The Power of a Lie - Part 2

You know, it never ceases to amaze me how much power lies can have over us as human beings. Earlier today, I was thinking about one lie in particular that has gotten the best of me time and time again.

The lie that says, "You're the only person in the world who deals with ________. You'll never escape it. And no one can help you. In fact, no one would because they've never had to deal with it and no one could possibly understand what you're going through."

It is this very lie that leads many, many Christians into despair. Not only because of the inability to see or find any way out of whatever sin that the Christian is dealing with, but the fear that no one else has ever dealt with it. This fear so often leads to a feeling of inadequacy among other believers and a feeling of inferiority. This feeling of inferiority will often times lead to a need for isolation from other Christians for fear of judgment from them that would lead to an ostracization and rejection by those fellow Christians. Before long, one begins to doubt if even God can help and even if He cares enough to want to help. I can say from personal experience that this is not a fun place to be.

But, just like any other question in life, this too is answered by Scripture. The verse that really helped me out and really hits the nail on the head is this one.

1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

In case you didn't catch it, let me repeat that first part for you - "No temptation has seized you except that which is common to man."

In that statement is a profound and liberating truth. The truth that you and I are not alone in our struggles. Once you begin to understand that, the door opens to so many new possibilities. Gone is the fear of being the only one who struggles with one sin or another. Gone is the need for isolation. Now, there comes a knowledge of the truth that there is freedom from sin in Christ, regardless of what it may be or how often it has been a besetting sin.

However, the fight cannot end there. The next question to ask is "Where does that lie come from?" Let me answer that question for you with Revelation 12:10 - "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down." That's right, just like every other lie, this too comes from Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44).

From there comes the part where we must retaliate. For guidance in this matter, I refer to 1 Peter 5:9 - "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." As this verse says, resist Satan in the faith, not in your own strength, but in Christ's and with the Word of God (Eph. 6:16-17) and remember that your brothers and sisters in Christ are facing the same kinds of struggles.

It may sound cliche for me to say this, but if you're struggling with something, get help from stronger, more mature Christians. If they can't give advice, they can at least offer prayer support. More importantly, the best way to combat this lie and any other lie is to constantly remind yourself of the Gospel and of the mercy, grace, patience, and love of God (a lesson that a friend of mine taught me not too long ago).

1 John 4:10 - "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

-Jason Clarke
Bassist of Generic Music Group