Satan’s native tongue is lying. Jesus described him as “…the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV). The evil one continuously spews falsehoods to lead us astray. His deceit led Eve to commit the first sin, and he’s been lying ever since.
Jesus declared Himself the Truth, saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6 NIV). Jesus is God, the source of all truth; therefore, He can’t lie. Lies originate with the devil.
Satan spitefully lies because he knows believing his lies affects us just as they would if they were true, thereby disabling, defeating, discouraging, or detouring us. The more we believe an untruth, the more it becomes entrenched in our brains and the more it affects us as if it were true.
Lies continually confront us, washing over us like waves, threatening to pull us under because they feel true. We fight lies with God’s truth.
But, praise God, lies can be overcome with truth. We can change our thoughts, which changes our beliefs and influences our behavior.
First, we as God’s children stand on who He says we are. Once someone believes in Jesus as Savior, they’re His forever. No one can take us from Him, and we can never lose our salvation. Nothing can separate us from His love.
We’re His beloved, and His love is everlasting. He’s intimately acquainted with us, even keeping count of how many hairs are on each head. He tracks every thought in our minds. And remarkably, despite knowing everything about us from beginning to end, He still loves us.
Standing in faith on who He says we are, we must replace each lie with truth.
Here are seven of the lies the enemy uses:
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Javier Art Photography
1. God is mad at you when you don’t perform well.
Unfortunately, many of us live burdened by the belief that we have to earn God’s favor. I’ve thought God must be mad at me because I’ve been too selfish or haven’t accomplished enough for His kingdom. Our weaknesses and sins become stumbling blocks to fully realizing God’s unconditional love for us.
Scripture teaches, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NIV). Jesus gave His life knowing we’re sinners.
God’s love is unfailing. He wants us to follow Him in obedience, but He knows we won’t do that perfectly. When we sin, He lovingly convicts us and draws us back to Him. His forgiveness is always there in Christ.
God will never turn His back on us. He doesn’t respond with anger but with grace and kindness that leads us to repentance.
Jesus took all of God’s wrath on Himself. He paid the price for all our sins: past, present, and future. When we don’t “perform” well, His love never changes. If we’re caught up in sinful behavior, we may temporarily lose fellowship with Him, but we’ll never lose our relationship. God knows we’re dust and has compassion on us (Psalm 103:13-14).
Truth: Nothing we do or don’t do will change God’s love for us.
2. You’re not good enough.
The deceiver often misleads us with partial truth. Indeed, we’re not good enough. No one is good apart from God. Scripture says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). But that’s a partial truth. God loves us despite our sinfulness and for our sake made Jesus “to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
Wanting to “be” good comes from pride. We think we can accomplish goodness all on our own. However, God calls us to humility. He wants us to recognize that we’re sinners and that we’ll never be righteous apart from Christ. Victory comes when we humbly submit to God, recognizing our weakness, then resisting the work of the evil one. We rely on God’s goodness, not our own, and the righteousness of Christ.
Truth: Jesus is my righteousness.
Photo credit: ©Pexels/RDNE Stock project
3. You’re a fraud.
Commonly called “Imposter Syndrome,” this is one that many of us have experienced. We feel like we’re a fraud. We’re afraid that if others knew all about us, we’d be rejected. When we receive a compliment or praise, we may think we’re undeserving because we know how weak we are.
You may be a successful teacher, writer, actor, or stay-at-home mom. But when others praise your abilities or give you a compliment, you’re convinced you have them fooled. You’re often on the alert, sure others will discover you’re weak and incapable, or in my case, stupid or unintelligent. If you’ve had success, you think it must be a fluke.
Unless a person is deliberately trying to deceive others, this is almost always a lie. Satan knows our weaknesses, and he’ll aim for them every time. We all long to be fully known and fully loved. We want someone to know us for who we are inside and still love us.
Almighty God, who created us and loved us enough to redeem us, tells us four beautiful truths.
You’re a chosen fruit-bearer. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16a NIV). It’s not about us. It’s about our almighty Father who has ordained us to bear fruit.
You're empowered by the Holy Spirit. When we place our trust in Jesus, He gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit, who enables us to follow Christ. (Acts 1:8)
You’re gifted. God has given us gifts which are intended to glorify Him, not self. (1 Corinthians 12:4,11)
You’re the light of the world. Jesus said we are the light of the world and challenged us not to hide our light, which is Christ in us. (Matthew 5:14-16)
Truth: You’re a gifted and empowered child of God.
4. You can’t change. God made you this way.
This lie held me captive for years. I was trapped in timidity and fear and would tell myself and others, “It’s just how God made me.” God set me free with the truth that He “does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV). When I realized my fear did not come from Him, I knew the enemy was the source, and I stood against this lie in Jesus’ name.
Change is always possible. Scripture challenges us to “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV) and tells us we “have put off the old self…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10 ESV). We’re constantly being renewed and transformed into the image of God.
Truth: God made us in His image, and His Spirit works to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/oatawa
5. You’re worthless.
What a damaging lie. Feelings of worthlessness lead many to self-destructive behaviors, addictions, and sometimes suicide. You’re worth the perfect blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for all so that all would have the chance to live.
We’re each created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). As His image bearers, we’re precious in His sight. He desires that all would repent and believe.
Once we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God sees us through His righteousness.
Truth: You’re God’s beloved and priceless child (Ephesians 5:1; Colossians 3:12; 1 John 3:2).
6. Life is hopeless.
Hopelessness can fill us when we face what seem like insurmountable problems. A loved one has a terminal disease. Your marriage is dissolved. A child makes devastating choices. Dreams become unreachable, or there’s unrelenting depression.
How do we find hope when it seems like all hope is gone? Merriam-Webster defines hopelessness as “having no expectation of good or success; not susceptible to remedy; or incapable of redemption or improvement.” It’s a word that conveys a dead end; it’s over.
But in God’s kingdom, there’s no “dead end.” There will be eternal glory and joy. Paul, New Testament writer, shared this encouragement: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV). We can have hope when we fix our eyes on Jesus.
There may be a situation where there is no hope of change, but we cling to an eternal hope that never changes. God gave John, Jesus’s closest disciple, this message: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Revelation 21:4 NIV).
Truth: In Jesus, we always have hope.
7. It’s too late.
Sometimes we think, “I’m too old,” “I missed my chance,” “I made too many mistakes,” or “one big mistake,” and now we can’t serve God or be fulfilled.
God’s in the business of redemption. Moses made a big mistake, spent forty years in the wilderness, and at age eighty was used by God to lead the nation of Israel out of slavery.
Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus restored him and used him to help build His church and change the world.
The thief on the cross believed in Jesus’ right before he died, and Jesus said, “…today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NIV).
As long as we’re alive and able to think, it’s not too late to choose to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. At any point, we’re free to trust Him, listen to Him, and obey His leading. We can give Him whatever time we have left on this earth. God’s math is not the same as ours. He takes five loaves and two fish and feeds thousands. In the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, the workers hired at the end of the day receive the same pay as those hired in the morning. God takes whatever we have to give Him and multiplies it for kingdom use.
Truth: Now is the time to follow Jesus.
God doesn’t want His children to be trapped in lies. We can choose to reject Satan’s lies, focus on God’s truth, and live in freedom.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ Tim Bieber
Originally published Thursday, 04 September 2025.
