Liar, Liar Pants on Fire! - gretchen huesmann

Nobody likes to be lied to. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you live or how old you might be. We all have a universal need – an expectation really – to hear the truth.

Think about it. When we are facing any given situation – before we can take any steps to deal with it – we ask for the facts, right? We want to know exactly what we’re facing.

“Give it to me straight, Doc!”

When a problem arises we “Google it,” read a book or ask friends for more info.

We. Desire. Truth.

In Ephesians 6, the Bible describes truth as a belt. According to this verse it helps us stand firm.

Huh? How in the world does the “belt of truth” help us stand firm?

Well, let’s consider the alternative…

One day my husband came out the bedroom dressed and ready for the day. I noticed his pant waist was…well… a little wonky. (Sorry, Honey!) So, like any good wife, I pointed it out to him.

“What’s up with your pants?” I asked.

“I’m missing an inside button,” he said showing me. “See, it has a hook but it’s not enough to keep it straight.”

“So,” I replied, “your belt is pretty much holding you together.”

Yup.

His belt was not only keeping his pants up but gave him enough confidence to walk out that door and face the day – even with less-than-perfect pants.

That’s what truth does! It gives us confidence to stand, assurance to move, even if we don’t know what the future holds.

Without it, we’re left feeling vulnerable, weak, and immobilized.

So, it makes sense then, that this area can, and will be, a strategic place of attack by those who want to hurt us.

Our worst enemy, the devil, knows this too. Right from the very beginning, lying was Satan’s tool of choice.

In Genesis, it was a lie that led Eve to eat the fruit and share it with Adam thus plunging them, and the entire human race, into sin. (Genesis 3)

In John 8, Jesus calls the devil “a murderer, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his own native language for his is a liar and the father of lies.”

How do you recognize them – those lies of the devil?

They look like this…

It’s the little “voice” in your head that attack your character…

“You’re not worthy…”

“You’re a failure…”

“You’re hopeless…”

…or they are lies that go after the truth about who God is:

“God’s not worth your time.”

“He can’t – or He won’t come through.”

“God doesn’t exist.”

They undermine our relationships:

“She’ll never change.”

“I guess she/he doesn’t like me.”

Like fiery little darts these lies are specifically targeted at our core to “set our pants on fire.” They ignite doubt and weaken our resolve not only to rattle our confidence but ultimately to destroy us!

This was me a few times this past year. A turbulent year it has been. A time when circumstances keep you awake at night.

With discouragement and fatigue came those old enemies of mine: Should’a, Would’a, Could’a – otherwise known as “I-Wish-I-Would-Have Syndrome.”

Hearing lies in my head like, “Failure!” “Not good enough!” or “I could have/should have done more” attempted to knock me off my feet!

And when lies such as these are allowed to fester, our steps falter, inhibiting our productivity and damaging our confidence.

Like wearing button-less pants without a belt, we are left insecure and immobile.

So, what’s our defense? How can we combat those thoughts that threaten?

There is only ONE way to identify lies ¾ and that is to know TRUTH, which can be pretty tricky these days. For some, truth is relative. Others believe we all have “our own” truth. There are plenty of places people search for it: Google, Wikipedia, the media, Facebook.

Hmmm…I’m not seeing it.

The Truth is, “No one speaks the truth.” (Jeremiah 9:5)

There is only one source I know of that I can count on 100% – God’s Word.

God’s word acts like a fire extinguisher, dousing those fiery darts in a flash.

How? Because when we get to know God’s Word, we get to know God. And the more we know Him, the more we can recognize His voice and thereby also identify His enemy, the devil.

When some little lie pops into our head that doesn’t jive with what we know about God, we can extinguish the lie. An effective method is described in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When you hear, “You’re a failure.” You capture that idea, meaning, you stop it before it runs away in your mind. Look at it squarely and say “No! I am not a failure! I may blow it sometimes, and I sin. But I am a beloved child of God. I am fully forgiven by Jesus and I am treasured by the God who created me!” (1 John 1:9)

When you hear, “She’ll/He’ll never change!” Grab that lie and make it kneel before the God who can create man from dust and part the Red Sea! With God ALL THINGS are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

I’m reminded of an exercise I learned in a Bible Study entitled “Believing God.” In it the author, Beth Moore, had us often repeat 5 statements as a pledge of faith:

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Him.
God’s Word is alive and active in me.

By repeating these statements, all based on Scripture, we not only wrap the Belt of Truth around our middle, but we raise the Shield of Faith to protect against the fiery darts that threaten us.

Don’t listen to the enemy’s lies! Don’t let him set your pants on fire!