As believers in Christ, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. Who is our enemy? Satan. The devil is a liar.
Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, Satan has waged war on humans. His agenda is to kill and destroy us, to lie to us, and ruin our relationship with God (John 10:10). For that reason, “he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
However, there is no need to fear, for the more we seek God’s presence and study His Word, the more revelation we receive that the devil is in fact a liar and a defeated foe through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This knowledge can enable us to lead a life full of spiritual victory and joy in the fulfillment of God’s promises.
What Does the 'Devil Is a Liar' Mean?
Admittedly, the topic of Satan and spiritual warfare is one that some Christians find challenging and even difficult to consider.
However, one must consider the truth: By choosing to ignore that the devil exists and that his sole aim is to ruin us, we set ourselves up to fall victim to his ploys.
In particular, his use of lies that makes us doubt God and His promises over us. In Hosea 4:6, it states, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
Your Mind Is the Battlefield
When the devil is mentioned, some people conjure in their minds a comical red-skinned, horned individual holding a pitchfork in his hand, akin to the costumes we are accustomed to seeing at Halloween.
Others insist that he is a living, fleshed-out demon, and there are some that believe that Satan doesn’t even exist at all.
Such musings originate in our minds, and the devil further uses our mental space as his battlefield to wage war against us. One of his favorite tactics is to tell us lies and to speak them so convincingly that we hold them for the truth.
2 Corinthians 10:3 confirms this: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”
'The Devil Is a Liar': How Does the Devil Lie to Us?
One of Satan’s strategies is to present us with a worst-case scenario of our future in order to arouse fear in us. He can take advantage of our vulnerabilities and circumstances, and even use people to make us worry, instill hopelessness, and rob us of joy.
Satan even goes so far as to try and convince us that he’s not real. Charles Baudelaire, a 19th-century French literary figure, wrote, “The loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he doesn’t exist!”
However, by far the worst lie of the devil is his effort to convince us to believe him over God, and that our Father is no match for him.
How Do We Know That the Devil Is a Liar?
The Bible is a God-breathed, infallible source of truth, encouragement, and teaching for us as believers in Christ.
In John 8:44, the Word of God states specifically that the devil is not only a liar but the father of all lies: “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
If the Bible calls the devil a liar, then it must be true!
We also need to consider that Satan is not beyond using half-truths or twisting God’s truth to suit his purposes. He did this in the Garden of Eden when he convinced Eve to eat fruit from the Tree of life in Genesis 3:1-5.
Alternatively, God is the antithesis of the devil in all ways, including the fact that He cannot lie, for it is not in His nature to do so. In Numbers 23:19 we see this:
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
What Examples in the Bible Reveal the Devil’s Lies?
In addition to Satan’s deception towards Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Bible reveals other instances of the devil telling lies to God’s children through people or circumstances.
In 1 Kings 19, Elijah the prophet fled in response to a death threat he received from Queen Jezebel of Samaria. Having killed 850 of her idol prophets in the previous chapter, Elijah was more than a match for this evil queen, and yet he believed she would kill him.
In Matthew 4:1-11, Satan tried to tempt Jesus into disobeying God and avoiding the Cross by twisting God’s Word.
How to Defeat the Devil’s Lies
Contrary to what he may like us to believe, the devil is a defeated foe. Since the battle with him takes place on a spiritual plane, according to Ephesians 6:12-13, we need to strengthen the battlefield — our minds — in order to stand our ground spiritually and gain victory over him.
So, how do we do that?
1. Partner up with God. We need to partner with God by studying His Word, spending time with Him in prayer and worship, and choosing to trust and rely on Him when circumstances and people appear to be against us. Through God and with God, we can trample down the lies of the enemy! (Psalm 108:13).
2. Resist the Devil. Not only is Satan a liar, but he is also afraid of you — yes you! When you resist him and call upon the name of Jesus, the devil must flee! James 4:7 proves this: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
You Have Been Given Authority Over the Devil
One of the biggest lies that the devil wants you to believe is that you are at his mercy. However, according to Psalm 8:6, God has given us authority over the earth, which is the devil’s realm. You have authority over the devil! Now use it!
Don’t Give the Devil Unnecessary Attention
The devil is a liar. As believers, our main focus should be on God, and not on the enemy. Although we need to engage in spiritual warfare with him, don’t give Satan too much attention, which he craves.
Also, not everything bad that happens in your life is a result of the devil’s machinations — we are all flawed and thus capable of causing ourselves strife and harm through our own devices. Therefore, don’t give the devil credit for a bad decision or a mistake that you are responsible for.
As Christians, it is true that we didn’t ask to be part of a spiritual war and, by extension, gain a spiritual nemesis called Satan. However, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary, we are more than conquerors over the lies and other strategies of the devil.
With this knowledge, we need not fear the devil — he should fear us!
For further reading:
Living God’s Word – Applying Joshua 6 to everyday life
How to Identify Spiritual Warfare (And Fight Back)
Ten Truths About a Liar: A Biblical Theology of Satan
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Love portrait and love the world
Madeline Kalu is an Australian Christian writer and the co-founder of Jacob’s Ladder Blog and The Proverbs 31 Home. She is also the co-author of the “My Year of Miracles 2024” journal, which encourages a daily reflection on the miracles that God performs in our lives throughout 2024. Madeline lives in Germany with her husband Solomon and the family’s two cats who were rescued from the Ukrainian war zone.
