Good News from the Stony Creek Church of Christ

Do not believe Satan’s lies! (Part 2)

Satan is “a liar and the father of all lies” (John 8:44). The first sin was committed because Eve believed Satan’s lie, and we have all been feeling the effects of it ever since.

Believe me, Satan has not stopped lying. His whole mission is one of lies and deception (Revelation 20:7-9). Why is it we look around at our culture today and see so much confusion over basic truths about God, religion, marriage, family, gender, etc.? How did we get there? Well, Paul described a similar culture, where Gentiles rejected the truth about God from their minds, and let them believe all of Satan’s lies. The result was all kinds of confusion and uncleanness (Romans 1:18-32).

Here is the point: The further away we get from the Creator the further away we get from truths of creation itself. The further away we get from the light the darker our minds (and eventually our cultures) become. The further away from the source of truth the more we believe the lie.

As I said last month, we have all been there and done that, by rejecting the truth and believing the lie. We have all given ourselves over to the “futility of our minds,” had our “understanding darkened” and our lives bore the fruit of it (Ephesians 4:17-18). That is why God revealed truth through scripture and gave us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). He has called us to be transformed by the “renewal of our minds” (Romans 12:2).

Yet, there are still many today who believe the lies of Satan. Thankfully, God has not left us ignorant (2 Corinthians 2:11). Last month we talked about perhaps the most destructive lie ever told, that there is no such thing as truth – that truth is subjective to you and your experiences, but there are so many others.

We are going to address just a few more here, like …

1. “Follow your heart.”

We have all heard someone say, “Trust your feelings” or “Trust your gut, you will never go wrong.” In fact, some try make this religious and say things like, “Jesus laid this on my heart.” The only question I have is, “How do you know it was Jesus who put that there? How do you know it was not Satan?” I think that is a necessary question.

See, the Bible does not talk this way. Jeremiah said, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Jeremiah KNEW that! But do we KNOW that? Have you ever proven that to yourself? Your instincts, feelings, or thoughts led you down the wrong path. So, what did you do? You started feeling something new and decided that feeling is the right one.

The only way we can be sure our feelings are trustworthy is after study of God’s Word. We can train our hearts and renew our minds by it. But God’s Word strongly warns us about trusting our feelings. It is not within man to direct his own steps.

2. “If it feels right then it must be right.”

Have you noticed how Christianity is being repackaged to sound like this? If you are not feeling blessed or being blessed with material goods, then something must be wrong in your service to God. Because if you are serving God the right way, then life will be happy and feel good. We call it the “health and wealth gospel.” This kind of teaching is drawing in millions of people, but is leaving just as many with a bad taste in their mouths when they find out it is not true.

Proverbs 14:12 (16:25) says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” If it feels right, so what? In fact, some of the greatest things Jesus instructed feel wrong, like … Loving your enemies. Turning the other cheek. Denying yourself. Taking up your cross. Losing your life to save it. Putting other’s interests before your own. Having patience with others (“long-suffering”). Submitting to the government, even when you do not agree. Submit to one another, even when it gets difficult. Submitting to God first, even when you do not understand why. None of those things feel right or good, but this lie gets it all mixed up.

Again, those are just a few of Satan lies that many of us believe.

Visitors are welcome and valued. We meet at 15530 Herriman Blvd., Noblesville. Our phone number is (317) 219-5852. We meet for Sunday morning Bible Study at 10 a.m. and have classes for all ages. Worship begins at 11 a.m. and we have a Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m. A warm welcome awaits!