You are of your father the devil… and he has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. – John 8:44
It has been said every truth has something supporting it, a fact that makes it true. These are called truth makers. Philosophy students spin webs of logic trying to figure out how to define “truth” and “not truth.” The conversation falls into the heady world of philosophy unless you bring the spiritual world into play. According to the Holy Bible, there is a personality, a spirit being, that specializes in the opposite of truth.
In Genesis 3, when you meet the deceiver, he is already evil and, throughout Scripture, the picture of his personality and relationship to humankind is rounded out. “The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).
Jesus calls him “the evil one” (Matthew 13:19). The apostle Paul calls him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The Pharisee’s called him “Beelzebub, the prince of demons” (Matthew 12:24). He is the source of everything evil you encounter on Earth, yet YOU, as a child of God, can proclaim him a defeated foe.
Do not be afraid or confused when you encounter opposition to your faith, it is merely evidence that the adversary is still at work. The truth maker is that all the suffering and chaos caused by the great deceiver ultimately highlights the overcoming, amazing, saving grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Pray for those who have yet to meet the Savior and ask that those in positions of authority will come to know Him.
Today’s Verse: John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Revelation 20:1-6
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
