Dear brother, When you find time read this article. Even though it is long, it would be worth.
Devil’s Lies and God’s Heart
The devil always tells lies. Jesus said that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies. We all know that we are in the final seconds of the end of age. The devil knows that. That’s why Peter warned us saying that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The devil knew that he has but a short time. So in these final moments he is attacking the minds of the people with all his lies. If you don’t know God personally, you will be easily deceived. In the prophecy of Hosea we understand the heart cry of the Lord. In Hosea 4:6 the Lord said, 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We all need the knowledge of God. Lack of it will destroy us. Who are destroyed? The Lord said, “My people”- people who are saved, who have accepted Christ but struggling with sin and sinful habits. If you have a desire to live for the Lord wholeheartedly, you are the number one target of the devil. Unless you know your God personally, you will be destroyed. What the Lord said in Hosea’s days is so true of these days too. The devil has unleashed his attacks in these last days. We read about Jesus in Isa 11:2, how He was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Brothers and sisters, Jesus was God. But when He came to earth like you and me, He needed to be filled with the Spirit of knowledge of God. If the Son of God needed that, how much more do we need that? Lack of that knowledge of God will destroy us. It is God’s warning through Hosea. So to withstand the attack of the devil, you need two things: 1. The knowledge of God and 2. Faith – you must believe what the Bible says about Him. Heb 11: 6 says, ” 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is God… as revealed in the scriptures. Only the Holy Spirit can impart that knowledge. Only He can give us the spirit of knowledge of God.
\tPsalmist says in Psalm 7: 11, 11 …and God is angry with the wicked every day. All of you who are saved answer this question. Did the devil tell you, when you first came to Christ, that God is angry with you and that He will not accept you because you are a rotten sinner? You would not have heard this when you came to Jesus. You whole heartedly believed that God will accept you and forgive you. It happened according to your faith. After accepting Him as your Savior and Lord, you fell into some gross sin. Probably you fell into some sexual sin; or you lost your temper and beaten up your wife; or spoke bad, rude words to your husband; or you have left your first love for the Lord; or you went after worldly pleasures and money; or any sin. You have backslid. Now you feel remorse because of that sin and want to come back. You have a question. Can I go to the Lord asking for forgiveness? He has told me many times and spoken in many meetings that sexual sin is serious; anger is sin; love of money is idolatry. I knew that it is sin even before I committed it. Now can I go to the Lord? Will He accept me? This is the time for which the devil was waiting and he unleashed all the lies of the hell. Since you are not familiar with the promises of God in the Bible, you don’t have faith. You are in doubt as to whether the Lord will accept you or not. Then the devil shoots one lie. “God is a holy God. He has told you many times- in conferences, in the church meetings- that you should not commit such gross sins. In spite of that you committed that sin. This is not acceptable to God. He won’t forgive you. There is no hope for you.” Do you think that he tells all such lies only to you who have sinned? He even tells someone who did not commit sin but suffered in their lives. Job was a righteous man. He suffered a lot in his life. The devil did not leave him. He spoke through one of Job’s friend, Eliphaz. He is to Job like a brother in the Church today. Let’s read from Job 4:12-20.
12 "Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it.
13 "Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,
14 Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.
15 "Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up.
16 "It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice:
17 'Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 'He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error.
19 'How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!
20 'Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces; Unobserved, they perish forever.
You can see here the tricks and lies of the devil. Eliphaz spoke to Job as if he had a revelation from heaven. A word was brought to me secretly; my ear received a whisper (vs 12). I got this in a vision at late night; a spirit passed by me; I was trembling; my hairs bristled up; It stood in front me and I heard a gentle voice.
What did the gentle voice say?
“Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? (vs 12)” The devil is saying,” God is so holy. You are no good. You are so impure and you cannot go to that Holy God. “
“He puts no trust even in His servants; and against His angels He charges error” (vs18). What a lie from the devil! What a misrepresentation of God!
The devil was saying, “God does not trust you, you have disappointed Him. He is so perfect that He finds mistake with His angels and you have done that in plenty. Now He cannot accept you. You will be broken to pieces and will perish forever (vs20).
Eliphaz spoke as if he is speaking for God. But it’s all lies and misrepresentation of God. But the devil did not stop there. He was relentless in his attack. Read Job 15:11-16. Again the same Eliphaz speaks:
11 Are the comforts of God small with you, and a word dealing gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away? And what do your eyes wink at,
13 that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
14 What is man, that he should be clean? And what is he born of a woman that he should be righteous?
15 Behold, He puts no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight.
16 How much more hateful and filthy is man, who drinks iniquity like water.
Again the devil is attacking. God has comforted you many times and you have taken it lightly. How many times God has spoken to you gently when you committed sin (vs 11)? But you don’t value it. You are always carried away by sin. You have turned against God and have spoken words you should not have spoken (vs 12,13); who are you? Do you think you can become pure again? I don’t think God will trust you. You know what? God does not trust His holy ones too. Heavens are not pure in His eyes. And you are so detestable and corrupt. You drink iniquity like water. God will not accept you. There is no hope for you. Because you have stretched your hand against God and conducted arrogantly against the Almighty God, distress and anguish will terrify you (vs 25&24). Since you have committed sin knowingly, God is angry with you. You will not escape darkness and His fire only will consume you (vs 30 & 34). Job believed those lies of the devil. He says in Job 19:11
11 He has also kindled His wrath against me, and to Himself He counts me as His enemy.
Also, the devil made him to believe that his wife hates him and that the brothers hate him. Read Job 19:17. "My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
The devil made him to believe everybody in the world hates him.
