May 4, 2007
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
--John 8:44
In this exchange with the religious leaders of the day, Jesus unfolds for us the true nature of the devil. He is a liar. In fact, lying is at the very core of his nature.
One of the areas he lies about is doubt. He loves to place little deposits of doubt and questions into our minds. Now, doubt isn’t necessarily wrong in itself, but there is good doubt and bad doubt.
For instance, having questions about what it means to truly believe in Christ is fine, as long as we bring these doubts to the Lord and seek the truth. But the enemy will try to rob you of your faith by causing you to mistrust God and His Word…and when you allow him that victory, that is “bad doubt.” Because this is exactly what Satan wants you to do.
I’ve heard of many young people who were raised in church, but when they went off to college, they dropped Christianity like a bad habit. They turned away from the faith because of the doubt raised by others around them.
Let me remind you that Satan is just the same today as he was in Genesis. He puts questions in your mind, and tries to get you to reject what God has said. And the more you understand this truth, the more effective you will be in standing firm in your faith, not allowing the sinful culture around you to affect your life.
So here’s what I want you to do today. I want you to commit to spending time in God’s Word every day, grounding yourself in His truth. When you do, you will build a hedge around you heart and mind, and be able to stand against the doubts the devil will put in your mind.
DON’T GIVE SATAN A FOOTHOLD IN YOUR MIND BY QUESTIONING WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE UNQUESTIONABLY TRUE.