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Have you ever been lied to? I would venture to say we have all been lied to more than once. How did it make you feel? I think being lied to is one of the hardest things to face. When someone lies to us, it can cause trust to be broken.
What some people don't recognize is that there is someone who continually lies to us. His name is Satan. His first recorded words to mankind were meant to cause doubt regarding God's Word. In Genesis 2:16-17, God had told Adam and Eve they could eat freely from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told them if they did, they "would surely die."
Genesis 3:1 says the serpent was crafty and came to them and questioned what God had told them. "Has God said...?" Satan wanted to put doubt in their mind from the very beginning. Even though God had stated they would die if they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan proclaimed, "You surely shall not die!" (Genesis 3:4)
As if that wasn't enough, he then proceeded to make them question God's goodness and character. Genesis 3:5 says, "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Satan wanted them to think God was holding out on them - that He did not really have their best interests in mind. Satan tried to convince them that if they partook, they would be like God.
Does this sound familiar? The reason Satan fell was because he tried to exalt himself and make himself out as God. Isaiah 14:12-16 describes his pride, rebellion, and fall from his position. He boasted that he would raise his throne above the stars of God. He was cast down to the earth and now he wanted to cause mankind to fall.
If Satan could make mankind doubt what God said and make them question His character and the fact God had their best interests in mind, he could make them rebel and turn away from Him. The entire universe and everything that exists were affected forever by the decision they made to doubt the truth of God. Adam and Eve believed the lie of the "father of lies" and brought sin, death, and separation from God upon the entire human race.
Satan has not changed his tactics over these thousands of years. He still tries to get us to doubt God's Word and His character. It is impossible for God to lie. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and life." The Word of God is unchangeable and constant. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good."
Don't listen to the lies of the enemy. His only real weapon against us is deception. Revelation 12:9 says he deceives the whole world. In John 8:44 Jesus said of the devil, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar and the father of lies."
I encourage you to make study and meditation of the Word of God a priority in your life. It is the only sure way to know who is speaking to you. If you don't know God's Word, you will be easy prey for the enemy of your soul. Hebrews 4:12 says, "The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword." It's time to get your sword out and sharpen your skills to be able to withstand any attack of deception the enemy will try to bring against you!