UPSIDE DOWN

The Devil is a Liar

I was a debate nerd in high school.  There.  It is out in the open.  Of course, at the time, I would have denied the ‘nerd’ part all day long.  But one thing we were good at was twisting words into arguments that would support our side.  I could argue and support with evidence that the sun rose in the west.  Okay, maybe I wasn’t that good, but you get the idea.

But we were not the first ones to twist words.  Satan, the Devil was.  We can see this as we look back the temptation of Jesus, this time from the book of Matthew.

The Devil always questions what God has said to get us to doubt the truth.

Pray:  God, I love You.  Teach me from Your Word today.

Grab your Bible:  Read Matthew 4:1-11 and Genesis 3:1.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

³ During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴ But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

⁸ Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰ “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’”

¹¹ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.   Luke 4:1-11

The Devil took the words from the Bible and twisted their meaning to try and deceive Jesus.  But Jesus knew God’s Word.  And Jesus used it correctly to defend off the temptation of the Devil and choose right.

It is the same trick that the Devil used to deceive Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden way back at the beginning of time.  Look at what Satan said to Eve.

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”  Genesis 3:1

 That is NOT what God had told Adam and Eve.  (Read Genesis 3).

 The Devil always questions what God has said to get us to doubt the truth.

John 10:10 describes Satan’ purpose.

The thief’s (Satan) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My (Jesus’) purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Satan is a LIAR.

Know that today when you are tempted to not follow God.

Prayer:  God, You are the one.  You speak truth.  Satan is a liar.  Help me to choose You.