Listening To Satan's Lies

The average person would not believe a lie. No one enjoys being lied to or falsely accused. A liar speaks false words in order to gain unfair advantage over us by making us believe one thing, when in actuality, it is not that way at all. If we believe a lie, we must operate from an unfavorable position because the odds are stacked against us from the beginning. Lies handicap us all, and we cannot walk upright until we find out what is true.

We may be embarrassed to admit it, but we all have been lied to at some point. We have all had someone point their crooked finger at us and accuse us unjustly. The devil is a master at lying and accusing. Jesus said that there was no truth in Satan, and that he speaks lies naturally because he is the father of lies (see John 8:44). It’s no small wonder that he is able to make his lies so believable.

I can remember one lie that always bothered me was being told that I wasn’t qualified. This lie paralyzed my witness and unraveled my faith for years. I felt inferior and worthless, and was willing to do anything to satisfy God’s requirements for acceptance. I gave money, attended every church meeting, played music, cut grass, and willingly did everything asked of me. I simply wanted God’s favor to rest upon me. But in every case, I was fed those same words; "You not qualified."

It was years before I found out that there was nothing I could do to make myself "qualified" in God’s eyes. The blood of Jesus had already qualified me. The perfect sacrifice had already been accepted on my behalf, and it was impossible to improve on what Jesus had accomplished. But because I was told and believed the lie that I wasn’t qualified, I got caught up in the trap of trying to do the impossible.

Satan frequently and consistently uses lies to bring guilt into our lives when he really has no right to do so. No one has the right to accuse God’s children but Jesus Christ.

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen. Who would dare even point a finger? The one who died for us, who was raised to life for us, is in the presence of God at this moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’ love for us? There is no way Romans 8:33,34 Message. So we see that Jesus is the only one who has the right to accuse us, but instead, he goes before the Father to plead on our behalf.

Christians need to understand that God has never accepted an accusation from Satan against His people, especially when we miss it. We see this truth in Zechariah 3:1,2: "And he showed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him, And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" This is a heavenly scene where Satan is seen not only standing in God’s presence, but at His right hand accusing the people of God. The High Priest, representing God’s people, is standing there in filthy clothing. Satan in shouting "Look at him, he is filthy, he has sinned, he has disobeyed the law, he deserves to die". But God still saw him as his chosen. Therefore, no matter what he had done, God refused to accept Satan’s accusations. God is well able to handle His people, and He doesn’t need help from a lying devil to succeed.

You see, Satan has no basis to accuse us. He is not the least bit interested in promoting justice or fairness, and he certainly doesn’t want to stop the spread of sin. The most important thing is that he has not suffered to justify one soul in God’s sight. All he comes to do is steal, kill and destroy. Not only did God not condemn the High Priest, but He pulled him out of the consuming fire of judgment (see verse 2b), and dressed in a brand new outfit (verse 4).

Has Satan been screaming lies into your ear lately? Have you been listening to words that bring sorrow and guilt to your heart? Do you feel worthless, or even stupid? Listen friend, you cannot possible become an overcomer and maintain bold faith if you believe the lies and accusations of Satan.

The Holy Ghost will never condemn you, even if you miss it. Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied Him. They both felt bad and repented. But Judas believed Satanic lies and went out and hanged himself. On the other hand Peter listened to the Spirit, received restoration, and went on to be a powerful force in establishing and spreading the gospel.

Satan accuses us night and day. He never lets up. But we do not have to wonder whether or not God has accepted us. He proved it once and for all on Calvary.