The archenemy of your soul doesn’t want you to live in victory over your sin. He doesn’t want you living a godly life—what’s the fun in that? So, he disguises himself and wages an all-out war against you. He attacks your mind with his lies to keep you from growing in your walk with God. Once he has you questioning the truth of God’s Word, you begin to listen to his denial of God’s Word. Then he moves in for the final blow.
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
The archenemy of your soul doesn’t want you to live in victory over your sin. He doesn’t want you living a godly life—what’s the fun in that? So, he disguises himself and wages an all-out war against you. He attacks your mind with his lies to keep you from growing in your walk with God. Once he has you questioning the truth of God’s Word, you begin to listen to his denial of God’s Word. Then he moves in for the final blow.
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
The archenemy of your soul doesn’t want you to live in victory over your sin. He doesn’t want you living a godly life—what’s the fun in that? So, he disguises himself and wages an all-out war against you. He attacks your mind with his lies to keep you from growing in your walk with God. Once he has you questioning the truth of God’s Word, you begin to listen to his denial of God’s Word. Then he moves in for the final blow.
Welcome to the Point of Purity Podcast! I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #153. In this week’s episode we continue walking through Chapter 9 of my book entitled “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” This week’s episode is entitled “The Truth About the Lie.”
Back in the 1960s there was a popular TV show called The Twilight Zone. An episode entitled “The Howling Man” tells the story of an American who goes on a walking trip through central Europe. Suddenly he is caught in a raging storm. Staggering through the blinding rain, he comes upon an impressive medieval castle—home to a reclusive brotherhood of monks. They reluctantly take him in to provide shelter.
Later that night, the curious American decides to explore. Deep in the bowels of the castle, he finds a cell with a man locked inside. An ancient wooden staff lies across the door, holding it shut. The prisoner inside claims he is being held captive by the head monk, an insane man named Brother Jerome, and he pleads with the American to be merciful and release him.
The prisoner has a kindly face and a gentle voice. So, the American, convinced the prisoner is being unjustly held against his will, confronts the head monk. Brother Jerome tells the American that the prisoner is none other than Satan himself, the father of lies. The wooden bar across the prison door is the Staff of Truth, the one and only barrier he cannot pass.
The American, now convinced the prisoner is right and Jerome is indeed mad, rushes to the prison door and removes the wooden Staff of Truth, thereby releasing the prisoner—who immediately transforms into a hideous, horned demon and vanishes in a puff of smoke.
The stunned American is horrified at the realization of what he has done and confesses his deed to Jerome. “I’m sorry for you, my son,” Jerome responds. “All your life you will remember this night and whom you have turned loose upon the world.”
“I didn’t believe you,” the American replies. “I saw him, but I didn’t recognize him!”
“That,” Jerome observes, “is man’s weakness … and Satan’s strength.”
The archenemy of your soul doesn’t want you to live in victory over your sin. He doesn’t want you living a godly life—what’s the fun in that? So, he disguises himself and wages an all-out war against you. He attacks your mind with his lies to keep you from growing in your walk with God.
If you listened to last week’s episode entitled “Destroyed by Deception” you may recall that Step#1 of Satan’s master plan with Adam and Eve was getting Eve to question God’s Word. He began his crafty deception with a seemingly innocent question. He coyly asked her, “Did God really say what you think He said? What if you heard wrong? What if you’re misinterpreting what He meant?” It was a simple question meant to cast doubt. We then saw how Eve responded to that particular strategy. She took away from God’s Word.
Step #2 of Satan’s plan was to boldly, flat-out deny God’s Word. “You will not surely die,” he whispered in Eve’s ear. You see, when you begin to question God’s Word, it’s not long before you then deny God’s Word. When you begin to doubt the truth of what God says, it becomes easy for you to decide to do something other than what God says. Doubting God’s truth will always lead to rejecting God’s truth. Once again, Eve’s response is very revealing. She added to God’s Word. “God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die” (Genesis 3:3).
