Overcoming deceptions from the father of lies
What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out his plan, for we want to know what it is.” What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever. What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold. Isaiah 5:18-22
Adam and Eve committed sin because of the deception Satan placed in their minds. Satan persuaded them that the way to experiencing the fullness of life is by disobeying God’s command. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil” (Genesis 3:3-5). Satan persuades people that what God calls evil, he tells them that it is good. Adam and Eve were convinced and disobeyed God and great was the consequence of their sin. In spite of the fact that what Satan presents is irrational especially when God’s command is clear, yet he continues to deceive people into believing him rather than God. From the text, this is what the prophet Isaiah was telling the Israelites. If they will not come to their senses and will continue to let Satan convince them of his lies, they will remain in their sin and will not recognize God for who He is and who He should be in their lives. We too can easily fall into temptation when we start to buy into the lies of Satan. He will always pretend to deceive us by blinding us to see what God calls wicked and turning it into something good and pleasurable. This is also what prevented the religious leaders to realize that Jesus is the Messiah. They exchanged trusting God by believing that Jesus has come to be their Savior with their religious rituals. So the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked them by telling them that they have allowed themselves to be deceived by Satan. “He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). It is important that we have a clear grasp of what God is telling us to do. When you claim you are a child of God, you are accountable in keeping yourself faithful to His word and His commands. Let His Spirit lead you in doing what pleases God. “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves... the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires” (Galatians 5:16-17).
Blessings.
