Truth Series: Satan's Tactics in the Beginning

So as I studied Isaiah 36 and saw how King Sennacherib was lying and deceiving the children of Israel, I couldn't help but think how the serpent did the same thing in the Garden of Eden as recorded in Genesis 3.

The serpent lied by saying that Adam and Eve could not eat of EVERY Tree of the garden. We know that God actually told them there was only ONE tree they could not eat of and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were able to eat of any other tree except one.

Sadly, Eve did not refute these lies with the truth of God's words. Instead, she twisted the truth by saying that they could not eat OR TOUCH the tree in the midst of the garden. We know that God only told them not to eat of it, He never said they couldn't touch it.

The serpent lies by saying they won't actually die if they eat of the fruit. We know that they didn't immediately die physically but when they took of the fruit, sin entered the world, and death by sin. (Romans 5:12) The processes of death in the world all around us began the day they took of the fruit.

Satan even proceeds by saying that if they take of the fruit they will "be like God, knowing good and evil." Through this statement, he promises them wisdom, he promises them a place of prominence, he promises they will have power...he is promising them to be like God! His implication in all of this is that God is not providing for them. His implication is that he can show them a way of better provision. And yet, we know that their eyes were not opened in the way they would have hoped when they took of the fruit. They didn't realize that their eyes would be opened to the ugliness of sin and the sting of death. This quote says it best:

"...in the beginning, our eyes were already open. Our sight was perfect. Our vision let us see a world spilling with goodness. Our eyes fell on nothing but the glory of God. We saw God as He truly is: good. But we were lured by the deception that there was more to a full life, there was more to see. And true, there was more to see: the ugliness we hadn't beheld, the sinfulness we hadn't witnessed, the loss we hadn't known.

We eat. And in an instant, we are blind. No longer do we see God as one we can trust. No longer do we perceive Him as wholly good. No longer do we observe all of the remaining paradise.

We eat. And in an instant we see. Everywhere we look, we see a world of lack, a universe of loss, a cosmos of scarcity and injustice."

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Do you see the lies? Do you see the deception? Do you see how cunning the devil is? He is the father of lies, the master of deception. Dear sisters and brothers...do not think that we are immune to the wiles of the devil. He is active today. His tactics worked against the children of Israel. They worked with Eve. They can work against us, too, if we do not choose to cling to the truth. If we do not know the truth and refute the lies with the very One who is truth. Be aware, dear ones, the devil is seeking whom he may devour. I pray you and I will not succumb to his deceptive ways. May we be continually seeking His face. (Psalm 27:8)

**Next time: We will look at how we can see these deceptive ways and lies in our lives today.

TRUTH Series: Satan's Tactics In Times Past

Satan is clever. He has figured out how to discourage us, how to weaken us and how to defeat us. We are in a war, folks. Every day, whether at home, school or work, we are encountering spiritual warfare. No one enters the battle without studying the enemy, without knowing his game plan, without considering how to defend. And, yet, that is what I have found myself doing for years. I have kept my head in the sand forgetting that I am a warrior for Christ. And I have forgotten who my enemy is and I have not studied the ways of the enemy so I know what tools are needed to defend.

Might I suggest that knowing TRUTH, resting in TRUTH, clinging to TRUTH is a great defense in this spiritual warfare we are fighting.

Let's look at Isaiah 36. This passage of scripture is during the reign of King Hezekiah over Judah. We know from II Kings 18 that he was a godly king and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He went to great lengths to bring restoration to the kingdom.

In Isaiah 36 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, overtakes the "fortified cities of Judah" (36:1). He then looks to take Jerusalem and sends a messenger to King Hezekiah (36:2). Sennacharib attempts to terrify Jerusalem by his threats. He said whatever lies he could in order to cast doubt on the character and promises of God. He did whatever he could to instill fear in the people's hearts. He was doing whatever he could to defeat them in their minds before the battle even began. He was presenting the people with lies and doing whatever he could to deceive them and distract them from the truth.

