30. Silence Satan's Lies with the Truth of Scripture

If you've ever read The Screwtape Letters, you know that Satan is the "father of lies." C.S. Lewis writes the book as a series of letters from the "master demon" to a "rookie" (my words). He gives pages of advice to the young demon on how to keep people from knowing and loving God. The entire book is riddled with admonitions to deceive and persuade and mislead. John 8:44 says, "He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Now, I don't understand the theological intricacies of how Satan lies to us. It's not verbally (like it was with Eve in the garden), but I also hesitate to ascribe so much power to Satan as to say that he can "whisper" things in our ears - aka, impress things on our minds. But regardless of how these thought-lies get into our heads, I do know the Bible says to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

For me, that looks like this: When I start to fear the security of my salvation or doubt that God loves me, I stop those thoughts in their tracks and replace them with the truth of Scriptures like these:

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"

Romans 9:16 "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."

Galatians 2:16 " . . .a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." 

Hebrews 10:10 "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Psalm 103:11-12 "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." 

And I remember that I never did anything for God. He loved me while I was still his enemy: "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Know your Bible. Know the truth it contains. Underline verses that are important to you so they'll jump out to you later when you're flipping through your Bible searching for hope. Print off some of the thousands of free printable verses available on Pinterest to be a constant visual reminder. Memorize a few so they're with you everywhere you go. Don't believe Satan's lies!

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