EVERY SIN STARTS WITH A LIE
In John 8:32 Jesus says, “You shall know the TRUTH and the truth shall SET YOU FREE. That’s why Satan does all He can to keep us from the truth. Satan is a liar and a deceiver. It is his nature– he can do nothing else! John 8:44 says “The devil … 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.”
A lie pretends to be truth. It is intended to mislead and deceive. Lies are in disguise. Sometimes it is hard to tell lies from the truth because the most dangerous lies are those that have some truth in them. The more real a counterfeit appears, the more people are deceived. In 2 Corinthians 11:14 God says Satan poses as an “angel of light” – he counterfeits God. He is an imposter and his motives are totally malicious.
In the Garden of Eden Satan lied to Eve and deceived her because she didn’t accurately know God’s truth. In Genesis 3:1-3 we read, Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” God never said they couldn’t touch the fruit, just not eat it.
For some reason Adam, standing near by, didn’t intercede, correct or protect Eve. Satan used that weakness in her knowledge of God to deceive her. Satan continues to use our weaknesses to trick us into sin. Verse 4 continues: “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan lied to her and deceived her. She and Adam ate from the tree and sin entered the human race. Eve believed Satan’s lies instead of God’s truth and the results are still with us today. First she believed the lie, then she acted on it. Satan’s lie to Eve was that God was withholding something good from them. But Psalm 84:11 says “No good thing does God withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
Every sin in our lives starts with believing a lie. Beliefs lead to actions and actions have consequences. Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions and sin leads to bondage. But Jesus came to set us free from lies and bondage. Galatians 5:1 says: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Ask God to show you what lies you believe so you can replace them with God’s truth and freedom. Jesus said in John 8:32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
How do we know the truth, so our actions are also true? By making sure we know all of God’s truth accurately and totally as revealed in His Word. God’s Word is absolute final truth, so we must be thoroughly familiar with it.
How does believing lies lead to sin? What is the truth of God’s Word that cancels lies? What lies are you tempted to believe about God not taking care of you, not being as important as others, being a failure in God’s sight, etc.?