The Voice Of Truth...

One of my favorite Christian songs is "The Voice Of Truth" by Casting Crowns. The refrain sings "The voice of truth tells me a different story, the voice of truth says do not be afraid. The voice of truth says this is for my glory, out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth."



There are voices calling out to us. We hear them all the time. Some are audible but most are thoughts and impulses that try to influence us everyday. Sometimes the thoughts and impulses are from God calling us to greater faith and love. Other times they come from the world calling us to be more like the culture around us. But there are also times when our impulses and thoughts are so destructive that they must come from the evil one himself.




Satan is very real and active in our world and makes every attempt to penetrate our lives and drive us away from God. I know many Christians who would disagree with this saying that Satan is only a symbolic figure, brought to life in Christian art and lore, who is little more than an imp we created to explain away and make excuses for what is human evil in our world. They would say that evil exists in the hearts of people and we need look no farther than ourselves.





But that is not what the Bible says about evil. Isaiah 14: 12-15 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne high above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the Gods, far away in the north. I will climb the highest heavens and be like the most high.'





Satan was one of God's angels who rebelled over God's love for humankind and who strived to be God's equal. He was cast out of heaven and given power over the earth to try to lead us astray. In the garden of Eden Satan was the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve to try and be like God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. They were promised that their eyes would be open and they would be as God. The promise was a lie and cast humanity into a sinful state we could not overcome on our own.





In Job 1: 6-12 Satan is given permission to test the faith of Job to see if he will turn away from God. Job loses his wealth, his family and his livestock, but does not stray from the almighty.





In the gospels, Satan comes to Jesus and tempts him three times. First with hunger, second with promises of great power, third with the thought of testing God's power. Jesus spurns the temptation and begins his ministry and mission of redemption.





All throughout his letters, Paul names Satan as the source of evil in this world and calls us to resist his lies, temptations and false promises. He says in Ephesians 6:12 that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of darkness in this present age. There are numerous citations in scripture telling us to resist the wiles of the devil.





The problem is not just the idea that there is an evil force in the world attempting to do evil through us, but that it is often hard to distinguish the evil impulses and thoughts from the good. Johns Gospel 8:14 describes Satan as a "muderer from the beginning not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies."





Satan is not just evil. He is evil disguised. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan often appears to us as a child of light. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 Paul tells us he will use every kind of deception to fool those on their way to destruction. You see, Satan is not just a liar he is a convincing liar who often distorts our own wants and weaknesses to make them feel right. There are times when he will approach us as a friend and advocate.





He uses every opportunity to speak lies into our thoughts and hearts. He tells us that we can be our own Gods and that selfishness, greed, lust, and materialism indulged will make our lives better. He comes to people through internet pornography, telling them a good feeling is worth the loss of dignity it brings. He urges us to have more, get more, buy more and consume more. Why should we not lead the good life like everyone else. He wants to see us use people as a means to get what we want and to believe that relationships only matter as long as we benefit. He wants us to believe we are worth it and that giving in to every passion, desire and feeling is the best way to live. Now you might not think Satan is real, but how do you explain the attacks on our thoughts and impulses that plague everyone of us?





The devil wants us to believe that God only wants to make us feel guilty about our desires. He wants us to believe that God is a moralizer looking to catch us and condemn us when we screw up. He wants us to believe that God is not anything more than an absentee landlord watching us struggle but doing nothing to rescue us. The Devil is a convincing liar who tries to pass himself of as a friend who cares about what we want.





But this is where the voice of truth comes in. We have not been left to struggle on our own, but have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us in our earthly warfare. God loves us and wants us to have a life that is truly fulfilling. A life that goes beyond our weaknesses and wants and frees us from the power of earthly obsessions. God knows we will often make bad choices and offers us the blood of Jesus as the only fix we will ever need. He doesn't want to point out our flaws he wants to help us overcome them through power of love and relationship. No matter the failure, forgiveness is there when we seek to repent and come to Him.





So how de we distinguish the voice of the deceiver from the voice of God? Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:10 - 18. He tells us to resist evil by putting on the full armor of God. He calls us to put on the belt of truth. We should test every impulse we get against the scriptures. When we do this we can easily discern what is from God and what is not. If the impulse is for greed, do a study on the word greed in the Bible. See what it says. Thus you will be able to discern the truth from the lie.



The problem is that scriptural testing is lacking in today's church. Many preachers and sermons are more wrapped up in practical living advice or positive thinking. we want to affirm people and tell them we accept them as they are, but we don't want to tell them that their behavior is sinful and not to be accepted. We say to the homosexual, "We accept you into our family", but then do nothing to help them break free from a same sex life style. God may accept us for the sinners we are, but that is not license to continue to engage in destructive behavior. Instead of bending over backward to accommodate every person's world view, we need to proclaim a biblical worldview where we support what the Word says and then do everything we can to help ourselves and others repent and change. Redemption does not mean that we are saved to stay in our sin. Acceptance is not the goal it is the beginning of the Christian walk. Repentance and the ensuing struggle to resist sin leads to redemption.



Paul then tells us to put on the breast plate of righteousness. He is calling us to stand for our principles. There is a big difference between righteousness and self-righteousness. Every day evangelicals are attacked, even by other Christians, as being judgemental, close-minded, exclusivist and stubborn. The truth is that as Christians we should have certain principles over which we will not budge. Scriptural authority, a personal relationship with Christ, belief in conversion, creation over evolution, the right to life and the prophetic realities of the new heaven and earth to come are just a few. We need to stand our ground and not let our values be diminished.



Paul then tells us to take up the shield of faith. We have to believe and trust that God is who the Bible says He is. Spiritual warfare is a reality. God's power to help us win these battles is also real. But we have to claim it to be able to use it, and we need to believe it to proclaim it. Too many Christians have reduced God to an idea, ideal or symbol. To them God is progress, justice, fairness and a symbolic representation of all that is good. While God does embody these characteristics, the Bible teaches that God is transcendant, meaning that he exists above any trait we can give him. God is a personal being. Jesus was a person. God is real, not just a concept or symbol for what we deem as good and just. We have to believe this.

Next Paul says to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. We have to make a decision for Jesus Christ if we are to fight the temptations of the devil. When we make this decision, our sin is forgiven and we are made right with God and filled with his Holy Spirit to help and guide us. All of this is in the Bible. One cannot resist evil without being sure of their salvation. The devil is a cunning adversary who can bring doubt to the most sure believer. Imagine what he can do with an unsaved person or luke warm believer.

Finally, Paul says that we should pray in the spirit. We must fight the temptations of evil by calling it out to God. When we admit our weakness and fall before the Lord, He will give us strength. Evil thoughts and impulses must be shouted down with constant prayer, meditation and journaling. Try memorizing a scripture and praying every day for a week for God to make it real in your life. Ask for protection, cry for relief and ultimately trust only God for healing. Be honest in confronting the evil that surrounds your life and call for it to be cast out in Jesus' Name.

Look, I don't like to go around with the name of Satan on my lips. When we do that we only give him more power over our lives. But we must call it what it is. If Jesus had to endure temptation did we think we wouldn't have to? Evil has always been there and will always be until Christ comes again and we experience the new heaven and earth.

Too many of us want to explain evil away and blame it on broken people, an imperfect society or some other psychological condition. We want to believe that evil isn't real it is only imagined by us in our condition. We want to personify it so we can shirk responsibility for own bad decisions and failings. This thinking ignores the biblical record and what Scripture says about the origins of evil.

Lead us not into temptation.