You can walk the streets of Moscow today and forget that an illegal war is being waged by your own country just across the border. A Russian member of parliament was being interviewed by the BBC yesterday. According to her, there is no war. What is happening in Ukraine is a military operation to liberate and assist endangered Russian-speaking families. Thousands of Ukrainians have celebrated the arrival of Russian troops with open, grateful arms. No civilian buildings have been targeted. The special operations will come to a successful end soon. The lies just kept coming. After listening for a few minutes, it suddenly hit me… she actually believes all of this.
Lies are powerful. Jesus says that Satan lies because it flows naturally from his character (John 8:44). Satan used lies from the beginning and they serve him as weapons today because they are so effective against the human heart. The Bible shows us how lies can be powerful in several ways.
- Lies are attractive because they give us what we wanted to hear in the first place. Paul warns that people will seek after teachings that suit their passions (II Timothy 2:3-4). Our ears become itchy for the words we want to hear.
- Lies shield us from facing unpleasant realities.A church member once told me that you can never know if your mutual funds are invested in the porn industry or other sinful endeavors, so why worry about it? For him, his opaque investments provided a shield of ignorance and allowed him to profit without any pangs of conscience. Ignorance is no longer an excuse for those who are called to live holy lives (I Peter 1:14).
- Lies throw everything into doubt – especially the truth. It is unsettling to find out that we fell for a lie and it leads us to become suspicious of everything. Satan wins when the idea of absolute truth becomes an illusion in people’s hearts. Clearly Pilate was lost in a sea of cynicism when he scoffed at Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
- Lies offer cheap justifications for other sins. From the half-truths we tell ourselves (“I deserve some dessert!”) to
- the ridiculous propaganda of Russian media (“We’re fighting Nazis in Ukraine”), lies will grease the gears for the full operation of other sins. Real justification can only come from true amends-making (Romans 5:18).
As powerful as lies can be, the truth is stronger. Instead of playing on your passions, reinforcing your ignorance, casting doubt, and offering silly justifications, the truth sets you free (John 8:32). The truth can be trusted even when it is difficult to hear.
Embrace a life of telling the truth. Don’t settle for the lies of convenience. Seek God’s truth – it flows naturally from His character.