When our son Jason was young, he tried tricking his younger sister, Emily. Instead of singing "In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue," he would sing "In fourteen hundred ninety three, Columbus sailed the deep blue sea." It's a subtle difference and a harmless joke—but when the devil does it to us, it's not harmless at all!  The devil is a liar and he’s good at it. In the Bible, Jesus called the devil "a liar from the beginning" and "the father of lies." The devil tells us things that are not true, things that are almost true, or things that really are true—but taken out of context. Today, let's explore that passage taken from John's Gospel:

The devil was a murderer from the beginning. He has never been truthful. He doesn't know what the truth is. Whenever he tells a lie, he's doing what comes naturally to him. He's a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

In today's passage, Jesus gives us insight into the devil's character. The chief strategy that Satan uses against us is his lies. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent led Eve, and then Adam, into sin by craftily suggesting that God was not trustworthy. Nothing could be a bigger lie! When you and I sin, the devil often accuses us, suggesting we’re trapped in our sin and we cannot change. The difference between the devil's lie and the Holy Spirit's conviction is this: the devil wants to destroy your relationship with God while the Spirit wants to show you how you can repent and be restored.

I'm talking to somebody today. You are struggling with some area of sin and are feeling hopeless in dealing with it. Let me encourage you to reject the devil's lie. Run to Jesus. Confess your sin and let Him get you cleaned up. You're made for a fresh, free, and open relationship with God. You can repent and you can be forgiven—right now...and that is very Good News!