Lie #1--Don't trust the spiritual leader God has placed over you. The king of Assyria asks who they are trusting in? Are they trusting in their own strength? In Egypt? And then he says that if they are trusting in the Lord, it is Hezekiah, their king, that he claims took down the altars of Jehovah. (36:4-7)

TRUTH--Hezekiah was the king who actually strengthened the worship of Jehovah. He tore down the false images and the places that worshiped other gods, not the altars of Jehovah. (II Kings 18:4)

Lie #2--False claims about the Lord's commandments/words. Sennacherib claims that the Lord sent him to go against Judah, to destroy the land. (36:10)

TRUTH--He was seeking his own ways, doing what he wanted to do, never heeding the voice of the Lord or honoring the Lord's people.

Lie #3--Casting doubts on the ability of God. Sennacherib claims that Hezekiah can't deliver them. (36:14-15) And he boasts of his own accomplishments, for surely if the gods of the other cities did not deliver the people, why would the people of Israel think that their God could deliver them? (36:18-19)

TRUTH--The Lord can accomplish whatever He wills, including taking down the King of Assyria. The children of Israel serve a LIVING God, not one that had to be propped up and was made of wood or stone.

"For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, 'My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure,'

...Indeed I have spoken it;

I will also bring it to pass.

I have purposed it;

I will also do it."

Isaiah 46:9-11

Lie #4--Promises of Provision. The king of Assyria promises 2000 horses (if they can even find that many to ride them!) along with practical provisions of food, water and land. He offers all that is fleeting and will not truly satisfy. (36:16-17)

TRUTH--Only the Lord can satisfy. Only the Lord is our Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides that which is lasting.

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." Psalm 36:7-9

Sennacherib was putting fear into the hearts of the people. He was attacking the very foundation of their faith in their God, the true and living God. He used lies and deceit and his tactics worked. The people came before King Hezekiah, tearing their clothes, in obvious distress over the words of king Sennacherib. His tactics were working! (Stay tuned...in a later post we'll talk about King Hezekiah's response to these lies and I think we can learn a little something from him!)

Challenge: Is there another time in early biblical history that we've seen these same tactics of lies and deceit used? I can think of one and we'll explore that later this week in our next installment of our series on Truth!

Delay...

...I was hoping to post the second part of the series on Truth today but it's a bit more involved than I anticipated. I suppose I can be over zealous sometimes...but I promise, its in the works and will be coming to a blog near you soon. And to add one more hiccup...I'm without a computer until the weekend! :(

Bear with me as I ask for your patience and by the end of the weekend, installment two will posted in your direction!

In the meantime, check out Isaiah 36 and as you read pay particular attention to the tactics of the King of Assyria. This will be the topic of focus in my upcoming post!

TRUTH Series: An Introduction

Lately, the Lord has been showing me the importance of TRUTH in our lives. We are surrounded by lies and deceit. We live in a society that says there is no truth or we can make up our own truth, there are no absolutes--a society of lies. Last year, I did Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and we studied the book of Isaiah. As I studied it, I was struck by the tactics of the enemy, the tactics of Satan. He uses lies and deceit to attempt to undermine our faith, to cast doubt in our minds--doubts of who our God is and what He is capable of--and he attempts to paralyze us with fear so we are ineffective for the work of the Lord. I do not want to see me or any of you to be rendered useless for eternal purposes because we have been deceived by lies, lies from the pit of hell. Our mindset must be focused on TRUTH...the truth of God's character, the truth of God's promises, and the truth of our circumstances.

As this theme of truth keeps raising its head in various aspects of my life and the lives around me, I've decided to do a series of blog posts about truth and what the Lord has been teaching me. I hope in the process, it will be a blessing and a challenge to your hearts as much as it has been to mine!

Stay tuned....tomorrow we will open the word of God to Isaiah 36 and see what we can learn from King Hezekiah and the people of Israel about truth and how it applies to our lives today!

Art Gallery Postings

Kate has become quite the artist and my family loves finding her little snippets of artwork here and there and everywhere. So, every once in a while, you may see me post a little something that she has done...just as a sweet little memory of her artistic side that I am incredibly impressed with because I don't have an artistic bone in my body!

Here's my first installment in Kate's Gallery:

A new bookmark for my Bible!