In an age of disinformation, we have a hard time always knowing the truth. But our biggest problem isn’t that we are told lies, or even that we tell lies. Our biggest problem is that we internalize lies and embody them in our everyday lives. That’s because the ideas that we believe in our minds and live out in our bodies give shape to our souls and will, ultimately, determine our destination. The Biblical authors identify our enemies as the devil, the world, and the flesh–and they’re in a war to erode your peace and deform your inner life. In this series we’ll learn how to fight back against deceptive ideas (the devil) that play to disordered desires (the flesh) that are normalized in a sinful society (the world).

We are constantly assaulted by lies. Every day we are told lies about who God is, about who we are, and about what the good life looks like. These are not merely lies from a culture war between the left and the right. These are deceptive ideas live in our own minds and imagination and memory –from family of origin to lived experience. These are lies that find an easy target on the disordered desires that live in our own hearts. Desires that area normalized in the culture at large. If we come to believe those lies and trust in them and live our lives and make our decisions according to them, they wreak havoc in our lives and deform our peace and joy. 

Ideas can be powerful. They form the foundation for how we view the world, what we value, and how you live. They also have the power to dominate how your inner life is formed. This is something that Satan knows all to well, and it’s why his primary weapon in his effort to deform you spiritually isn’t demonic possession. It’s telling lies...lies that are 95% true. In this message we’ll learn about the devil, who he is, how he works, why he chooses deception as his primary weapon. 

When we hear that Jesus and the devil had a showdown in the desert, our minds might visualize an action movie with lots of cool explosions. But remember, the devil only has one primary weapon, that’s what he uses on Jesus. He attempted to use deception to get Jesus to question his identity as God’s Son and to shortcut the Father’s purpose for his life, to win the world to himself. In this message, we’ll see the template that Jesus used for resisting the devil.

The Devil isn’t the only force that is opposing spiritual growth. He has an ally that lives within you. The Biblical authors called it the flesh. It’s the part of you that wants to be free from the reign of God to pursue whatever desires you find within you. The devil’s deceptive ideas find a willing accomplice in our disordered desires. To grow a robust and resilient inner life, we must practice the habits that work with the Spirit to grow his fruit of love, joy, and peace. The flesh has desires that are contrary to God and lead us to inner ruin. The Spirit has desires that are aligned with God and lead to flourishing. It matters which one you feed.  

We live in a modern, western culture. But what we call “culture”, Jesus called “the world”. The world is a system of ideas, values, practices, and norms that are comprise a culture, and are opposed to the values of the Kingdom of God. It is a system that constantly seeks to redefine good and evil. But much of what we call “modern culture” is what Jesus called “the world”. The danger is that we are colonized by a culture with it’s “have it your way” ethos and apply it to the Bible.

The path to resurrected life begins with the cross. It must go through the cross. Jesus could not get to resurrected life without it. Neither can we. His invitation to follow him is an invitation to take the way of the cross, to deny themselves, and follow him every day. This is a challenge in a culture that tells you to indulge yourself. Jesus died to forgive us. But he also died to show us the path to life. Self-denial is the entry point to life with Jesus. It is something we do with him. On the other side of death is a brand-new life.