of something you did, something you said or something you didn’t do. This lie goes back to the Garden of Eden when Satan implied to Eve that God didn’t love her and Adam, or else He wouldn’t hold back something that would bring them pleasure. The truth is you can disappoint God and grieve Him and He will discipline you if you step out of HIs will and persist. However, there is nothing you can ever do that will make God stop loving you.
6. You Don’t Qualify to Be the Spiritual Leader of your Home.
Men, God has called you to be the loving, godly spiritual leader of your home, however, Satan tells you that you don’t have the knowledge, the education or the background to lead your home spiritually. You may think, “What would I say, what would I do? I would feel awkward.” Unfortunately many Christian men have abdicated their God-ordained role. Ephesians 5:23 makes it clear. The spiritual leader of the home is husband and dad.
The truth is God has called you to be the loving, spiritual leader of your home. Accept your role and learn daily to do it well.
7. You Can’t Forgive That Person
“That” person may be a family member, an ex family member, someone at work or someone at church. Satan lies to you and wants you to believe you cannot forgive that person or people. However, God’s way is just the opposite. The truth is you can forgive someone because forgiveness is a choice you make not a feeling you act on. You choose to surrender your right to hurt back those who have hurt you in someway at sometime. Colossians 3:13 says, “…as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” God would not command you to do something that is impossible. It is within your power, your choice, to forgive.
8. Freedom is Impossible
Satan’s lies lead to chains and bondage and God’s truth sets you free. That is always the case with no exceptions. Satan, however, wants you to believe that you cannot break free from those chains. Many Christian men, are struggling at some level with pornography. Some are wrestling with unrighteous relationships or something that happened in their past. Satan keeps bringing these things up. The truth is, when you act on truth, chains are broken, bondages are shattered, and strongholds are crushed. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
9. Your Happiness is the Only thing that Matters
Satan wants you to believe that your happiness is the most important thing, that you deserve to be happy and anything that does not make you happy you don’t do. But Jesus never said that. Newsflash: Your happiness is not God’s number one concern. The truth is, your holiness is what matters to God. Pursue holiness and you will find happiness; pursue happiness and you will never find it, so chase hard after holiness. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Why? Holy people are happy people.
Today examine these nine lies and ask yourself, “Have I believed any or all of these lies?” If so, embrace God’s truth and discover real freedom and joy.
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