Exactly that’s what he made you also believe. You feel God is against you: your partner is against you; the brothers and sisters in the Church are against you. You want to get out of these thoughts and want to stand in faith but you could not against the devil’s relentless attacks.
Then comes Elihu and encourages Job.
You must remember one thing. This was happening in the Old Testament period – before the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. Elihu does not know Jesus Christ. But hear his words in Job 33:23.
23 "If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him,
24 Then let him be gracious to him, and say, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom';
Elihu says to Job: Job! If there is an angel as a mediator for you, He will be gracious to you and will say (intercede),” Deliver Job from going to the pit. I have found a ransom”.
Bros and siss, you have a Mediator for you in heaven and He intercedes for you before the Father to deliver you from the pit of sin. He says that He has paid the ransom with His precious blood. He prays that you should be restored (vs 25). When you pray believing and repenting that you have a Mediator for you and that He has paid the ransom for you and that you are accepted in Him, God will accept you and restore you (vs 26). Then you will sing this song (vs 27-30). Read from the Message Bible:
27 you’ll sing God's praises to everyone you meet, testifying, 'I messed up my life-- and let me tell you, it wasn't worth it.
28 But God stepped in and saved me from certain death. I'm alive again! Once more I see the light!'
29 "This is the way God works. Over and over again
30 He pulls our souls back from certain destruction so we'll see the light--and live in the light!
What a God we have! You can testify about such a God and that He works with men over and over again.
Bros and sis, do not believe in the lies of the devil. The One who made the ransom for you said in John 6:37. …and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
Do you think the Lord who had commanded you to forgive your brother 490 times a day, will not forgive you if you come to Him in repentance and faith even if you have done that sin 1000 times? He will not certainly cast you out. If there is a feeble cry in your heart, the Lord will set you free. I can say that in my life, He has done often times. He stepped in and delivered me. He did not cast me out when I went to Him in repentance and faith. It’s true that God is angry with the wicked every day. Yes. God is a righteous God. He has to forsake for your sins. But see the heart of God in Hosea: 11:8-9.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I surrender you, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned over within Me, All My compassions are kindled.
9 I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, And I will not come in wrath.
Do you know to whom God said these words? Not to a holy people but to a bunch of liars and backsliders. Read Hos 11: 12.
12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies And the house of Israel with deceit; Judah is also unruly against God.
The righteous God has to forsake the Israelites for their sin. But see the battle God is having in His heart. How can I forsake you O Ephraim? The devil has every right to attack you because of your pride and sin. But how can I surrender you? I must punish you like I punished the cities Admah and Zeboiim for their sins. But My heart is turned over within Me. Something is happening inside Me. All My compassions are kindled within Me. I am not going to punish you in My fierce anger. I will not destroy you again. I am God and not Man. I am Holy. I will not come in wrath. If you come to Me in repentance, I will not cast you out. Bros and sis, it is this knowledge of God that will protect you from the lies of the devil. Do you sincerely believe that God will accept you because of His Son, if you go to Him in repentance? Do you limit His mercy? His lovingkindness? Do you know His heart as revealed in Rom 10:21?
21 But as for Israel He says, "ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE."
Why? To accept you when you come to Him in repentance. This verse does not say that He has stretched His hands for a Holy bunch of people. No. For a disobedient and obstinate people who want to come to Him in repentance. Never forget these wonderful verses. When I was young and even after many years of my conversion, I did not know these truths about God. I saw God as a policeman who is ready to punish when caught. The devil was destroying my life. Then when I came to know the heart of God, I realized how I had believed in the lies of the devil about our God. I thank God for this revelation. I thank God for the godly servants who portrayed the true heart of God. This portrayal of God changed me.
David says in Psalm 36:5-7.
5 Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
God has extended His lovingkindness to the heights of heaven – for everyone to see. He wants everybody in the world to see that and be attracted by that. And His faithfulness to the heights of skies. Anyone with a repenting heart can come and take refuge in the shadow of His wings. He is not showing His judgments. Today He has buried it in the deep (vs 6). He wants everyone to come to Him not seeing His judgments but His lovingkindness.
Bros and sis, if you are away from Him and if you desire to come back to Him in repentance, He has stretched out His hands to accept you. He will not cast you out. Come and take refuge in the shadow of His wings.
and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out .