In today’s blog, I want to share “A Word, A Song and A Laugh” to encourage you as it relates to something we don’t hear much about — a lying spirit.
A WORD:
This is what the Lord says …
“I listen to their conversations
and don’t hear a word of truth.
Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?
Does anyone say, ‘What a terrible thing I have done’?
No! All are running down the path of sin
as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!”
Jeremiah 8:1, 6
So, the other day I watched the morning news for a few minutes and then as I left my house to hop into the car to run a few errands, I heard these words: “lying spirit.”
Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to discern that. But, I said to myself, “Yes! That explains it!” That explains why, like the rest of the world, we have been scratching our heads for the past several years and thinking things like: “this makes no sense.” “that’s crazy” “this is nuts” “something doesn’t add up” “these are blatant lies” “the world has gone mad” “they can’t really believe that” “what happened to 2 + 2” and the like — you know what I’m talking about because you live on the same planet, see the same news clips and social media posts I do.
When I heard the words, “lying spirit” — it made perfect sense. So much of what we hear and see doesn’t make sense because it’s not true — it’s a lie being propagated by a lying spirit that whispers lies that are repeated by willing participants.
This concept of a lying spirit and its relevance in today's world is a larger topic and worthy of more than a short devo, but let me introduce it here with the hopes that it helps to explain what’s happening in large part in our world today.
In the Bible, a lying spirit refers to a demon or spiritual being that promotes deception, falsehood, and leads people astray from the truth. It is mentioned in various biblical passages, such as 1 Kings 22:19-23 and 2 Chronicles 18:18-22. (This is distinct from the temptation to lie that are part of our fleshly nature — this is a spirit entity.)
The story in the passages above recount the prophet Micaiah's vision of a heavenly council where a lying spirit offered to deceive the wicked king Ahab. The spirit's purpose was to entice Ahab into making unwise decisions that ultimately led to his downfall. (Notice the lying spirit’s work in the highest levels of leadership.)
In a broader context, the concept of a lying spirit symbolizes the presence of spiritual or moral deception in the world. It represents the idea that there are forces at work that seek to have power, distort the truth, mislead people, and lead them away from righteousness.
Jesus talked quite plainly about the devil and his lies. Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” John 8:42-47
So, how prevalent is a lying spirit today? It appears to be quite prevalent. The enemy is and has always been a liar and the father of all lies and there are certainly influences and factors that can lead to deception and falsehood. The Bible tells us that in the last days deception will increase and we can see the work of lying spirits at work in this regard. Someone recently said they believe we are in a “civil war of the narrative” — and it’s easy to see that misinformation, propaganda, dishonesty, and manipulation are prevalent in various forms, including politics, media, religion, medicine, business, culture and social interactions. These can mislead people, sow discord, and hinder the pursuit of truth and justice. How do we recognize a lying spirit?
6 Ways to Recognize a Lying Spirit:
1. A lying spirit can not receive the truth. (John 8:43-45)
2. A lying spirit denies the Lordship of Jesus Christ (that He is God). (1 John 2:22)
3. A lying spirit stands with a majority opinion (many times). (2 Chronicles 18:21)
4. A lying spirit doesn’t listen to believers. (1 John 4:5-6)
5. A lying spirit speaks words that fail to come to pass. (2 Chronicles 18:27)
6. A lying spirit entices men to destruction. (2 Chronicles 18:19-21)
(This list is an excerpt from: https://aheartforgod.org/2013/09/09/7-ways-to-recognize-a-lying-spirit)
What is our response?
Step 1: Stay in the TRUTH and always side in with God. Jesus is the truth and His Word is truth. (John 14:6, John 17:17)
Step 2:When you are annoyed and worn out by it — remember our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers in spiritual realms and we’ve been given authority — so take authority over it in Jesus’ Name, just as the Apostle Paul did over a spirit of divination in Acts 16.
“As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling. 17 She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation! 18 And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment.” Acts 16:16-18
Step 3: I encourage you to remember that the Bible also emphasizes the importance of exercising wisdom, discernment and relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is the ultimate source of truth, and through prayer, study, and spiritual discernment, we can navigate through the challenges of deception and falsehood.
As we cultivate our relationship with God and ground ourselves in His Word, we can develop the discernment to recognize and reject lies and falsehoods and embrace the truth. It's important to let God’s Word dwell in you richly, to stay rooted in basic biblical teachings, seek wisdom, and encourage fellow believers to do the same.
Remember, the Bible tells us that the truth will set us free so as we align ourselves with God's truth, we can overcome the growing influences of deception and falsehood in our world.
That’s all for today…I hope you are encouraged to be attentive to truth and to reject every lying spirit, in Jesus’ Name!
