The Lies We Encounter

     A golf instruction website included a lesson entitled "Encountering Lies in Your Game".  As I read on I learned that the author was using the word 'lies' to refer to the many different playing conditions in which one could find their ball after a shot; below the feet, side hill lie, in tall grass, in a divot, etc.  The lesson title could also have been interpreted as referring to times when golfers might exaggerate their handicap or fail to count all strokes on a particular hole.  Those too are lies we sometimes encounter in golf.
     But when I thought further about "Encountering Lies in Your Game" it hit me that the place where we encounter the most dangerous lies with the greatest destructive potential is in the 'game' of life as a follower of Jesus.  I'm not saying that life as a disciple of Jesus is a 'game'.  I am simply using the word as a metaphor for being a participant with Jesus in the life of faith.
     We have a very real, spiritual enemy who is at work all the time to undermine and derail our pursuit of victory over sin as followers of Jesus.  He is called Satan, the devil.  His name means adversary and accuser and his primary weapon is deception.  The Bible says, "When he [Satan] lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and father of lies."  John 8:44 (NIV).
     Here are two destructive lies we can encounter and what the Bible says about them:

• I've got that destructive habit or compulsion under control and I don't have to be concerned about it anymore.  The devil told you, "It's all about moderation.  A little bit won't hurt." 

The Bible says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" 1 Cor 10:12 (NIV)

• I know it was wrong.  What I did was a mistake.  I made a bad choice but for all the right reasons so it really wasn't a sin.  The devil told you, "Yeah, it was wrong but it wasn't that bad."

The Bible says, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him [God] out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1 John 1:10 (NIV)

Here's how to keep from being a casualty of the lies we encounter.  "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith," 1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV).  Resist, stand firm, live in victory!