Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

I have never been a fan of playing board games or cards. However, my wife Grace and our five kids enjoy both, so I’ve played my share over the years. To be honest, I’m not good at playing most games. So, I produced an alternative strategy, learning to play the other players more than the games. I looked for clues in Grace and the kids that would tip me off about how they were faring. One of our kids would smile from ear to ear when things turned in his favor, another started getting very chatty, and yet another would downplay their hope of winning the game.

In life, Satan always seeks to defeat God’s people in the spiritual version of a poker game. He’s looking for openings and weaknesses. The enemy wants to rob you of joy, peace, and hope by accusing us of sins that we either did not commit or have already repented to Jesus. Either way, Satan does not have the upper hand so long as we play our cards right.

Some Christians enthusiastically want to hear from God, repent of their sin, and do the right thing, so Satan bluffs them and pretends to be God. Thankfully, like a bad poker player, he has a tell that, once learned, we can know his tactics and defeat his terror.

When we speak to ourselves or of ourselves, we do so in the first person “I.” For example, when speaking to my wife, I say “you” when referring to Grace and “I” when referring to myself. Obviously, Grace knows when I am speaking of myself versus her because I am visible and using different words to refer to myself versus her.

Satan and demons are also like people in your life. The problem is, unlike human beings, these beings are unseen. So when they speak, we can wrongly assume that either God is speaking to us or we are speaking to ourselves. Satan’s poker tell is often the word “you.” For example, when Satan attacked Adam and Eve, he said, “You will be like God.” Attacking Jesus, Satan said, “If you are the Son of God...” When you hear the word “you,” then it is a clue that someone else is speaking to you. If no physical being is present, then it is most likely God or a servant of Satan. Satan hopes you will simply assume it is God condemning and accusing you, or you have a low self-image and practice negative self-talk. The truth is, you might be undergoing demonic attack.

Over 26-plus years as a senior pastor, I cannot count the lengthy list of meetings I have had with people who tell me horrible things they think about themselves.

-“I am unloved.”

-“God cannot forgive me.”

-“I can never change.”

-“I am worthless.”

-“I should kill myself.”

I then ask them to tell me exactly what they are hearing or thinking in their mind before they speak it to me.

Often, there is a subtle but sly difference.

-“You are unloved.”

-“God cannot forgive you.”

-“You can never change.”

-“You are worthless.”

-“You should kill yourself.”

The accuser attacks these dear people, then they translate what he says into their own words to lie to and condemn themselves. Such statements are not truths but lies from the father of lies! When we reject Satan’s lies and replace them with the truth of God’s Word, we experience what Jesus promised: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Today’s Reflection

What condemning lies do you most often hear from Satan? What does the truth of God’s Word say about those lies?