The scriptures below are all from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Devil's lie #10.
It doesn't matter if you just sin a little bit. You can always stop when you want to.
Truth: Sin always hurts you, always robs you of something that would have been better. Sin takes you farther than you planned to go, and costs you far more than you ever planned to pay.
Scripture:
- Proverbs 6:27-28 ~ Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?
- Proverbs 7:6-23 ~ At the window of my house I looked down through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who had no sense.
He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.
Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
(She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
She took hold of him and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:
“Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.
So I came out to meet you;
I looked for you and have found you!
I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.
I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.
Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”
With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life. - Proverbs 7:24-27 ~ Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death. - Proverbs 9:13-18 ~ Folly is an unruly woman;
she is simple and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way, “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says, “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead. - Ephesians 5:3-6 ~ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Devil's lie #11.
You have to take care of yourself and put yourself first, because nobody else cares about you.
Truth: God cares about you. He works on your behalf, and He takes care of you, protects you. When you trust God and die to selfishness, you will find that you are the most free you have ever been because you don't have to worry about yourself.
Scripture:
- Psalm 91:9-11 ~ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways. - Psalm 91:14-15 ~ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. - Psalm 31:14-16 ~ But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love. - Luke 9:23-25 ~ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
- Matthew 19:28-30 ~ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first."
- Philippians 2:3-9 ~ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name.
Devil's lie #12.
This is way more fulfilling than anything God has to offer.
Truth: Although Satan works hard to convince you that he has something worthwhile to offer, it is all a sham. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God. Everything that has real value comes from God. Everything that that lasts comes from God. True fulfillment is only found in Christ.
Scripture:
- Psalm 16:11 ~ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. - Psalm 63:3-5 ~ Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
- Psalm 73:23-26 ~ Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - John 10:10 ~ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- John 17:13 ~ I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
- 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ~ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- Ephesians 1:18-23 ~ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
- Philippians 1:21-26 ~ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
- Philippians 3:7-14 ~ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
- Hebrews 12:1-2 ~ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- James 1:17 ~ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Obviously the devil uses more lies than these. Also, I am only touching on some scriptures to counter these particular lies. Depending on your specific situation, God may have many other things to say to you in other places in the Bible.
If you struggle with discerning truth, struggle to trust in the goodness of God, I encourage you to spend much time praying and reading Philippians, Psalms and Proverbs. These are often easier to understand than some other parts of scripture. Mark is the easiest gospel to understand, but John offers the most comfort (I think). Isaiah is a very rich book, full of good thoughts and good promises, but it can be difficult to understand. Pray whenever you read scripture. If you haven't tried it before, you may be surprised at how powerfully God answers when He meets you in His word.
Other posts in this series:
The devil's schemes and the God of truth
Scriptures that expose the devil's lies.
Scriptures that expose the devil's lies, part 2.
Scriptures that expose the devil's lies, part 3.
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