Lies and Truth Study Chapter One: Truth or Consequences

Each Monday over the next several weeks, we will be doing a bible study based on the book Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. There are several ways you can join in with us. First, get a book so that you can read along! You can then join in with us in a number of ways: For those who wish to do a post on their blog and link up, we will provide a linky at the bottom of this post. If you wish to just share your heart in the comments, that's fine, too. I will also start a Blog Frog discussion on the right sidebar if you wish to delve in further there.

*If you still wish to join and don't yet have the book, please leave a comment on this post stating you would like a copy of Lies Women Believe... . I have ordered three extra copies for those who need one.
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This week, we are covering Chapter One: Truth or Consequences

Lies and deception. We find them everywhere we look. I pondered those thoughts as I read some of the examples in this week's chapter. I read each lie about getting a quick fix, satisfying our cravings, losing weight fast, etc. and the truth rang out. So much in our world, in the culture, and media looks good and desirable...and we think we can have it, deserve to have it...right now. As Nancy says..."with no sweat, no discipline, no cost, no effort, no pain". As I indulge in eating unhealthy foods and linger on my couch after just  a few days of enthusiasm for the idea of a "healthy new me" in 2011, I am convicted by this truth. We have been deceived to think that we can have what we want...quick and easy. And, when it doesn't work out that way, I often give up.

How does this happen...and why?

It began in a garden...with a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. They lived in the paradise God created for them, eating of the fruit and walking with the God who loved them. Until a Serpent came...with a lie. He presented it to Eve, because she was more easily deceived. We can try and argue the point if we wish, but the argument is futile. Eve, as a woman, was more vulnerable to deception. And, we as women today, face the same battle. It is wiser to recognize the struggle in order to overcome it...than to try to deny it's existence.

Eve saw that is was good...desirable for food...she took it and ate it.

As pointed out in Nancy's book, there are four steps to believing and acting on a lie:

Eve listened to the Serpent's lies.
She dwelled on the lies...growing careless with God's word...mulling over Satan's twisted interpretation.
Soon, she began to believe the lie...thinking Satan was right. She wanted to know what God knew...to be like Him. She thought she should be able to eat any fruit, as Satan suggested. She wouldn't die, after all, right? It sounded good...looked good...became desirable. And, she succumbed.
Finally...Eve acted on the desire planted by Satan, and ate the forbidden fruit.

How does this apply to us and how can it help us be less easily deceived?

Number one, it's important to know our enemy. Satan uses the same tactics with us that he did thousands of years ago in the garden, with Eve. Why would he change when it works so well?

Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, but pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, but pays with pain; he promises profit, but pays with loss; he promises life, but pays with death.
- Puritan Pastor, Thomas Brooks

He is the liar of all liars...the Father of lies (John 8:44), but he parades himself as an angel of light (2 Corinth. 11:4). That's the thing. We all agree that Satan is a liar...that he came to steal, kill, and destroy. If he stood before us all ugly and hideous spewing his hatred and evil schemes, we would resist and flee...wanting no part of it. But, he doesn't do that. He is wily and scheming...planting seeds of doubt subtly in our hearts, making sin look good and desirable, distracting us from true consequences, twisting God's word. It isn't even just the sparkling glitz and glamour of the world that Satan uses to deceive us. He may come as someone we trust...slipping in when our guard is down. Even from a well-meaning Christian friend or book. He may come from the television...perfect, together-looking people sharing ideas that seem good. He may come in the form of a quick fix, a financial success scheme, a new weight-loss plan, a big sale at our favorite store, a promotion that comes with a small price.

How can we discern the lies from the truth when they are so integrated into our lives? The answer is as simple, but not always easy to remember in the moment when we are swept into the seduction of the lie. The key is to combat Satan's lies with something more powerful...the Truth of God's word. We must measure every idea against God's word. If it doesn't fit, it's not the truth.

Nancy outlines three steps to moving from spiritual bondage to freedom:
1. Identify the areas of bondage or sinful behavior in our lives.
2. Identify the lies at the root of the bondage or behavior.
3. Replace the lies with the truth.

I love the simplicity of that plan, although I'm doubting that it will be that simple. You see, our enemy doesn't want us to have freedom in the areas where we have suffered bondage. He wants to keep us striving, distracted, tangled up, hopeless, useless. If one lie stops working, he will try another. So, as I've shared before, it's imperative that we pray for one another as we seek freedom in the areas where we are weak. The only thing that defeats the lies....is the Truth. We need God's word daily.

That brings me to my own confession time. I don't plan to share every sordid detail of all of my sins here for all of the Internet to view. But, I will share some of my struggles...for the purpose of this study and to ask for your prayers. And, I hope you will share yours, as well.

