“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” — Winston Churchill
That may be a typical response to truth, but it places those who respond this way on the road to tragedy and destruction. Yet, on the other hand, there is no way to love and obey God without loving and following the truth. The two cannot be separated.
For anyone who desires to be a faithful follower of the Lord, being able to spot lies is vitally important. Yet, how does one know a lie from the truth? Churchill’s comment is quite convicting. The idea of stumbling across truth only to scurry away is a terrifying reality today. People are far more likely to believe the lie they hear than the truth.
Why is that?
One reason they buy the lie is that they love what they hear. It makes them feel better about themselves, where they are in life, and where they are going. They can justify their behavior. They have their ego stroked, and consequences seem minimal.
The second reason they embrace the lie is they do not know the truth. They have run the race of life without any explicit instruction or boundaries. Their feet have only known the trail masses of others have traveled before them. The road seems easy. The runner never meets resistance. Yet, the actual trail to safety is a rocky, overgrown path that few dared to traverse. Occasionally, they might cross that path for a specific subject because of common knowledge of good and evil. Yet, they are never on that path long before they swiftly travel the beaten path to the den of death. Having your life rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures is the only way to know the truth. Paul says it this way in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Let’s spend a few minutes looking at three ways Christians can defeat the lies thrown in our direction.
1. To defeat lies, we must choose the pathway of truth.
It sounds a little funny to say we need to pick the pathway of truth. Yet, it is vitally important. We cannot pursue truth if we are not actively picking to pursue it.
In general, we naturally drift to the lies in life. We might wonder how nations end up in communism, giving up their freedom and accepting great wickedness. In almost all those instances, it was a drift—one small step here and there down the path. And, as the drift gets further from the truth, the movement towards vile wickedness is hastened until the nation or people are insnared in the death trap.
However, the drift is sneaky. If we let down our guard, we will begin to find ourselves off course, which is why it is imperative to stay rooted in God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 tells us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” In other words, God’s Word, the Bible, is our map and compass. It keeps us pointed in the right direction. Without it guiding our steps, we are destined to stray into the most dangerous traps. Thus, we can only move in the right direction when we fully understand the map. We must not wander in darkness, especially when the Bible can light our path.
2. To defeat lies, we must experience the transforming power of truth.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
A transformation occurs when a believer moves from the world of lies to a world enlightened to God’s truth. It is not always easy, particularly when you first experience saving faith, there is instant salvation, but the process of understanding Scripture and applying its truth is just beginning.
It is important to note Jesus’ instruction to the Jews who believed him in John 8:31 and 32, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
The word abide is significant. The tense used here is one of an ongoing, continual practice, meaning Jesus is expecting them to remain in the Scriptures continually. Those who abide in God’s word prove themselves to be his disciples. The believer’s love for God drives their longing to hear from the Lord and to serve Him faithfully.
The child of God knows they have experienced freedom because of the truth in Jesus. Once freedom has been grasped, the bondage of the lies of hell cannot be our embrace. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Children of the living God have experienced the saving faith and should not return to the deceit that enslaved them. Yet, the battle is not easy. 1 Timothy 6:12 explains that we are to “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” As those who have experienced transformation, we must take hold of the faith and strive to walk according to the word of God. We have been called and set apart, no matter our careers and current situation. God has permitted us to be in the exact circumstances we are in to make Christ known to many witnesses.
God has placed us in the life of our employees, co-workers, family, friends, and neighbors. The truth is that God has given us freedom and transformed our life, so we can be vessels to make known his great work! As long as we are his children.
3. To defeat lies, we must invest time in the truth.
I want to make this as simple as possible. We cannot defeat lies unless we are willing to invest time. Equipping ourselves to defend the truth requires a serious time investment. It seems like our society is more about instant gratification than the gratification of hard work.
While a somewhat silly example, the microwave serves as a great illustration of this dynamic. We can throw leftovers into the microwave, type a few buttons, and in just a couple of minutes, we are eating. It is great. Yet, it has its shortcomings.
I am a big fan of potatoes. They are full of carbs and not ideal for losing weight. Yet, when they are appropriately prepared, they are excellent sides to dishes and sometimes part of the main dish.
You can use the microwave to cook potatoes, but baking them isn’t the same. It is simply not as good. The high heat and longer time in the oven create that tender and flaky inside and crispy outside that you cannot get with a microwave.
Learning how to defeat lies is similar to the difference between a microwave and long-form reheating or cooking. You can get quick answers by asking pastors or searching for quick answers in trusted resources. There is a time and place this is needed, even essential! But, the best way to prepare to live your life in truth and to defend against lies is to spend a great deal of time reading, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word. Joshua 1:8 tells us,
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua instructs the Israelites that they are to meditate on the law of God all day long, every day. Additionally, they are to live according to what is written. There is no way they could live according to the Law if they did not know it thoroughly!
We also must keep in mind that the whole Bible, from Genesis 1:1 through the end of Revelation, is for our good. Romans 15:4 explains, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” The purpose is to give us hope! Do not get discouraged when reading Scripture. It is one love letter to us to show us God’s redemptive love, grace, and mercy towards us while also demonstrating God’s good justice against all unrighteousness.
