[Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the t***h, because there is no t***h in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44).
If I were Satan, I would do everything in my power to keep you from the Word of God. I would say anything I could think of, anything I thought you would believe, anything that works, to get you to read other things.
As Paul said, āWe are not ignorant of his devicesā (2 Corinthians 2:11). We know how he works. And here are some of the lies I have noticed pouring out of his factory, all geared toward destroying confidence in Godās Word.
1. āYou already know it, so donāt read it.ā
Heās lying to you. You do not know it. Iāve studied the Bible all my life and in no way could I say I āknowā it. I know a great deal about it, but there is so much more. For the typical church member to shun the Bible because āIāve been there and done thatā is laughable.
2. āNo one can understand it, so donāt read it.ā
Heās lying. Even a child can understand a great deal of Scripture. Meanwhile, the Ph.D. will find plenty to challenge his thinking. Only a book from the Almighty could touch so much at every level of their existence.
3. āItās boring. So donāt read it.ā
Heās lying. The Bible is a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. Weāre boring, and thatās the problem.
4. āItās better left to the professionals. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying, using an unt***h he once sold to the Catholic church during the Middle Ages. By keeping the Holy Scriptures in the Latin (and not in the language of the people) the church leadership could slant it any way they chose. Some hardy individuals paid for the right for us to have the Holy Scriptures in our own tongue with their very lives. We must not take lightly the privilege we have to own a copy of the very Word of God in our own language.
5. āYou need Greek and Hebrews to know what it really means. So, donāt bother reading it.
Heās lying. The English conveys very well the meanings of Scripture in their original languages. However, reading the Bible in its original forms is still thrilling, and I encourage people to study Hebrew and Greek if possible.
6. āThe English Bible was not t***slated correctly. If you doubt that, listen to preachers say, āThe t***slators got this wrong. What it really says isā¦.ā So, donāt read it.ā
The Devil is lying, and half the time those preachers are misrepresenting the t***h too.
7. āItās contradictory. So donāt read it.ā
Heās got a half-t***h here, but heās still lying. There are no contradictions in Scripture regarding any doctrine or teaching of consequence. There are places where one writer says 100 people were k**led and another writer said it was 1000. That sort of thing. Scholars often have explanations for this. (To me personally, I love those little shades of differences. They are the very answer to the charge that the church tampered with the Bible to make it say what they want. If so, they would have cleaned up those loose ends!)
8. āExperts disagree on what it means. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying. The Christian church, no matter what denomination, agrees with 90 percent of the Scripture message. Or even more.
9. āThe Bible is outdated. Not for our modern times. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying. Itās as contemporary as this morningās paper. Or even more so. And as C. S. Lewis once asked, āWhat does todayās date have to do with anything?ā
10. āThe Bible is just a bunch of rules. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying once again. Scripture is anything but that. It contains the greatest stories, most inspiring teachings, and blessed insights imaginable.
11. āYou are so far beyond that. The Bible has nothing for you. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying. And the best response to this is: āWell, Iāll see for myself,ā as you open it up.
12. āMen wrote it. So, forget about it being divine. Donāt waste your time reading it.ā
Another half-t***h that is a whole lie. True: āHoly men of old wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,ā as the apostle said in 2 Peter 1:21. God used men to write the Scripture; it did not drop to earth fully written.
13. āReading the Bible will turn you into a religious fanatic. And you donāt want people thinking youāre a nut. Do not risk that by reading the Bible.ā
You know what they say, that āa fanatic is someone who loves Jesus more than you.ā What reading the Bible will do is introduce you to the Savior, teach you about salvation, and nourish your soul. Anything that can do that is your friend and, instead of making you weird, will make you whole. See 2 Timothy 3:15-17. So, Satan is lying.
14. āNo one with intelligence reads the Bible anymore. Only religious fundamentalists and extremists. So, donāt read it.ā
Heās lying, just as he has been lying all along. Some of the smartest people on the planetāincluding scientists and professors and philosophers and my neighbor down the streetāread and love the Holy Bible. And they are some of the sanest people on the planet.
15. āYouāre too busy. You can read it some other time when you are feeling spiritual, when you have plenty of time, when youāre older. Just donāt read it now.ā
Heās lying. You are not too busy, only too lazy. Or too worldly, too unbelieving, or too lost. To wait until you are āfeeling spiritualāāwh**ever that meansāis a foolās errand, and you should not fall for that. To wait until you are older is another ploy he uses on the simple-minded. Many a person has gone out into eternity lost who had planned to take care of these matters down the road when they were elderly. The only problem is they didnāt live to become elderly. Do not let it happen to you.
Anyone see a trend here? The enemy will say anything he wishes in order to keep you from reading the Bible.
Are you playing into his hands? Are you believing his lies?
You do so to your own detriment, friend.
So, get your Bible and get started. Hereās howā¦
One: Open to the Gospel of Matthew. Thatās page one of the New Testament. You can read all 28 chapters of this short volume in less than an hour.
Two: Keep reading. You will read three other gospels similar to Matthew, but different, on the life and ministry of Jesus. Each writer has something unique to offer.
Three: Read on. Acts of the Apostles tells what happened after Jesus left.
Four: And yes, keep on reading. You are now to the āepistles,ā a fancy word for āletters,ā most of them from the Apostle Paul to churches in various locales. You wonāt understand everything, but you can grasp a great deal.
Five: Donāt worry about what you cannot understand. Treasure all that you do understand, because there is a great deal of it.
Six: Read it consecutively (not just jumping around) and in large sections, at least one hour at a time.
Seven: When you finish, go back and start again. You will get more the second time through than you did the first.
Eight: Each time you open the Bible to read, send up a little prayer: āFather, help me to understand this and to get what You want me to see. Thank you for hearing my prayer.ā
Nine: After you have read it through a few times, ask a pastor if there is a Bible study class you could attend. To hear a good teacher teach what you have been reading can be a privilege.
Ten: Seek to obey what you have read. In John 13:17, Jesus said, āIf you know these things, blessed are you if you obey them.ā The blessing comes from obeying His teachings, not from reading or learning them.
Eventually, you will be able to say what Job did. āI have esteemed the words of Thy mouth more than my necessary foodā (Job 23:12)
Satan was a murderer from the beginning, and doe... (
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