LiesSample

Strategy

It’s worth noting that when the serpent wanted to destroy Adam and Eve, he didn’t just come and bite them in the leg. The serpent knew that physical attacks would only go so far. He would need something much more destructive to wage war against humanity and God’s glory. He would need to assault their hearts and minds with doubts, suspicions, and fear. He would need lies.

In the Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers (the second installment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy), there is an epic battle between the forces of good and evil that pits thousands of men and Orcs against one another for control of the Hornburg fortress. As steel clashes against steel, it appears that the strongest army will be the one to win the day, but off to the side, barely noticeable, a small band of enemy fighters carries a seemingly insignificant object to a vulnerable place in the castle wall. Having found an opening there, the warriors detonate what turns out to be a bomb – with devastating consequences. Once the wall is breached, it is only a matter of time before the mongrel horde makes its way inside.

This is a vivid example of one of our enemy’s favorite strategies: distract us with a frontal assault and then quietly sabotage us at our place of vulnerability. Just like the bomb that ultimately decided the fate of that fictitious battle, lies do not have to be big to be effective. While we may be keen to avoid the heavy artillery that can easily take down our lives, we are less prone to guard against our adversary’s more subtle attacks. But even small holes in our wall can let in some pretty powerful weaponry. We must be on our guard against them.

The apostle Paul gives us a clear picture of how to do this when he depicts our battle against the enemy in terms of a Roman soldier’s uniform. Included in this spiritual armor is a shield of faith. Shields are meant to protect rather than attack, which is faith's role in our lives. How effective is it? Paul says that our shield is strong enough to withstand our enemy's fiery salvos.

This is good news, especially in those times when we are most vulnerable. Jesus knew something about vulnerability and how to shield Himself against Satan’s attacks. Having been led into the wilderness by the Spirit, He fasted for 40 days and became hungry (perhaps a bit of an understatement?). At that point, Satan swooped in to pounce on what he must have regarded as a moment of weakness in Jesus’ life. The first thing he goes after is Jesus’ felt need: You are hungry, and I have the plan to make you full.

Ironically, Satan’s words were completely true. Jesus is the Son of God, and He did have the ability to turn those stones into bread. This is another strategy of our enemy: telling us something that’s true but then misusing that truth to lead us in a different direction. Satan is happy to tell the truth as long as he can use it to serve his purposes. But when the truth becomes inconvenient, lies become a much better alternative.

In any battle, shields are only as effective as our ability to use them. Next, we’ll look at how to wield this ever-so-important item in our arsenal and keep ourselves from being scorched. And we’ll pick up on the story of Jesus in the wilderness and watch a master warrior in action.

Prayer

Lord, make me keenly aware of the enemy’s strategy to tell lies and twist the truth to cause me to believe and think wrongly. Teach me how to take up the shield of faith you have given me and show me how to be victorious over the devil’s schemes and the lies I am prone to tell myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.