Misinformation and the father of lies

Misinformation and the father of lies

The devil 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

2 Corinthians 11:14-15

 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

 15 Therefore, it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,

 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

 5 We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

In 2018, many analysts and experts agreed that the prevalent issue of the year was misinformation. In the information age, there are unintended consequences, including the widespread dissemination of false information and deliberate disinformation. Misinformation often involves lies, delusions, and stubborn beliefs, with false stories proliferating from various sources, such as Russian troll farms, social media, news outlets, Congress, and even the White House. The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh demonstrated how evidence-based, objective truth was brought into question.

On August 19, 2018, Rudy Giuliani, when a lawyer for the White House, controversially stated, “truth isn’t truth,” implying that truth is subjective and influenced by one’s partisan beliefs. Misinformation pervades storylines. Misinformation and propaganda aim to create doubt about the obvious, leading to alternate explanations, interpretations, and views that can crowd out the facts.

In contrast, Absolute Truth is a unique gift from the Father. True Truth never varies, compromises, or synthesizes. It remains steadfast and unwavering and confronts all falsehood and deceit. Absolute Truth stands alone in opposition to all other conflicting opinions and points of view.

How do we know when we are being told a lie? To discern lies, we must test all information against the standard of the Word of God. Therefore, it is essential to be in the Word, reflecting and meditating on what we read and internalizing it in our hearts and minds.

The enemy of our souls, the father of lies, is a master of misinformation and disinformation. He employs lies, deceit, and duplicity to accomplish his surreptitious goals. The enemy murders goodness, chastity, honor, honesty, beauty, and all that makes life lovely. Evil routinely destroys.

In stark contrast, Christ brings life, and Christ leads to life. He provides the Way, the Truth, and the Life which leads to the Father. We can prepare and train our minds to engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy’s forces by taking every thought captive and aligning them with the truth of Christ.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon each child of the King to develop a sophisticated Truth filter. We must equip ourselves to discern truth from falsehood and recognize the enemy’s tactics.

John 8:44 [The evil one] speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

When the evil one speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature. The Greek phrase translatedas from his own nature is ek ton idiom. The enemy of our souls speaks from his essential character. He is doing what comes naturally. He disassembles and prevaricates.

REFLECT & PRAY

Each of us can remember when we were confused and immature regarding the truth of the Word of God. For some of us, that might not have been too long ago. It may still seem so.

Father kindle within me the desire and energize me to get into and remain in the Word of Truth. Let the truth of Scripture permeate my mind, soul, and spirit.

INSIGHT

The Lord Jesus Christ and the enemy are diametrically opposed. While Jesus loves and desires the best for us, the enemy hates and seeks our downfall. Jesus brings life and light, whereas the enemy brings death and destruction.

The battleground for this conflict is the mind. The apostle Paul stresses the importance of preparing and training our minds for spiritual warfare. We are to take captive every thought and make it obey the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must recognize and combat the invisible, intangible spiritual forces that the enemy promotes. He repeatedly spreads false information and propaganda contradicting the Father’s revealed Truth. His half-truths may appear wise and sophisticated, but they are hollow, pretentious, and fallacious, creating despair, misery, and death.

A Truth filter equips us to separate valuable information from worthless, tangential, and base material. By reflecting and meditating on God’s Word, we can internalize the Truth in our minds, souls, and spirits and allow it to permeate every aspect of our lives.

Jeremiah 15:19 If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman.

How do we become His spokesman?

“The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime” (Alan Redpath). Conversion happens instantly; maturity takes many years.

The Father must bring us to the end of ourselves through brokenness. Our weakness is transformed into strength, hope, and confidence when the Father is finished.

We learn to downsize and discard. We purge ourselves of this trait and that habit. We repent of unsuitable goals and desires. Finally, we strip ourselves of all self until we can truly say, “All that I am and all that I have is God’s. He is in me, and I am in Him, and that’s all that matters.”

Pause and consider. What have you put between you and total surrender to God? What do you trust more than you trust God? Who are what do you love more than you love God?

The Father is at work to change you and bring you spiritual maturity. His goal is to use you to lead others to wholeness and spiritual maturity. No matter how long or difficult the process may take, God will continue to break you and bring you to a place of wholeness and spiritual maturity.

What an honor and joy to know that the Father is with us, working in and through us.

He equips us to tear down the strongholds of misinformation and replace them with absolute Truth. The Father has promised, “I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 15:20).

One day we will hear the triumphal words of our Father’s pleasure and delight, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

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© Dr. H 2023