The Father of Lies

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

It seems like we as humans and even as Christians often have trouble finding balance regarding life issues. For example, we either want to come down hard on the side of works and minimize the importance of faith or vice versa, even though James says we are to have a both/and perspective. The same is true with the demonic.

Many people mischaracterize the devil with the superficial perception of a guy in a Halloween costume complete with horns and a tail. To make matters worse, many pastors talk little about the demonic from the pulpit as if he doesn’t even exist even though three of the four gospel writers talk at length about him, especially concerning the wilderness temptation.

On the other extreme are Christians who act like there is a demon behind every bush, seemingly having more faith in the devil’s ability to deceive rather than God’s power to reveal truth. They blame everything on Satan—“the devil made me do it”— without taking responsibility for their own lack of self-control or discretion. They make the choice to feed on folly then blame the hordes of hell for the fallout.

Second Corinthians 2:11 warns us against minimizing the reality of the kingdom of darkness, “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” We are in no way to fear the devil, but we should understand the weapons of his warfare; after all, they are not new. He has been using the same old worn-out strategies since the beginning of mankind’s history. One would think we would wise up and quickly dismiss his threats, condemnation, and heavy-handedness. Please, consider the following:

First, we must realize there is a real devil, and he is the sworn enemy of our God. He was once an angel who refused to stay in his lane and drew one-third of the other angels to follow him. That act was their eternal undoing as they were cast down from heaven and now roam the earth until reaching their final destination when they will be thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever. Sadly, some Christians erroneously believe Satan is the opposite of Christ, but the truth is he is not even in the same league as he was a created being whereas Christ has no beginning or end. The devil would be more akin to Michael the archangel.

Second, the devil does have the insidious ability to disguise himself as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) as he seeks to deceive even the elect. 1 Peter 5:8 describes him as a lion who is prowling about in the shadows of our lives, looking for an opportunity to slay us with a temptation much like he did David with Bathsheba. Most of the time he uses the element of surprise to ensnare the unexpected. If this doesn’t happen, he loses much of his advantage because he usually overplays his hand to the point his attacks are obvious.

Third, he is a defeated foe, counting on our ignorance to camouflage his compromised state. This is best illustrated at Calvary when he thought he had won a mighty victory. He was playing checkers while God was playing chess. He was nothing more than a pawn on God’s chess board, unwittingly accomplishing the will of the Father. This act distinguishes the eternal gap between the Creator and the created. Paul rubs it in the devil’s face when he says, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col. 2:15)

For those who give the enemy too much credit, please consider this dual prophecy in Isaiah, comparing Babylon to the devil:

Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you:
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, –Is. 14:16

On that day when we will see God for who He truly is (1 Cor. 13:12) we will also see the devil for who he is … a long-defeated enemy. We may very well admonish ourselves for the degree in which we bought into his deception.

Still, we should not be flippant in our address of the devil as even Michael the archangel did not rebuke him but left that up to God. (Jude 1:9) We understand he deceives man on so many levels. Therefore, we are going to focus our prayer and fasting this month on seeing the truth of Christ against the lies of the enemy. May God give us eyes to see.

1. Because the enemy condemns us and causes us to question God’s love for us, let us pray that the scriptures of truth will rise within and remind us how much God loves His own, both on our good days and in our bad moments.
   1. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” –Zech. 3:17 (NKJV)
   2. the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. –Jer. 31:3
2. Because the enemy lies to us and tells us the situation with our child/children will never change, let us bring the following before the throne of God:
   1. The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will. -Proverbs 21:1
   2. The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. –Psalms 50:1
3. Because they enemy tells us and our children that God has put all of us on a shelf and has forgotten about you, we pray:
   1. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. –Is. 49:16
   2. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. –Is. 49:15
4. Because the devil tries to oppress us and discourage us by telling us we are so far behind when compared to where we think we should be we pray:
   1. as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.  –Romans 4:17
   2. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, –1 Peter 5:6
5. Because the devil lies to us, whispering we cannot make it financially if we homeschool or try to live on one income, we pray:
   1. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. –Is. 43:19 (KJV)
   2. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  –Phil. 4:19 (KJV)
6. Because Satan lies to us, telling us our children are behind academically, socially, etc. we pray
   1. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.  –Is. 54:13 (KJV)
   2. Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. –Deut. 1:39 (KJV)
7. Because the enemy is always lying to us, telling us that we cannot homeschool successfully, we pray:
   1. declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ –Is. 46:10
   2. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; –1 Cor. 1:27
8. Because God sometimes tarries with His answer to our prayer and the devil lies to us, whispering God doesn’t hear our prayer, we pray:
   1. “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.  –Is. 38:5
   2. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. –Daniel 10:12
9. Because there is so much uncertainty in the world today, the devil tries to instill fear of the unknown into our hearts; therefore, we pray:
   1. for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  –2 Timothy 1:7
   2. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.  –1 John 4:18
10. Because the enemy tries to discourage our aging children’s hope in their future mate, tempting them to compromise their convictions, we pray:
    1. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. –Psalms 25:3
    2. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, –Deut. 7:9