The truth about lies
"Often liars say downright crazy unbelievable things... These men had spoken no such intentions. Demonstrated no such actions. Planned no such thing. Had no such intentions."
“…be it known to the king that the Jews…are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city… Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and their royal revenue will be impaired.” (Ezra 4:12-13) Often liars say downright crazy unbelievable things. This accusation against Ezra and his team of people who were rebuilding the temple was absurd. These men had spoken no such intentions. Demonstrated no such actions. Planned no such thing. Had no such intentions. They simply wanted to rebuild the temple to worship their God. “Rebellious” and “wicked” were the exact opposite of who these people were. Liars don’t care if their lies are reasonable or not. They’ll say some crazy things and hope that the hearer will assume the truth must be somewhere in the middle. The truth is usually not somewhere in the middle when you’re dealing with liars. The truth is the opposite of whatever they say.
Liars often accuse others of doing the very things that the liars are doing themselves. “Rebellious and wicked” were character attributes that describe these liars perfectly. Remember that Satan is called “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Consequently, Satanic opposition to the work of God’s kingdom is characterized by deceit, misrepresentation, lying, and false accusation.
This is also how Satan attacks us personally, inwardly. He whispers attacks about our motives. He exaggerates the greatness of our strongholds. He tells us we are not worthy to be God’s children. That God could not, would not, must not love a person so wretched. That our courage in our God is an illusion. “Surely God is not on your side” the old liar says.
Be on guard against these lies. Be on guard against this liar. His motive is the same as it was in Ezra’s day; to stop the work we do for God. The lies are simply meant to stop our Spiritual progress. Bring an end to the journey. Convince us to quit before we finish. Be encouraged dear brother or sister. If the enemy is hurling lies at you attempting to convince you to stop, it can only be because you are making progress he hopes to end. You’re heading in the right direction. That’s why your enemy opposes it. Be strengthened even more in your resolve to never give up. Press on. Press forward. Refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy. Know the voice of your God. Your Heavenly Father loves you and has plans to prosper you and not do you harm. You listen to Him and none other. Stay faithful to the work. The power over the lies that come against us is simply recognizing them for what they are: lies. That’s the truth.
#humility #integrity #trust #jesus #obey #live #love #wait #faith #family #fun