Common Lies of the Enemy (and how we combat them)

The Bible tells us that the enemy is a liar – in fact, he is referred to as the father of lies. And the best way to combat a lie is with the truth. That is why it is so important for believers to be well-grounded in the truth of God’s Word. If we know the truth well, we will be able to easily recognize these common lies of the enemy.

 

Common Lies of the Enemy (and how we combat them) | alyssajhoward.com

 

As a manipulator of the truth, the enemy enjoys using half-truths (which I believe to be more damaging than a full on lie) to keep believers from living out the call of God on their lives. Here are some common lies of the enemy that I see many believing in the church today.

 

Lie: You will never be able to overcome the temptations in your life.

 

This lie of the enemy is so easy to believe. For one thing, Christians still sin. Because we still struggle with sin, we assume that it’s normal. But the Bible tells us that sinning as a Christian isn’t normal.

 

No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.– 1 John 3:9

 

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

 

God always provides a way out of temptation, and He won’t let us be tempted beyond what we can say no to. So if we are being completely honest, when a Christian gives in to temptation, they are making a conscious choice to ignore that way out. It’s a truth that the enemy wants us to ignore. Why? Because if he can make us believe that we don’t have a way out or that we somehow can’t say no, then he can use temptations in our lives to trip us up.

 


When a Christian sins, it’s because they’ve bought into the lie that they somehow couldn’t resist the temptation placed in front of them.
I’m preaching to myself when I say that it’s time to stop believing this lie and start relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to say no (and to show us the way out God has promised us.)

 

Lie: Everything the Bible says about you will one day be true, but they aren’t present realities.

 

This is one of the biggest lies the enemy tries use against us – he attacks our identity in Christ. We know that God loves us; we’ll even go as far as to say that we are children of God. But the Bible has so much more to say about our identity. You are a new creation, made whole, set free, declared righteous, co-heir with Christ, a masterpiece, victorious, a conqueror, etc. The Bible says “you are,” not “you will be.” The transformation happens when you’re born again.

 

Let me put it this way: When I was born into my family, I didn’t have to go through a process to become “Alyssa.” I was “Alyssa” the day I was born. My identity was never in question. But I was a baby. I had to learn how to walk, talk, feed myself, etc. I had to grow up and learn how to be me, but I was always me. When we are born into the family of God, we are given a new identity. We grow and learn to walk in that identity, but our identity is secure at birth.

 

If the enemy can get you to believe this lie, he can keep you from learning how to walk in your identity. And if you don’t know who you are in Christ, you start to question everything. What’s my purpose? Why did God save me? What could I possibly do for God? How could He possibly love me after all I’ve done? Understanding our identity is crucial to being effective for the Kingdom. It’s definitely time to start coming against this lie with a dose of the truth.

 

Recognizing these common lies of the enemy is a lot easier when you know the truth, and you know it well.

 

Click here to read more common lies…

 

Common Lies of the Enemy (and how we combat them) | alyssajhoward.com

 

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*Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

 

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