The devil is a liar.
But sometimes he tells the truth.
A fisherman can’t just throw a line with a hook attached to it into the water and expect to catch any fish. He has to conceal the hook by pairing it with a shiny lure or a juicy worm.
Likewise, the devil can’t just deal in obvious lies, or we’d never fall for his traps. If he went around telling us that scissors are a great baby gift, gravity doesn’t exist, and Drain-O is safe to drink, we’d laugh him right out of town.
And so the devil is like an evil fisherman, who pairs his lies with truth to make them seem convincing. By using a little bit of truth to make his claims seem believable, he can trick us into opening wide and accepting the whole thing as true.
That’s how he catches us in a snare of discouragement and despair, reeling us into his clutches, away from God and His will.
For example, here’s a lure we are all familiar with:
“You don’t have the money you need.”
Those seven words might be true at any given moment. And because we can clearly see that those words are true, the Father of Lies goes for the kill with his hook, a lie he hopes we will accept as true, too.
“You don’t have the money you need. You’ll never have the money you need.“
“You are single. You will always be alone.“
“You screwed up. You find a way to screw everything up.“
“You haven’t figured out how to solve that problem. That problem will never get solved.“
Even though the first part may be true, the second part is not. It only feels true because it follows something that is.
Just as the bait tricks a fish into taking in the hook, the devil’s clever use of truth tricks us into taking in his lie. He hopes it will be our cue to commence the fear and panic.
He’s an evil fisherman who makes his living with half-truths.
But we must not take the bait. We must not settle for half-truths. Nothing less than The Truth will do. So when it comes to statements like the ones above, we have to do a little editing and remove the hook.
“You don’t have the money you need.”
“You are single.”
“You screwed up.”
“You haven’t figured out a way to solve that problem.”
We’re left with statements that may be true, but they’re not the whole truth. If you remove the lie, erase the period, and let Jesus in through His word, the narrative changes and the truth emerges:
“…but with God, all things are possible…I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope…Your Father knows what you need, but seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you as well…Don’t be afraid, just believe.” (Matt 19:26, Jer 29:11, Matt 6:32-33, Mark 5:36)
Letting Jesus finish the sentence changes everything.
Whenever the devil tries to discourage you with one of his half-truths, make a point to cast aside the hook and let God finish the story.
“You are weak,” the devil sneers, reaching for his hook.
And you know what? He is right. But Jesus finishes the statement with:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
The devil makes his living with half-truths.
Leave a Reply