A chief characteristic of all satanic attacks is deception.
Satan undermines individuals, groups, and entire societies by suppressing truth and aggressively spreading lies. All totalitarian nations do this. They control the information flow so that only the propaganda they create gets to the people. The way to undermine such a state is to create alternate ways for the truth to be known.
The Bible says that Satan is the “father of lies” and that “there is no truth in him.” (John 8:44) He overthrew Adam and Eve by lying to them about God’s character and motives and the consequences of sin.
Any person or organization that lies as a matter of course is satanically affiliated and is motivated and empowered by hell. (James 3:6)
Over the past several years reporting by the mainstream media has been characterized by deception and misinformation. You connect the dots. Many realize what is happening, which is maddening. Others, who have lost their ability to judge truth from falsehood, have no clue that they are being duped.
“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by a majority.” – Booker T. Washington
Since lying is satanic, those who give themselves over to lying become tools of the devil. The scariest thing that can happen to a person is for God to give him or her over to the evil from which they refuse to renounce. (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) If that happens, there may be no escape. Repentance is a gift from God, and if the Holy Spirit stops working in someone to influence them toward good, the evil present in them will gain mastery over them.
“Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT)
Sin mastered Cain because he refused to repent from his hatred and bitterness, resulting in his murder of Abel. This is what happened to Pharaoh when he repeatedly went back on his word and “hardened his heart” against God. When we refuse to respond to the Spirit’s promptings to turn away from evil, the Bible says that God “hardens our hearts.” (Exodus 9:12) The Lord gives some people over to their sin. He stops actively working to turn them away from their habitual disobedience, thereby allowing them to become captives to Satan to do his will.
Paul wrote:
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NLT)
Abandoning truth leads to captivity by Satan. Large numbers of people in our government and the media have given themselves over to lying and have become active agents in a satanic attack on our country.
The purpose of satanic deception is to hide truth, undermine our faith in God, and generally demoralize us.
Pontius Pilate illustrated what demoralization looks like, when he responded to our Lord, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) The personification of truth stood before him, but he could not recognize him. He had become so demoralized by all the lying he saw taking place over the years that he apparently gave up on the very idea of truth. His cynicism blocked any possibility for him to recognize the identity of our Lord. Such can happen to anyone who lives in a society that routinely inundates its people with deception.
False information leads to bad conclusions which produce destructive actions. It should be obvious that this is happening in society at large. Large numbers of people have swallowed lies regarding homosexuality, transgenderism, sex outside of marriage, abortion, and so on.
Believing lies often results in disobedience to God, bringing upon ourselves the negative consequences associated with sin.
Nobody ever “gets away with” sin. We always reap what we sow, eventually.
How Do We Defend Ourselves?
A key to fending off satanic deception is to be a lover of truth which necessitates that we read, study, and obey God’s Word in the Bible.
The antidote for the poison of deception is the truth. Armed with the truth, we can make our stand against the lies and schemes of the devil.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Ephesians 6:14 (NLT)
Jesus is the Truth. He stands opposed to Satan’s lies. His truth sets us free from the power of the lie.
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (NLT)
Once we embrace truth, it is like turning on the lights. The dark power of the lie simply goes away. It cannot survive exposure to the light.
God wants his people to boldly proclaim truth, which starts with sharing the gospel. It includes a wholesale acceptance of the Bible, all of it, as God’s written truth to us. God’s Word is truth. (John 17:17) But our responsibility extends beyond the confines of religion.
We are to stand for truth in every area. We must be declarers of truth wherever we discover that lies are being propagated.
In our day, this is nearly everywhere: government, education, medicine, the news media, television, the movies, and what is called “science”. Remember: Satan
...will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NLT)
Steps to Freedom
- Confess that Jesus, who is the Truth, is the Lord. To follow Christ is to embrace truth.
- Read, think about, and put into practice the teachings of the Bible.
- Repent in any area where you have embraced deception.
- Become a truth teller.
