Week of Monday February 10 - February 16
Liar Liar – Man as Defender
Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.” - Jeremiah 14:13-16 ESV
Back in the late 90s, Jim Carrey starred in the movie Liar Liar, a comedy about a lawyer who was a pathological liar and was about to lose his family because of it. Disappointed by all the broken promises and the outlandish lies told as cover, his young son made a birthday wish that his dad would tell the truth for a day. The wish came true, and as the movie played out, chaos ensued for Carrey’s character, but by telling the truth, he ended up getting his family back together.
Unfortunately, the prophets in Jeremiah’s day were like the Jim Carrey character before the birthday wish came true. They were big-time liars who never stopped lying. Not surprisingly, God made it clear that He did not send them or give them a message to share (verse 14). Yet, they claimed to speak in His name! They lied to the people with statements like: “Hey, don’t worry, be happy. No need to fret about the future; God has promised peace” (verse 13).
Their message should sound somewhat familiar. Many “feel good” preachers share a health and wealth message, while others misinterpret God’s Word and His will regarding human life, human sexuality, and marriage. They deceive people into making destructive decisions. Some are even preaching gender ideology. Basically, these modern-day false prophets are encouraging people to think they can ignore God’s law without facing consequence, and that they can even earn God’s approval and blessing by doing so.
It is just like in the days of Jeremiah when God’s people were being misled by false prophets. By following their harmful advice, the people were slipping perilously further and further away from the God who deeply loved them. The Creator’s desire was to bring healing and restoration to His covenant people. However, they were enticed by the ear-pleasing messages of the fake spokesmen, who were leading the Hebrews into the demise and sorrow of judgment and, ultimately, captivity. Unlike the feel-good ending of the Jim Carrey movie, there would be no “happily ever after” ending for these false prophets or for those who believed their lies (verse 16). They would all suffer the same fate.
America is teeming with false narratives preached by fraudulent messengers who often raise the banner of faith as they twist the Scriptures to sell their lies. Sadly, those who buy into their deception are led further away from a Holy God who hates sin but loves sinners so much that He gave His only Son to die for them. Men, as Defenders, we must protect those whom we love and lead them away from the lies of these modern-day false prophets. Instead of “wishing” these liars would tell the truth, we must become more vocal in pushing back. The way we counter their confusion and deception is by becoming bold and winsome speakers of biblical truth. Here’s our mission, as Paul put it: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
- As a Defender of truth in your sphere of influence, how are you equipping yourself with biblical truth to counter the lies of the false messengers in the culture? (Are you in God’s Word every day? Text “Bible” to 67742 to get our daily Bible Reading Plan.)
- Can you point to some recent examples of when you gathered with family or friends and countered some of the culture’s lies with God’s truth?
- Pray and ask God for a greater grasp of how to refute deception and for a spirit of boldness to winsomely yet assertively communicate biblical truth.
Liar Liar – Man as Defender
Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.” - Jeremiah 14:13-16 ESV
Back in the late 90s, Jim Carrey starred in the movie Liar Liar, a comedy about a lawyer who was a pathological liar and was about to lose his family because of it. Disappointed by all the broken promises and the outlandish lies told as cover, his young son made a birthday wish that his dad would tell the truth for a day. The wish came true, and as the movie played out, chaos ensued for Carrey’s character, but by telling the truth, he ended up getting his family back together.
Unfortunately, the prophets in Jeremiah’s day were like the Jim Carrey character before the birthday wish came true. They were big-time liars who never stopped lying. Not surprisingly, God made it clear that He did not send them or give them a message to share (verse 14). Yet, they claimed to speak in His name! They lied to the people with statements like: “Hey, don’t worry, be happy. No need to fret about the future; God has promised peace” (verse 13).
Their message should sound somewhat familiar. Many “feel good” preachers share a health and wealth message, while others misinterpret God’s Word and His will regarding human life, human sexuality, and marriage. They deceive people into making destructive decisions. Some are even preaching gender ideology. Basically, these modern-day false prophets are encouraging people to think they can ignore God’s law without facing consequence, and that they can even earn God’s approval and blessing by doing so.
It is just like in the days of Jeremiah when God’s people were being misled by false prophets. By following their harmful advice, the people were slipping perilously further and further away from the God who deeply loved them. The Creator’s desire was to bring healing and restoration to His covenant people. However, they were enticed by the ear-pleasing messages of the fake spokesmen, who were leading the Hebrews into the demise and sorrow of judgment and, ultimately, captivity. Unlike the feel-good ending of the Jim Carrey movie, there would be no “happily ever after” ending for these false prophets or for those who believed their lies (verse 16). They would all suffer the same fate.
America is teeming with false narratives preached by fraudulent messengers who often raise the banner of faith as they twist the Scriptures to sell their lies. Sadly, those who buy into their deception are led further away from a Holy God who hates sin but loves sinners so much that He gave His only Son to die for them. Men, as Defenders, we must protect those whom we love and lead them away from the lies of these modern-day false prophets. Instead of “wishing” these liars would tell the truth, we must become more vocal in pushing back. The way we counter their confusion and deception is by becoming bold and winsome speakers of biblical truth. Here’s our mission, as Paul put it: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
- As a Defender of truth in your sphere of influence, how are you equipping yourself with biblical truth to counter the lies of the false messengers in the culture? (Are you in God’s Word every day? Text “Bible” to 67742 to get our daily Bible Reading Plan.)
- Can you point to some recent examples of when you gathered with family or friends and countered some of the culture’s lies with God’s truth?
- Pray and ask God for a greater grasp of how to refute deception and for a spirit of boldness to winsomely yet assertively communicate biblical truth.