The Lies the Devil Works Overtime to Make You Believe
The devil has studied you from the day you were born. He knows what makes you tick, what breaks your heart, where your weaknesses are, and like a lion hunting a baby gazelle, he hunts you down. Victory comes when believers recognize the power they have in Christ and learn the devil’s schemes so they can fight powerfully against him. Here are the top lies the devil wants you to believe:
- 1. You are powerless. The devil wants you to believe you have no power to change any circumstances in your life. He wants you to believe you’re a victim. However, the Word of God shows us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and that nothing is impossible for those who trust in God.
- 2. God doesn't work miracles anymore. The devil would love nothing more than for you to believe that God’s power is a thing of the past or back in Bible times. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. God is as much alive now as He was back then. The Bible tells us that He never changes, He is the same today, tomorrow and forever.
- 3. You can never change. The devil loves to try to convince you that you can never change. That, too, is a lie. God is in the business of new beginnings and can change even the hardest of hearts. You can never change yourself on your own, but with God, change is inevitable because we become more and more like Him as He molds us into who we are called to be.
- 4. You are not forgiven. The devil wants nothing more than to see you guilty, ashamed and stuck, but God came to forgive and to never remember your sins again. We obviously need to be convicted if we do something wrong, but when that conviction becomes condemnation that brings guilt long after we've asked for forgiveness, the devil is trying to convince us that we were never forgiven.
- 5. Going to church and being a “good person” will get you into heaven. Romans 10:9 is very clear when it says “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." It also says in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not because of works, lest any man should boast." Good works and being a good person is a good thing, but it’s not the saving power that will bring someone into eternal life.
- 6. The devil is not real and neither is hell. Lastly, but most importantly, the devil doesn't want you to believe he's real and that hell is a real place of eternal torment. He wants to remain a fictitious character with a red cape and horns, because as long as he's not real, no one will fight against him. The truth is, he is very much real, very much living and prowling this earth and leading people into the literal pits of hell.
Once you understand the devil’s lies and the way he works, you no longer have to believe every negative thought that comes into your head. You can have victory when you remember what God says about you and that the Word of God is true.
