Deception and Lies of the Spiritual Enemy

​In a world full of fact-checking and people ready to point out any misspoken word, the deception and lies of the spiritual enemy are not as exposed as those of politicians or others.  The deceit and lies of a Christian’s spiritual enemy can have more impact if not fact-checked with the Word of God or treated as a vain imagination.  The devil and demons like to play mind games with God’s people.  “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 KJV).  These verses display the departure of the faith when some believers do not combat the deception and lies of their spiritual enemy.  There are seducing spirits who entice people by being an impostor, deceiver, or misleading.  This deception comes by arousing a strong attraction or interest in something that opposes the will and Word of God.  Although it may start small, when given the opportunity, it will grow into a consuming force if not confronted and combatted with God’s Word.  Deception and lies also come when Satan or his demons pass themselves off as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).  God’s people must know the Word of God and not be deceived by these tricks of the spiritual enemy.  The lies of spiritual enemies attempt to contradict the Word of God.  Just like the serpent lied to the woman in the Garden of Eden about what God said, the lies to God’s people today desire the same effect of getting them to do the opposite of what God’s Word says (Genesis 3:1-5).  Allowing lies by directing attention contrary to the Word of God or allowing them to cause a depletion of one’s position in Christ is the goal of the spiritual enemy.  Christians are told not to believe every spirit but to test or try the spirits to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1).  This is a warning from God in His Word that there are lying spirits who seek to deceive God’s people but His Spirit also speaks to them so the determining factor is to judge what is said by the Word of God.  More Christians should use the Word of God to fact-check these thoughts, deceits, and lies of their spiritual enemy to stay in line with God.  God has given His people a special armor to combat these spiritual enemies to obtain victory (Ephesians 6:11-18).  Using the helmet of salvation allows Christians to think about their direct connection with God through Jesus Christ when they were forgiven of their sins and made a new creation in Christ (Ephesians 6:17; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17).  One day, Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire and will suffer torment forever for all eternity (Revelation 20:10).  Christians should not let this defrauder deceive them or lie to them to divert their path from walking with God.  Using the armor of God brings victory to those who choose to fight against these spiritual enemies.  May more Christians use God’s Word to realize their authority, position in Christ (Ephesians 1), and combat the deception and lies of their spiritual enemies with God’s Truth.  For more information about Abundant Grace Church, visit agcsparta.org.