Satan is the master at deception therefore his lies are endless. Many women wrestle with six lies as they work through their perception of God. You may not believe all the lies but Satan knows the ones you are most vulnerable to. Being the schemer he is, he then targets his attacks around your vulnerably.

Satan becomes particularly deceptive when lies are half-truths, rather than outright lies. This makes them even more dangerous. The source of all evil in this world came from a lie. Have you ever considered what life would be like in Eve hadn’t been deceived? We wouldn’t recognize the world. The Garden of Eden was the epitome of paradise before Satan's pride arrived.  

Do you believe the Truth of God’s Word? Have you ever been disappointed when He doesn’t answer your prayers? Often times, our reaction to choices, priorities and responses to pain reveal that we don’t truly believe His Word even though we say we do. What we believe about God determines the way we live. So let’s dig into the first three lies today.

LIE #1: God is not really good. If he were, he would….

…. keep my husband from leaving, give me a new house, keep children safe from harm, eliminate natural disasters…

TRUTH: God is good, and everything He does is good. He never makes mistakes.

Repeat the last sentence: He never makes mistakes. He never makes mistakes.

Does your perception of God and His goodness ever change? Perhaps, you got that raise you so desperately needed or He blessed you with a healthy family. In those good times, it is so easy to praise Him and all His glory. What about those times when things don’t go your way? Perhaps you’ve lost your job, your marriage is holding on by a thread or you’ve just found out your mother was diagnosed with cancer. In those tough times, do you still praise Him or do you ask, “Why me?”

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 
Romans 8:28

Deep in many of our hearts, suspicion lurks at times. God may not really be good – at least, that He has not been good to me.  This was the lie that Satan used to seduce Eve. Twisting words and shaping her thoughts about God planted a seed of doubt in her mind about God’s goodness. We must keep from falling into Satan’s trap like Eve and keep His Truth close to our hearts.

Note for the author: The Trust is, God is good. Whether or not His choices seem good to us, He is good. Whether or not we feel it, He is good. Whether or not it seems true in my life or yours, He is still good.

LIE #2: God doesn’t love me.

TRUTH: God’s love for me is infinite and unconditional. I don’t have to perform to earn God’s love or favor. He always has my best interests at heart.

Most of us have had our hearts broken at some point in our lives. We know what it feels like when someone doesn’t love us. Too often we come to God thinking He doesn’t really love me, if He did – He wouldn’t have let this happen.  We must never compare God love’s to humanly love. That is a judgment most of us are guilty of making.

God loves each and every one of us because He is love. Luckily, His love for us isn’t based on anything we have done or could ever achieve. None of us deserve His love nor could never earn it. His love was a gift to us – simple as that. We must learn to accept this gift and submit to Him. We must not live our lives worrying that we are not worthy of His gift.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10

There is nothing we can do to make Him love us any less; there is nothing we can do to make Him love us any more. What an amazing fact to know!

LIE #3: God is just like my father.

TRUTH: God is exactly what He has revealed Himself to be in His Word. He is infinitely more wise and loving that any earthly father could ever be.

Our view of God is greatly influenced by the men we have known in our lives – particularly our fathers. Our perception of God can be positively or negatively shaped by those men.  No matter what your view is, we must remember that even the wisest, kindest earthly father is but a pale reflection of our heavenly Father.  God is infinitely more wonderful, pure and loving than even the greatest earthly father. It is so important to not allow our view of God to be determined by other men, for at their very best they are flawed representations of God.

You may wonder why He, our Father who loves us unconditionally, would allow us to suffer pain in our lives.  He purposefully inflicts pain and suffering upon us to show He loves and cares about us.

“For they discipline us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”
Hebrews 12:10

Regardless of how we feel about the earthly men in our lives, the fact remains that God is a good Father who dearly loves His children. He can be trusted with our lives.

Next week, we will look at the next three lies that we face. Let us acknowledge that He is good and that everything He does is good. He always has our best interests at heart, even when it seems like he distant. Lord, forgive us for the times we have doubted Your wisdom, Your goodness and Your love.