The Devil's Tongue - Himalayan Heights – May 19 Readings: Super 7 – John 8:44

 Super 7 - Key Scriptures for All Christians

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  John 8:44

The "Super 7" refers to 7 passages I consider formative in my Bible Study and Christian life. They are taken from both the Old Testament and the New, various sources and various subjects.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

How does Satan work? Is he going to overpower you, possess you, and make you do terrible things? That isn't what the Bible says. John 8:44 reveals the plan of our enemy. 

Through the Bible Readings: 1 Kings 3-4, John 4:1–19, Psalm 64:5–10, Proverbs 13:11-12

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: The Devil's Tongue     

The scripture lays bare Satan’s wiles; his deceitful work. John 8:44 details Satan’s purpose and methods. “He (Satan) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.” NIV

What motivates Satan to do his evil work? He is a murderer. His greatest desire is to tear down whatever God builds up, to kill and to destroy. Satan does not have the power, by himself, to take human life. God is sovereign and holds the power of life and death. The murder described here is the murder of the soul; the destruction of the work of God in the human heart. Satan’s greatest joy is that men would join him in the lake of fire; would experience the second death.

But he has a problem. He is not God and he does not have the power of God. He cannot destroy the work that God is doing. He cannot stop God’s work of redemption or renewal. But Satan has found a way to satisfy his murderous desires.

Balak was the king of Moab and wanted to bring a curse on the people of God, Israel, who had come out of Egypt and were moving toward the Promised Land. He hired a prophet, Balaam, and paid him to bring a curse against God’s people. Every time Balaam tried to curse Israel it became a blessing. Obedient Israel was protected by God and could not be cursed. But Balaam did give Balak an idea that removed God’s protection and brought a curse to the people. In Numbers 25, the Moabite women seduced the men of Israel into immorality. Then God did what Balaam could not do. He cursed Israel. A great plague broke out on Israel because of their sin. Balaam could not curse Israel, but Israel could bring God’s judgment on themselves through sin.

Satan’s power is limited by the sovereignty of God. In Job, we learn that Satan must seek permission to inflict pain on God’s people. However, there is another way he can accomplish his work. If people make the choice to sin, they will suffer the consequences of that sin and come under the discipline and judgment of God. He could not drive Adam and Eve out of the garden. But he could influence them to get themselves driven out of paradise. His chief purpose, then, in his dealings with humanity is to influence us to make the wrong choices that will bring us under God’s discipline or judgment. Remember that when you face temptation. Satan seeks to induce you to choose that which will cost you God’s blessing and bring you under his discipline.

Satan’s motive is murder. His method is equally clear. He lies. “When he lies, he speaks his native language.” He lies to us so that we will choose what is wrong and bring the judgment of a Holy God down on our lives.

Every sin begins with a lie. Genesis 3 reveals a series of lies that Satan told Adam and Eve to seduce them into sin. They listened to his lies and lost the Garden. Today, Satan comes to us with the same lies he told them.

We are born speaking Satan’s tongue, the language of lies. Children learn to lie very naturally. Humans are born speaking Satan’s language of deceit. And as we grow up, we tend to fall prey to the lies that Satan tells. Then, when we are saved, we are introduced to a new language, the Truth of God. As we immerse ourselves in the truth of God that is found in God’s Word, we learn to think and speak in that language. That is the first step in victory over sin – we must learn to speak a new language, God’s truth.

Steve Hyde, an independent missionary to Cambodia, spoke at our church. He has completely immersed himself in Cambodian language and culture. He married a Cambodian woman. He now speaks perfect Cambodian. In fact, he has so immersed himself in Cambodian that he found himself stumbling over his words in English - his native tongue. That is our goal. We have grown up speaking the lies of Satan, but now we have come to Christ. He is teaching us a new language, truth. We must so immerse ourselves in God’s truth that the language of lies becomes foreign to us.

Father, help me to be renewed in my mind, to develop the mind of Christ, so that Satan's lies cannot sway me and I will not be deceived. 

Think and Pray:

Do you immerse yourself in the word to avoid Satan's lies?
You have probably struggled to find God's will for your life. Have you ever wondered what Satan is trying to do in your mind and heart - what lies he is telling you?