Friday, February 5, 2016

Scriptures that expose the devil's lies



This is a follow-on from my last post, which discussed the deceptive techniques of the devil.  He routinely lies, deceiving people in order to lead them away from the Lord.  In my last post, I identified 12 common lies he tells over and over.  Below, I've begun debunking these lies, placing them against the truth that counters them, and scriptures to illustrate what is true.

These are dense, so I'm going to break them down and address three lies per post, over four posts.

The scriptures below are all from the NIV unless otherwise noted. 



Devil's lie #1.

God doesn't love you.

Truth:  God loves the world.  God loves all people.  
And God loves you, specifically, infinitely, unconditionally. 

Scripture:
  • Lamentations 3:22 ~ Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
        for his compassions never fail.
  • John 3:16 ~ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
  • 1 Timothy 2:3-4This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
  • 1 John 4:10 ~ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
  • Luke 12:6-7 ~ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 
  • Romans 5:8 ~ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Devil's lie #2.

God isn't good.

Truth:  God is good.  He is the very essence of goodness, the definition.  
Everything good comes from God and from nowhere else.  God is good. 

Scripture:
  • Psalm 31:19 (ESV) ~ Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
        which you have stored up for those who fear you
    and worked for those who take refuge in you,
        in the sight of the children of mankind!
  • Psalm 86:5 ~ You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
        abounding in love to all who call to you.
  • Psalm 16:2 ~ I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
        apart from you I have no good thing.”
  • Deuteronomy 10:12-13 ~ And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
  • 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.   

Devil's lie #3.

There is no God.

Truth:  There is a God.  He made the Universe.  He reveals Himself through creation, scripture and Jesus Christ.

Scripture:
  • Isaiah 44:6 ~ This is what the Lord says—
        Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
    I am the first and I am the last;
        apart from me there is no God.
  • Isaiah 44:24 ~ This is what the Lord says—
        your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:
      I am the Lord,
        the Maker of all things,
        who stretches out the heavens,
        who spreads out the earth by myself,
  • Isaiah 45:18 ~ For this is what the Lord says—
    he who created the heavens,
        he is God;
    he who fashioned and made the earth,
        he founded it;
    he did not create it to be empty,
        but formed it to be inhabited—
    he says:
    “I am the Lord,
        and there is no other."
  • Psalm 19:1 ~ The heavens declare the glory of God;
        the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
  • Romans 1:20 ~ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
  • John 14:9 ~ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?"
  • 2 Timothy 1:9-10 ~ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.   
  • John 20:31 ~ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
  • Genesis 1:1 ~ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.


For the next post in this series, click here.

2 comments:

Priscilla said...

Amen!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for your thoughts...I will be sharing with my grandchildren <3 (little by little :-) )