Refuting The Most Common Lies Of The Devil

 

As a Christian writer, I try my best to include specific passages from Scripture whenever I make a point. I have heard several people tell me how they really like the way I include the passages that I am talking about in my writing, and I plan on continuing to include Scripture whenever I am writing about it.

Today, I am making an exception to the aforementioned practice of mine. This is an essay that I have wanted to write about for months now. I have been seeking the Lord in every aspect of my life, and I have written about this journey of mine in many of the essays that I have published. It is no secret that I still deal with the pain that comes with waiting for God to do what He has told me that He would do. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the devil has been trying to discourage me from what God has put on my heart. As a Christian, I know that being attacked by the devil is not just a possibility, it is almost guaranteed. When I began to work in ministry, when I began to prepare myself for what God had put on my heart, when I began to write about the things that have helped me in my walk with Christ, I began to feel my spirit being attacked more than ever before.

I have experienced weeks of not being able to sleep, having nightmares every night, feeling anxious about things that never caused me to feel anxious, feeling depressed, and feeling like I will never get to see what I have been praying for. These attacks used to crush my motivation. I would wake up feeling like there was a weight on my chest, and I would end up sobbing whenever I was reminded of what has happened to me in my life. I was being reminded of things that I had not thought about in ages. The things that God had given me the strength to overcome, the thoughts and the memories that I was able to move past because of God healing my heart, and the feelings that I had not felt in ages came back out of nowhere.

Recently, God spoke to me in a dream. God does speak to people, and He speaks more often than most of us realize. I will not get into the dream in question, but I will say that it was something that encouraged me and gave me the faith to believe in what God had shown me.

Since then, I have felt the devil attack my spirit more often than before. This time, however, I have noticed something: as soon as the devil tries to discourage me, I know exactly what is going on in my spirit.

God has given me the ability (for now, at least) to identify the attacks of the enemy, as soon as they begin. Last night, while I was at work, I was reminded of this topic, and I decided that I would write about what I had been wanting to write about for so long.

As soon as I began to write about this, the attacks on my spirit became a lot worse. I have felt anxious, yet I have a strong sense of peace deep down in my spirit. Hell is paying attention, which means that there is more to this essay than I realize. If I sound angry or annoyed, know that it is not anger with the reader. I have been dealing with these lies for months and I am absolutely finished with the lies of the devil. Satan has no power in my life, no power in my mind, no power in my home, and no power over any part of me. Jesus Christ is in control, and I pray that what I have shared here will help you overcome the lies of the devil. If this helped you, share it with others. It does not matter if you give a link to this website, or if you just tell others the information that I have shared here. I just want to get the word out.

These are some of the most common ways that the devil has tried to stop what God wants to do in me and through me:

“There is no way that things could change.”

This is a lie from the devil that used to really discourage me when I began the journey that I am currently on. I remember hearing a pastor talk about this lie, and his response was so powerful that it has stuck with me ever since:

“You may look at a situation and think that there is no way for things to change. You may think that your situation is hopeless. If you think that things cannot change, I want you to think back to the story of creation. What did God create man out of? Dust. Dust has no life in it, it cannot do anything, and it certainly is not a human being. So, how did dust become a man? God’s breath. God took something that had no way of becoming anything else, no way to improve itself, no life, no future, and no use, and He breathed life into it. God’s breath is all that it takes to breathe life into a situation that seems to have no life left in it.”

I am not quoting the pastor, but I think I did a fairly good job of explaining the point.

“God didn’t speak to you.”

This statement is something that I have found myself being able to dismiss very quickly. When I first began to hear God speak to me, I was constantly doubting myself, doubting my judgement, and doubting my sanity. That last doubt might make you think I am crazy, but I believe I have a duty to share what I have been through, how God has saved my life, and what I have learned as I have studied the Bible and asked God for wisdom.

There are many online resources that explain how to know when God is speaking to you. I know that said resources exist, as I have come across many of them as I have battled with doubt and confusion about what God wants me to do. I could write a lot more about how one can know if God is speaking to him (I have plans to write more about this topic), but I am going to share the most important tips that I have learned, and have worked in my life:

1. If God speaks to you, you will know. You might not fully understand it at first, but you will understand it eventually.

2. If you think God has spoken to you, but the message would go against what the Bible says, God did not speak to you.

3. If you do not have peace in your spirit, it is not from God. (There are instances where God will tell you to do something that you feel nervous about. That is not what I am talking about here).

4. Compare what you think God has spoken to you to His Word. James 3:17  is my favorite verse for discerning when wisdom has come from God. Read my writing about James 3:17 here.