There is this remarkable dichotomy in the growing Christian’s life. The closer and more like Christ we become, the further the gap we see between God and us. I know that sounds incredibly difficult and frustrating to think about. But we see that we are desperate for grace because under no circumstance can we ever arrive to be equal to God. For he is so set apart in his perfect holiness, and we are so riddled with sinful passions that we must die daily through confessing our sins to the Lord.
Yet, our continued shortcomings should not make us believe that the pursuit of holiness is a lost cause. Look at what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” We strive to present ourselves to God in our faithful pursuit of loving him and others. The freedom we have knowing that we can give it our best effort and when we do slip and fall to sin’s lying lure, God is there picking us up, smiling, and saying I love and forgive you are absolutely spectacular!
When you finally reach that point and recognize that, God will never give up on me because he loves me, you will be truly free to enjoy and fall in love with investing time in God’s Word. For believers that spend time with God in his Word, their lie-detector skills are honed. Hebrews 4:12 explains, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” When you read Scripture, it shapes you. God’s Word will point out the strongest of struggles in your life. It will shape the way you think about the issues in the world. God’s word begins to alter every part of your life. The things you once could do without remorse or conviction break your heart because you recognize the great evil it is before God. When we invest time in reading, memorizing, meditating, and understanding God’s word, we can better defend ourselves against all kinds of lies.
4. To defeat lies, we must surrender our lives to truth.
There is no greater battle than the battle for souls. Satan’s fury is kindled against God’s image bearers. His rage and jealousy lead to his fighting to keep souls imprisoned in their sins.
In Randy Alcorn’s book, The Ishbane Conspiracy, which was inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, he records a fictional dialog between two demons under the great deceiver. These demons are plotting how to keep teenagers ensnared in their evil grasps.
At one point, Ian, one of the characters, has been exposed to the Gospel truth and finds Jesus being the only way repugnant. Ishbane writes to his demon subordinate Foulgrin,
Don’t let Ian get over his repugnance at the notion of the Carpenter being the only way. As long as they get it wrong on the Carpenter, it doesn’t matter what they get right…“I can’t stand it when they put their miserable little heads together. When they quote the forbidden book and engage in the forbidden talk, that’s worst of all. The Enemy designs them to need each other. To lean on each other and draw from each other’s wisdom, counsel, and experience. Our objective is the opposite: Divide them. Isolate them. Pull them away from each other. Leave them on their own. Hell’s gates can prevail against individuals. It’s the Church we can’t handle.”
The Ishbane Conspiracy, from letter 44, pg number unavailable
What makes both Alcorn and Lewis’ fictional works so engaging is that they both provide you with believable conversations.
The whole point is that the evil forces of this world are at work, fighting to keep people from surrendering their life to the truth of the Gospel. For us, who have grown up in and around the church, the lies tend to be subtle. For those unfamiliar or who have rejected the truth, they have wandered into even greater lies. The truth of the matter is they are all lies.
If you forget that salvation is freedom from the yoke of sin’s bondage, you can be easily enslaved to works and attempt to earn favor with God. Sin becomes your ruler again, and you miss out on the freedom we have in Christ. John 8:36 proclaims, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” We have been freed from the bondage of our enslavement because of the work of Christ.
A good prayer you should have in your life is found in Psalm 119:29-30, “Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.”
It is a battle every day. We must live surrendered to Jesus Christ. The practice of asking God to teach me before reading the Bible was transformative for me. Sure, it is challenging and difficult to be constantly reminded of how foolish my flesh is and how broken I still am. But it is freeing knowing I lay those things at Jesus’ feet, and he washes me clean!
I don’t have to be good enough; Jesus paid it all, so I don’t have to be perfect. His perfection is now mine. Living that surrendered life means we grow in Christ and ultimately become people who speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:14-15 states, “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” and then verse 25 says, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
I know it can be incredibly uncomfortable talking about faith. We are opening up the door to receive questions we do not have answers to at times. It is okay not to have all the answers. It is okay to tell someone, “that is a great question, and I am unsure of what the answer to that question is. Can I get back to you on that question?” Then, continue sharing the gospel message with them. As you gain more knowledge of the Bible, you will become more and more comfortable sharing it.
Another aspect of living a surrendered life to the truth is that you will need to have hard conversations with brothers and sisters of the faith who have wandered off from the faith. James 5:19-20 explains, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
It’s critical to speak up about the truth and to help encourage other believers to hold on to the faith. To do this well, you need to demonstrate you love them and that you love God and his Word to them. You need to challenge them in love and truth. It is not a gotcha moment. It is a redemptive pursuit. And always remember that when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven and removed from us, as Psalm 103:12 states, “as far as the east is from the west, so far, does he remove our transgressions from us.” God is truly glorified when we surrender our life to His absolute truth.
We have observed that to defeat lies, we must choose the pathway of truth, we must experience the transforming power of truth, must invest time in the truth, and surrender our lives to truth.
Ultimately, all truth comes from God. When we decide to embrace the lies of the world, we are simply rejecting God. Will you pick to embrace the truth and defend it? Or will you reject the truth to pursue the lies that will destroy you?
It all comes down to a choice.
Which pathway will you choose?
If you’d like to check out Randy Alcon’s book The Ishbane Conspiracy, you can purchase it on amazon at this link: The Ishbane Conspiracy
