Colleen Orchanian

[Part 3 of a series on spiritual warfare]

Have you ever heard someone speak about "their God?" My God is this. My God is that. My God wouldn't do XYZ. Maybe you have said those words or something like that. When we say, My God in this way, it implies something. It might imply that I have created a God who agrees with me (rather than me agreeing with my Creator God). It might imply that there are multiple gods and this is the one I have chosen, when the reality is that there is only one true God, and He has chosen me. It might imply that each of us gets our own God as if there are many to choose from when there is only one. All others are counterfeits.

How we see God is important. What we know about God is important. How we relate to God is important. Not just important—but transformational. That's why Satan attacks our image of God. He doesn't want us to know who God is, and so proposes counterfeit images. He lies to us about God and wants us to doubt Him. That was the strategy in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. "Did God really say you would die if you ate the fruit? That won't happen. He doesn't want you to know what he knows. He doesn't want you to be like Him." Adam and Eve believed the lie. They didn't trust God.

There are many lies about God. All of them blind us to the truth about Him. All of them are used as an obstacle to trusting fully in God's providence. Here are some common lies about God used in spiritual warfare:

God is not real. The wise and the learned are not so stupid to believe in myths and fairy tales. In reality, there is so much evidence for God that only the arrogant and blind don't believe. The most brilliant minds in history believed: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Galileo, and Isaac Newton. Even the devil believes in God. There is more historical evidence for Jesus Christ than for Alexander the Great. Many great minds have argued for the existence of God. Check out the writings of CS Lewis and GK Chesterton. Paul wrote that those who don't believe in God are fools because the evidence is all around them (Romans 1:19-20). They are deceived by the father of lies.

God is watching from a distance. It's a pretty song by Bette Midler, but it's a lie. God is near to us, in our hearts and in our minds. (Matthew 22:37) Augustine wrote in his Confessions, You were within me but I was outside and it was there that I searched for you. God is personal. He wants a relationship with each one of us. That relationship will be unique because we are unique, and God loves us in the way we most need to be loved. He is so near to us that Jesus came in human form. He walked and talked and healed and taught. He touched people and changed their lives, like the Samaritan woman at the well. This lie about God being distant is designed to make us feel alone. But we are not alone. God is always with us. If you don't feel His Presence, it's not because He isn't there. Don't believe the lie.

God is not all-powerful. Fear me (the devil). I know people who believe that the devil and God are equally powerful. But the Bible tells us something different. Jesus cast out demons. They are afraid of Him. They had to obey Him. Satan wants us to fear him when we should really fear God. This lie is dangerous because when we fear the devil, we may go to other sources to protect ourselves, sources other than God. The occult is very active right now, with people seeking to use the powers of the devil to get what they want. But what happens is that they become slaves of an evil master.

God wants you to be happy. Do whatever you like. Eat, drink, and be merry! Everyone goes to heaven, so don't worry. This lie is about God's view of sin. It's about indulging in our passions even when they contradict God's laws. Is God merciful? Yes! Absolutely. Does he care if we sin? Yes! Absolutely. What did he say to the woman caught in adultery? Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more. After healing the paralytic, he said: Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more so that nothing worse happens to you. How often did he talk about hell? The separation of the sheep and the goats. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. Heaven is for real, but so is Hell. This lie about God can lead us straight to hell.

God is not all loving. He can't love you. This lie is a blend of a lie about you and a lie about God. The truth is that God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is willing the good of the other. That's why Jesus became incarnate, so that He could die for love of us—me and you. This lie works if we have not experienced love in human relationships. It works if we equate love with getting what we want. If you loved me, you would… If God loved me, he would… Those are lies planted by Satan to make us doubt God's love for us. A remedy is to pray with a crucifix. Find the most realistic one you can and see how much he loves you.

God doesn't care about your suffering. He's punishing you. Remember Job's friends? They insisted that Job was being punished for some sin, even though he denied it. You might believe this if you grew up hearing, God's punishing you for that. The lie is that God is indifferent to your suffering and may have even caused it. This can't be true because God is good. Suffering is evil. God doesn't will suffering, but he permits it to bring about some greater good. Paul wrote about a thorn in his side, asking God to remove it. But God told him My Grace is enough. When we suffer, God suffers with us. When we suffer, we suffer with Jesus on the cross. We make up for what was lacking in the suffering of Christ (Colossians 1:24).

As you consider these different lies about God, maybe one of them hit home. Maybe you have believed or still believe one or more of them. If you do, you are under attack. Satan wants to keep you from knowing God as He truly is, from putting complete trust in Him. So what can you do?

1. Identify the lie you believe. Put it in words. It may be just as I've said it here or in another way. Try to complete this sentence: I can't trust God because He…

2. Pray about why you believe that lie. What makes you susceptible to that specific spiritual attack when others are not? Be curious about this. Don't beat yourself up. Just wonder: Why does this work with me?

3. Ask why Satan wants you to believe this lie. What is his goal? We know he wants to keep you from God, but in what specific way?

4. Read the Gospels to learn about God so you can recognize when you are presented with a counterfeit. We can't trust someone we don't know. Jesus came to reveal the Father to humanity because we had it wrong. We didn't know God as He is. We thought he was all about the rules. Jesus can help us know the love of the Father. Get to know His Word.

Our God is an awesome God. The world is filled with lies about Him, but we don't have to believe those lies. We can know the truth and the Truth will set us free. Let God set you free from this spiritual attack.

Questions for prayer:

1. In what way have you experienced this spiritual attack—the lies about God? How has that affected your faith and trust in God?

2. What actions can you take to overcome the lies you believe about God?