Looking for the Lie
Introduction:

Untruth is at the very heart of Satan’s character. The lie is the devil's principal tool or weapon - 2 Cor. 11:3.  Persuading us to accept as true something that is false is the means by which he influences us to go against what we know to be God's will. It has been said that the business of defeating sin comes down to looking for the lie!

I. IN OVERCOMING OUR OWN DIFFICULTIES

A.     At times we are perplexed and frustrated and feel it would really help if we knew why we do what we do. See Romans 7:15,19.

B.     In the midst of these kinds of difficulties, we always need to be looking for the lie that is influencing our behavior, the false premise on which we are acting.

C.     We will not go down the path of sin without being misled into doing so - Hebrews 3:13. Eph. 4:22.

D.     Jesus met temptation with truth! See Matthew 4:1-11.

E.     Truth is a wonderfully liberating force.

II. IN HELPING WITH THE PROBLEMS OF OTHERS

A. Few things can be any more challenging than trying to help others with difficult personal problems.

B.     But just as with our own problems, truth is the key to setting others free from the sins that oppress them.

C.     When his Galatian brethren got into trouble spiritually, Paul had no doubt that they had been hindered from obeying the truth - Gal. 5:7.

D.     Helping others overcome difficulties amounts to helping them see where they have bought into concepts that are false, uncovering the lies that are the root of the problem, etc.

E.     2 Timothy 2:24-26

III. IN CONVERTING THE LOST

A.     Those in sin have always, in one way or another, substituted untruth for truth - Rom. 1:25.

B.     Being saved comes down to turning around and obeying the truth - Ac. 26:18. Cf. 1 Pt. 1:22.

C.     Hearing the truth, the only person who would not obey it is a person whose mind continues to be blinded by some untruth deeper down - 2 Cor. 4:3,4. Cf. Jn. 3:17-21.

D.     In our studies with those who have not yet obeyed the gospel, it will help us continually to be asking ourselves: "What is the untruth that obstructs this person's progress spiritually?"

Conclusion

A.     Satan's effort is to "bewitch" us, confuse us, lie to us.

B.     In the vast majority of cases, the basic lie of the devil is the one which makes the short run look like the only thing to be considered.

A.     Satan is a master at presenting to us only a part of the truth, hiding from us the end of the road, the downside of an action, the full consequences, etc.

B.     This is the essence of fraud.

C.     Whatever the problem in life, we need to be able to seize the ugly untruth that is causing the pain and drag it out into the sunshine of truth where it will wither away.

D.     Psa. 19:12-14.