Satan’s Not So Greatest Lie
Last year, I wrote a post titled “Satan’s Greatest Lie,” Jeremy Myers, at ‘Till He Comes.org was nice enough to publish it for me.
I mused about how Satan tricks us with the idea that we have more time than we think and how we can always do tomorrow what we should do today. You can read it here.
I have been doing some thinking – dangerous – and a lot of reading and I no longer think that the time issue is his “greatest” lie. I started thinking about all the lies that we are told and shamefully – even Christians – fall for. He is, after all, the Father of lies.
I plan to look at the various ways Satan dupes all of humanity. Not one segment, not one group, not just people with faith in God, not just those who don’t believe in him or trust Jesus, I am talking about EVER SINGLE SOLITARY PERSON THAT IS, HAS OR EVER WILL WALK ON PLANET EARTH – sorry about yelling. Tension breaker – it was a must.
Subtlety is the key. I mean Satan is also called the “Deceiver.” Not sure how he’d have gotten that title if all his lies sounded like the Jon Lovitz character from SNL, Tommy Flanagan,
“Hello, my name is Tommy Flanagan, and I’m a member of Pathological Liars Anonymous. In fact… I’m the president of the organization!” He also claimed to be married to Morgan Fairchild – just sayin’.
More Than You Can Handle
I work with a lady who has had some health issues recently and in the midst of the things she’s been going through she says to me, “Well, God never gives us more than we can handle.” I assume this was because she’d gotten some positive results.
I can only imagine what she’d have said if the news had been negative.
I started to think about this phrase, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” I have heard it all my Christian life. We all say it. I am sure I have.
But the truth is – this is simply NOT true. It is a lie from the very pit of hell.
In fact, it is counter to the very words of Jesus, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5 NIV).”
In our humanity we want to be able to handle the things we go though. I think we cling to this type of thought because if we “get through” something seemingly insignificant, it gives us hope that we can handle the next thing which may well be horrific. But Jesus did not say that.
“…apart from me you can do nothing,” is what he said. You cannot beat a cold, wash your car, write a song, feed yourself, fight cancer or water your lawn apart from him.
The point is that God always gives us, or allows, more than we can handle because more forces us to turn to him. It makes us realize that apart from him we really cannot do anything.
If we could do one thing without him we might begin to think we could do more without him and before too long we’d be thinking like a certain fallen angel who once thought a little much of himself.
Mick Holt 
2 Comments
This was great, Mick! I hopped on over here from Sammy’s blog. Sure glad I did.
I have always disliked that phrase you talked about, because I am always coming up against things that I cannot handle. And then, when I find I can’t cope, Satan adds this little lie to the mix: “Oh, you don’t have much faith at all. Otherwise, you wouldn’t let this throw you.” (Some version of that)
But your point is SO very true. We CANNOT handle anything on our own. Even breathing is God’s work.
So, the challenge is not listening to the whispers or the shouts or the taunts of our enemy. Instead, we must focus on the still, small voice who ALWAYS speaks the Truth.
GOD BLESS!
“So, the challenge is not listening to the whispers or the shouts or the taunts of our enemy. Instead, we must focus on the still, small voice who ALWAYS speaks the Truth.”
I did not write this with the song in mind but your comment reminds me of the Casting Crowns song “Voice of Truth” That’s the thing about God, whether we like it or not everything he says is true.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it.