Since wars began, deception has been used as a tactic to win. We’ve all heard the story of the Trojan horse. Military leaders know the power of deceiving your enemy to get them out of their place of refuge, drop their guard and to walk into a trap. In fact, Sun Tzu in lathe Art of War” prioritizes deception and says it’s something that every great military leader must master. Confusing maneuvers, misinformation, messing with the enemy’s psyche, camouflage and more are used to deceive the other side and have proven to be the difference between victory and defeat. It’s no wonder our enemy uses deceit to attack us. He plants lies to echo in our minds to keep us from remembering the truth.
In Nehemiah 6, Sanbalat and the other enemies of Israel had found out that there were no more gaps in the wall around Jerusalem. They continued to use deceit to attack Nehemiah. Four times they sent messages trying to get Nehemiah to leave the protection of the walls and meet them. He rejected them each time staying the course to finish the gates. Then they told him that there were rumors of his true intent and they were going to tell the king who would attack him. Verses 8-9 say, “I replied, ‘There is no truth in any part of your story. You are making up the whole thing.’ They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination“ (NLT). Nehemiah refused to be swayed by the lies by holding onto the truth of what God had told him.
Our enemy lies to us constantly trying to get us to quit doing what God has called us to. He is the father of lies. That’s why we are told to put on the whole Armor of God. Ephesians 6:14 says, “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.” We must stand our ground when the enemy attacks with lies and deceit. We do that by putting on the belt of truth. God’s Word is truth and the standard by which we hold every thought captive to. Truth exposes the lies of the enemy and sets us free. What thoughts have been intimidating you lately? What thoughts have been causing you to doubt God? Recognize them as deceit from the enemy to keep you from the work God has called you to, put on the belt of truth and continue with greater determination.
Photo by Ziad Al Halabi on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 