Hindrance of Lies - by Wendy Pointer

Satan aims to hinder us. Every day he tries to turn us from our path of following our Father and Creator. Sometimes his attacks are very obvious and other times they are done by sleight of hand.

I grew up in a family with many ties to the stage, albeit in quite an amateur way. My mother had some friends who belonged to the Magic Circle, and as a young child I was fascinated to see their tricks up close. I have helped out on stage – being sawn in half by a magician; held things; picked cards; seen all kinds of tricks up close. And the cleverest of all the magicians I have seen were those who did a trick when I knew how it was done, when I was close enough to see the trick being performed, and I still didn’t see ‘how’ or when they did it.

Illusion, sleight of hand, puffs of smoke, flashes or bangs, distractions of all kinds. All of these are the tools of the trade to magicians. They are also part of the arsenal of the enemy. If he can distract us from God’s path, from listening to our Father speak to us through His Word, from taking our problems to our Lord in prayer, then he hopes to keep us from God’s blessings.

Like magicians, the liar uses sleight of hand; he uses half-truths (which are all lies, don’t be fooled into thinking they are only half lies they aren’t). He uses smoke and mirrors to confuse us. Sometimes he uses a very obvious lie – one we hear and think ‘ha! Who would ever believe that?” but take care, he may be distracting us, drawing our attention away from where it should be – on God and His Truth.

Satan is tricksy, sly and deceitful, but don’t get him out of proportion. Be careful not to give him too much credit. He is only a fallen angel, and Hebrews 1: 4 tells us about Jesus our Saviour “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.“ Against our Lord the liar cannot stand.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” And Peter continues telling us “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”Remember the devil is trying so hard to trick us; he is desperate to make us stumble, because he knows his time is short. Father of Lies though he may be, he knows the truth; he knows what awaits him. Revelation 20:10 tells us “Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Our Savior is victorious, the liar is already defeated, the Word of God says it is so.

Sunday, August 7, 2011