5. Pray about it. Ask God to confirm what you feel, ask Him for clarity, and trust Him to answer your prayers.

6. Seek advice from a more mature Christian. Ask them what they think.

7. If you think God has spoken to you, write what you heard down and pray about it.

“You are crazy. You are hearing things.”

I could be hearing things, or incorrectly attributing something to God, but I am not crazy. Whenever the devil tries to make me feel like I am crazy or something, I find myself rereading what I have written lately. I keep a journal, and I write a lot for this website, so there is plenty of stuff to read. Do I sound like a crazy person, or does my writing show a man who is in complete control of himself and his mind? What have I been doing, what I have I been thinking, what have I been saying lately? Is there any other reason why I might be considered crazy?

If you are like me, you can shrug off this lie. You are not crazy. We all make mistakes. As you grow in your faith, you will learn how to correctly identify when God is speaking and when He is not.

“If God was going to do something, why hasn’t He done it yet?”

Why did God create spiders? Why was I born on September 5, instead of the sixth or the seventh? Why is my hair brown? Why do I ask so many questions? What right do I have to question God and His timing? The question you should ask yourself is, “Did God say it?”

If God says something, it will happen. God is always faithful, He does not lie, and He does not change. If God said something will happen, then it will be so. God is not bound by time, nor is He bound by anything else. There are things that we will never know about God, but that is just the way things are. God’s timing is perfect. He is never early, He is never late, He is always on time.

If something has not happened and you are confused, pray and ask God to clarify things for you. Ask others to pray for God to speak to you. Study your Bible and wait on God.

For some more information about may take longer to do something than we expected Him to, read my essay about Deuteronomy 7:22.

“That miracle was not that special.”

First of all, this is a lie that the devil uses when he knows that he has lost. Whenever God does something wonderful, whenever He does something that makes me look at Him with more love and fear than ever before, the devil loves to try and downplay what happened. Miracles are incredibly helpful for building our faith, and the devil knows this. When God does something, it is undeniable that God did it.

Given how the devil cannot convince you that what you saw was not from God, he will try to make you think that the miracle you witnessed was not as special as it seemed to be. This is another way that the devil looks to isolate people, to make us feel like we are the only ones experiencing this, that we are not special, that God would not do what He said He would do, and so on.

These are lies, and they come straight from the pit of Hell.

“Your situation will never change.”

This lie is absolutely absurd. Aside from God, I cannot think of anything that never changes. Unless you are literally a plant or something, your situation will change. You will experience new things, you will grow in your faith, and things will not be the same tomorrow as they are today. Do not grow weary in your pursuit of God’s promises for your life. Trust in God, tell Him how you feel, and let Him comfort you.

“How could that possibly happen?”

Again, this question is designed to discourage us by turning our attention toward the road ahead of us, rather than focusing on the day at hand. When we walk with Christ, He will give us peace in our hearts. When we begin to walk more quickly, or when we delay, we are more susceptible to the attacks of the enemy.

If God said it, it is so.

“Do you really believe that God has spoken to you all those times?”

Just as with a friend, as we walk with God, we become used to the sound of His Voice. Just like I can hear my friend speak and know who it is, just like I can recognize his handwriting, just like I know what his face looks like, I recognize God more clearly as I grow closer to Him. I have heard my friend’s voice many times, and I know who is speaking as soon as he opens his mouth. When God speaks, I know it. I know His Voice, I know what He sounds like, and I know Him.

So, yes, I really believe that God has spoken to me all those times.

“People will think that you are crazy if you tell them all this stuff!”

Perhaps, but who cares? Am I seeking to please those around me, or do I seek to please the Lord? If God works in my life (which He does, has, and will), I will tell everybody about it. If people think that I am crazy when I talk about how God has changed my life, then so be it. God comes before all, so I do not care if people think I am crazy.

This is a lie that is designed to isolate people. You are not alone. You have experienced encounters with the same God that billions of people have had encounters with. Pray, ask for strength, and get around others who know God as well as you do.

“Things won’t be as good as you think they will be.”

When God does something, He does it in a better way than anybody else. When God says that something will happen, and that it will be wonderful, it will be more wonderful than any of us could comprehend. I try not to think about how good the future will be, as I have learned that I am incapable of understanding a tenth of how amazing God’s plan is for my life. God knows best, and I trust Him.

“The thing that you are waiting for will be stressful, and you will not know how to handle all of it.”

If God calls me to do something, if God prepares me to do something, I can trust that He has gone before me. God’s calling comes with the strength to do what He has called you to do. He calls you to be obedient, and to trust Him. Trust that God has already gone before you, prepared those who you will speak to, prepared a way for you to reach the point you must reach, and given you the ability to keep fighting for what He has put on your heart.

God will prepare you for what He has for you. Trust Him.