Dangerous Lies

"Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth."  Ephesians 4:14

There are some very dangerous lies that are accepted and circulated widely in Christian communities.  They are subtle yet significant, and we've gotten so lazy and complacent in our own study of the Scripture that we are accepting--even as Christians--of things other than God's truth.  It is the way Satan works.  He takes one tiny strand of truth and wraps it in an enormous lie.  And, like a drop of botulinum toxin (the most powerful poison known to man) wrapped in a thick, decadent layer of the richest chocolate, we swallow them, enjoying every bite.

1. The Lie That We Are Enough.  Lauren Daigle sings the song, You Say.  It's in my own playlist.  But, listen to the lyrics in the first line:  "I keep fighting voices in my mind that say, I'm not enough.  Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up."  Those voices in her head are voices of truth!  None of us measures up and we never will!  If we did, why did Jesus have to die for us?  Jason Castro has a song, entitled, Enough, selling the same message.  It's in my playlist, too.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not condemning any of these people.  We have all been tools used by Satan, myself included, at various times in our lives.  Remember Peter in Matthew 16:15-23?  He went from Jesus' blessing to being called "Satan" by Jesus in the span of a few verses.  May God have mercy on us all.

These songs make us feel good about ourselves and encourage us to be accepting of our own sinful behavior and that's the lie.  A very dangerous lie. We should feel good about Jesus and His power to work within us in spite of ourselves.  I am convinced that this is one of the reasons we are seeing so many suicides in this generation.  It is because we are depending upon ourselves rather than God.  Every. moment. of. every. day.  We are failing to read the Holy Bible every day, repent of sin on a daily basis, and when we disobey Him, we simply tell ourselves that it's okay, we're enough.  

The trouble with that is that when the Holy Spirit does stir our conscience with conviction, we are less apt to repent and change.  This starts a holy war in our soul because God loves us enough to require our obedience to Him.  It is what's best for us.  It is righteousness, truth and life.  It is the process of sanctification.

2. Non-Scriptural Messages Written in First Person.  There has been an increase in people taking their own thoughts and writing them as though they are the very words of God.  I certainly believe in prophecy, but most of the time, when I line their words up with Scripture, the two don't agree.  And, it ain't the Scripture that's wrong.  

3. The God of Self-Promotion.  The singing group, Casting Crowns, has two beautiful songs that address this, Only Jesus and Nobody.  I highly recommend them because they line up with what God teaches us in His Word.  Our society feeds us that our lives are of no value unless we have the most likes, hits, and everyone knows who we are.  But, that is so opposite what Scripture teaches!  His Word tells us in Matthew 7:18, "Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies."  And, 1 Thessalonians 4:11 tells us, "Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before."

4. Misunderstanding Grace.  While it is true that we cannot do anything to earn salvation, there is something we must do in order to receive it.  Repent. Believe. Receive.  God knows each and every heart and whether or not we have done this.  The Holy Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."  Chew on this for a while in light of the rest of this chapter, and you will understand.  Many preach that this means there is absolutely nothing we must do to be saved, that grace covers everything.  It is a subtle but huge lie!  Repentance and faith are costly!  Sharing our faith is, too!  

There are many lies out there, beyond these.  The devil never stops trying to trip us up.  "And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people." Matthew 24:11

"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit.  And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God."  2 Corinthians 7:1

May we each love and protect one another so that we are not deceived and led astray.  

Goodnight, Runners.