1. An obvious lie I have fallen prey to has to do with food. I've shared before that I struggle with overeating...leaning on food for comfort, as a reward, a stress reliever. I like food...a lot. My one friend calls food her back-stabbing best friend. You could also call it a frenemy, I suppose! Like other lies, it's presented as something that will feel good..."just eat the Doritos and you will feel better". And, I do...for a little while. Until I look in the mirror and notice the extra pounds and weariness. "You deserve to indulge in eating out...it's been a rough week." It feels good at the time, until I consider that I've once again filled my body with unhealthy food and spent money not in the budget...to feel better. That feeling goes away, and I am left with defeat, sorrow, failure, etc. (Please don't take this wrong. It's not wrong to go out to eat with a friend once in awhile or even have a yummy snack. Doritos certainly aren't the root of all evil! But, for me...it is a struggle. I often go to food, instead of going to God and His word for comfort and encouragement when things are tough. I curl up and nestle in beneath my own created layers of comfort. Food is just one of those layers. The result is a sluggish, unhealthy body and a discouraged, weary spirit. The result is bondage to the very thing Satan has dangled in front of me with promises of quick comfort and the reward of feeling good. An easy answer to the reality that people suffer and die from cancer...that mother's bury their babies...that there doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to accomplish the demands before me: work, home, family, ministry. Obviously, I can't solve those problems and hurts...can't make them go away. Food becomes a moment of comfort and distraction from all the stuff I can't fix. The truth is that my God is able to comfort and carry me through the painful things we face in this life. And, if I put things in proper order of priority, there IS enough time to accomplish what's before me. God will and does equip me. But, when I just throw my hands in the air and eat a Ho-Ho...I miss that victory.Please note: It isn't about food. We have to eat, after all. It's my attitude about food that's a problem. My struggles may not be the same as yours.)

2. Speaking of time...that's another thing I struggle with. Balancing the amount of time I spend working on the ministry and my other job working with special needs children, with the time I spend caring for my home and family.

3. Another lie I have fallen prey to is that since I am so busy...I sometimes don't have time to spend in God's word and in prayer...you know, other than the quick prayers I throw up throughout the day. I believe we will get to this later in the study...and the Truth reminds us...we don't have time NOT to pray and bathe ourselves in His word! Makes me shudder to think of the times that I have gone out without my armor on...thinking I could do the battles of the day on my own. Grateful for His grace...that He often covered me anyway.

There are more...and we will have to opportunity to delve further into the areas we are deceived in the coming weeks. Next week, we will talk about the Lies Women Believe about God. I am really excited about this one because I think that a true understanding of who God is brings so much power and truth to dispel the lies and puts every other struggle in life in perspective. When we measure the battles before us against the size of our God, everything else pales in comparison. Plus, I remember the first time I participated in this study, I was amazed to find how my view of who God is clouded the truth of who He really is...and led to areas of deception and bondage.

I am using the Companion Guide to the Lies...book, and will break down the study for next week below if you wish to break it down into daily increments. (If it's easier for you to just read the next chapter and reflect on it, that's fine too. We are all about grace. This is just an option.):

Day One: God is Good
Read pgs. 45-49
Additional verses to read if you wish - Ephesians 1:3-14 (consider the blessings), Psalm 34:8 and 106:1 (responding to His goodness), Romans 8:28-39 (providing perspective on God's goodness in painful and difficult situations)
Consider a situation when you may have been tempted to question God's goodness.
Praise Him for His goodness no matter what your circumstances.

Day Two: God is Loving
Read pages 50-54
Additional scripture about God's love for us:
John 15:13, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:7-10
How can we reconcile the reality and truth of God's love for us with what we feel?
Personalize Paul's prayer for yourself in Ephesians 3:14-19

Day Three: God is Enough
Read pages 54-55
Consider the messages we find in our culture telling us what we need to be "truly fulfilled, happy, and complete".
Scripture:
Colossians 2:9-10 What does it mean to experience "fullness" and "completeness" in Christ?
Do we really believe that when we have God, we have enough. What pluses to we add on, thinking we also need those to be happy? How can we wean ourselves from the earthly, temporal things to the spiritual eternal ones?
Psalm 73:23-26 (pray these verses for yourself)

Day Four: The Law of Liberty
Read pages 55-56
Consider how God's laws are beneficial and how obedience can be a blessing.
Additional scripture:
Deut. 6:24-25
James 1:19-27

Day Five: Divine Delays and Denials
Read pages 56-58
Consider how society offers "quick fixes" to our problems. Are you facing or have you faced a trial you've asked God to remove, and He has not? How is God working through that trial in your life?
Scripture to ponder:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Job 23:10
Romans 5:3-4
James 1:2-4

Consider some of the lies we sometimes believe about God and the truth of who He really is. Which ones have you struggled with?

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Even if you're not reading the book, and something rings true for you in these posts, we would love to hear your input. Please refer to the comments section of this post, and to the Blog Frog Discussion. I would love to hear your thoughts and struggles...and prayer requests. If you wish to post on your blog, there is also a linky below.