Once Satan has you questioning the truth of God’s Word, you then begin to listen to his denial of God’s Word. And that’s when he moves in for the final blow. Step #3: He inserts his own lies in place of God’s Word, convincing you the lie is truth. “God knows that if you eat the fruit of this tree, you will know the truth. You will see just what kind of God He really is. You will finally see how He’s been using you. He doesn’t care about you. In fact, He knows that if you eat that fruit, you will be like He is, and that threatens Him!”
Listen closely as I read Genesis 3:4-5. See if you can identify Satan’s lie. The Devil said to Eve, “You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
Can you identify the lie? You see, Adam and Eve were already created after the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27), but Satan got them to question and then doubt that truth. Once they did that, it was easy for them to accept his lie substituted as being truth.
Sound familiar? Isn’t that exactly how Satan works today? His M.O. (modus operandi) hasn’t changed. Satan’s lie, “You will be like God,” still motivates and controls mankind today. Even as Super Men of God we are often sucked into that same mindset. Every time I put King Me on the throne of my heart, I am buying into the enemy’s lie that I can control my life and I can determine my own destiny. I want, I need … I deserve!
Moses said, “There is no one like the Lord our God.” (Exodus 8:10) God Himself said, “There is no one like me in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:14) Samuel said, “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you.” (2 Samuel 7:22) David said, “There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God but you.” (1 Chronicles 17:20) Again God said, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)
That is the truth that permeates all of Scripture. No one can be like God. Satan is a liar. And yet so many men, Christian men, Super Men of God, are choosing daily to believe the lie, trying to live in their own power and wisdom—turning to God only when their own efforts have failed them.
When we try to figure out life without looking to God’s Word, when we attempt to make choices without seeking the guidance of our Heavenly Father, we become vulnerable to input from ungodly influences. Those influences will never lead us down the right path. They will try to sway us away from God.
When we begin to doubt God’s Word and deny God’s truth, when we allow Satan’s deceitful lies to take the place of God’s absolute truth, we will no longer see the necessity for God’s Word. The result: we will begin to live a life apart from God’s will.
By using the strategy that he did, Satan convinced Eve to think about what that tree could do for her, instead of what God had already done. He influenced her thinking with his lies so that she doubted and questioned God’s Word. That’s when she was open to rejecting God’s truth. The final blow came when she accepted Satan’s lies as the truth and reached out, not only taking the fruit, but eating it as well.
OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our journey through my book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry, be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.
As we conclude this week’s powerful podcast, I’d like to take just a moment and give you a glimpse into our ministry. You see, we do a whole lot more here at The Pure Man Ministry than just producing a weekly podcast. We have a free APP entitled “My Purity Coach.” This app is chocked full of powerful tools to help you in your walk of purity. You’ll find tons of Scripture. Audio and video lessons from the Bible. You can even listen to this podcast from the app.
If you’re a subscriber to this podcast, then you’ve heard me talk about our “Point of Purity Program” – a 12 week, 1-on-1, Bible-Centered coaching program taking you deep into Scripture to teach you how to develop a lifelong strategic plan for sexual purity. I’ve also talked on this podcast about the various books I have written which are all available both on my website (ThePurityCoach.com) and on Amazon.
As a faith-based, donor-supported ministry, all of this (and so much more) is only made possible by our team of Purity Coach Partners who give financially to support this ministry. Without compromise the primary focus of The Pure Man Ministry is showing men how to have a continuous relationship with Jesus that is real and personal. To that end we need financial assistance from partners like you who are committed to providing hope and helping men and women across the globe win their personal battle against the beast of sexual impurity. I am personally inviting you to join us as we impact our world by equipping and training men and women how-to live-in purity, godliness, and integrity. To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner. And thank you – from the bottom of my heart, thank you for choosing to partner with us!
If you have not yet subscribed to this Point of Purity Podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!
So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.