How to Combat Lies

“Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 NLT)

Satan is a lot of things, but he’s not sloppy when it comes to counterfeiting truth. While serving in Corinth the Apostle Paul was confronted with counterfeit believers, whom he mentions in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15: “But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”

So, the question becomes, what did Paul “continue doing?” He continued, not only preaching and teaching that Jesus was the Truth incarnate, and alone was the way to the Father, he became visible evidence of the truth of his message in the way he lived his life. That was a costly stance for Paul to take, one that eventually cost him his life, but it’s also a very costly stance to take in this day and age.

John Stonestreet shared in a BreakPoint article (Big Tech Won’t Protect Our Kids: Parents Must // Vermont School Banned for Taking a Stand – 03-24-23): “A Christian school in the Northeast has paid the price for standing by its convictions. When faced with the prospect of having its girls’ basketball team play another school with a trans-identifying player, the Mid Vermont Christian School chose to forfeit. But it was not enough for authorities for the team to just take the loss. The entire school has now been banned from playing in any Vermont sporting event.

There are at least two lessons for the rest of us in this. First, we need to count the cost ahead of time if we are committed to ‘live not by lies.’ Doing so will inevitably mean losing favor and opportunities. This school apparently had what many of us need: a ‘theology of getting fired.’ Second, there is no way to reconcile Christian faithfulness—of loving God and our neighbor—with the new sexual orthodoxy. The only way to combat lies is to speak and live what is true.”

For most of us the truth of our lives may not be demonstrated in such a radical way, but it’s no less essential for those of us who are seeking to be genuine Jesus followers to not only read, study, and memorize God’s Word, but internalize it – live it out in our spheres of influence. How so? Primarily by giving evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart as we exhibit our devotion to Jesus through our “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22).  

And the irony is, the best place to practice those Christ-honoring characteristics is in our home, with the people with whom we live day in and day out, those who know us best and love us most. My sense is, if we’re not doing well in that arena, we’re likely not going to exhibit that “fruit” very effectively anyplace else.

Let’s look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