The Spirit of Lying

The Spirit of Lying

The spirit of lying is one of the spirits of the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12), just as the spirit of greed is another, and the spirit of adultery is a third.

These spirits gain entrance into our hearts through the flesh when we give in to it, following its desires. These spirits gain power over us when we constantly give in to them for a longer period of time; if it goes too far, a person can become possessed by one or several of these spiritual powers.

Behind every vice is a corresponding spiritual power as the driving force, just as there is also a corresponding spirit power behind every virtue. Accordingly, there is a spirit called the spirit of wisdom; another spirit is called the spirit of counsel; another is called the spirit of might; another one is called the spirit of the fear of the Lord; one spirit is called the spirit of love; and another is called the spirit of a sound mind; one spirit is called the spirit of meekness, etc., and there is something called the seven spirits of God. Isa. 11:2; 2 Tim. 1:7; Rev. 1:4 and 4:5.

If you want to keep all the evil spirits away, you have to resist all sin strictly and faithfully. If you are careful and always speak the truth, you can be absolutely certain that the spirit of lying will never enter your heart—not even the least little bit. But if you are careless and indifferent when it is a matter of always keeping carefully to the truth, you can risk having the spirit of lying living in your heart.

It is also possible—as far as earthly things are concerned—to be relatively very truthful, but simultaneously be deceived by lies in spiritual things. Just as it says that Satan that he transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), so it is also with lying. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44. We can say that a lie concerning earthly things is like a roaring lion, not difficult to detect, but when it concerns spiritual things, a lie can be clothed as an angel of light. One is not aware that it is a lie. It sounds so nice! And so one is deceived.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8. Then what has come into us? The lie! On this point the spirit of lying has entered into many a heart. Accepting and continuing in such a doctrine forces you to lie. You have then been cut off from acknowledging and judging something in yourself. Yet there is always much in us that should be acknowledged so that we can keep growing. You have nothing to choose between if you hold on to this terrible lie. There is nothing else to do with all the things that are not as they should be but to lie yourself away from them. This constant lying causes the spirit of lying to remain and to rule in your heart and in the assembly.

People explain away the true condition, their true condition, and lie themselves away from one thing after another. Many people lie themselves away from the fact that they have sinful inclinations by saying that they are only tempted from without despite the words of truth in the Scriptures, which state that that “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

People lie themselves away from their defeats by saying that they have the victory in Christ, meaning that Christ has overcome in their stead. They lie themselves away from the truth that they are to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling by answering that without Him we can do nothing, which is a truth. The spirit of lying gains such power over its prey that people use one truth to lie themselves away from another truth. What poor wretches all these deceived souls are in these days! They have ended up in an entire web of lies. The one lie leads to the next. However, the anointing we have received from the Lord teaches us only the truth, and it is not a lie. 1 John 2:27. God be highly praised!

People lie themselves away from acknowledging the assembly’s wretched condition by lifting the mood through superficial shouts of “Hallelujah!”; what disgusting, hollow sounds. And so they lie themselves away from the fact that they don’t like this or that person by putting on the false mask of a sweet smile when they greet them, as well as at other times.

When people act as if they are living an overcoming life by laughing and rejoicing although they should be weeping and lamenting, then this is also an unadulterated lie and a falsehood.

The degree to which God’s people have been saturated by lying is frightening! The spirit of lying has largely permeated them and their congregations. Therefore the effect of a man who is permeated by the Spirit of truth and the word of truth—when he attends their meetings and opens his mouth, pouring living and quickening truths out of the good treasure of his heart, is that the congregation is stunned; they feel as if it were judgment day for them. That is how unspeakably far away most of them are from living and breathing the truth.

When you are used to lies, it is truly terrifying to be suddenly exposed to showers of divine truths. It is as if you were unexpectedly stripped of your clothes in the midst of a large crowd.

It is written that Satan will reveal all the power of lying before Christ’s return. 2 Thess. 2:9. We can also say that all this lying is a sign of Christ’s imminent return.

There is one thing that we must absolutely possess in order to be saved: a love of the truth. 2 Thess. 2:10. “That they might be saved” it says. In other words, without it you cannot be saved. This pertains to a gradual salvation in one area after another. I cannot possibly seek salvation from (desist from, put off, correct) something that I do not acknowledge is wrong or something that I do not acknowledge that I have!!!

Therefore, if I do not acknowledge that I have sin, I cannot possibly receive light over it and put it to death. Lying cuts off all opportunity for salvation. It makes it impossible for us to be saved. Therefore it is also written that all liars will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 21:8, 22:15.

Once the spirit of lying has gained access to a person’s heart and has gained power in his life, he is in a desperate state. The assemblies of God’s people are currently in such a desperate state without being aware of it. They have believed a lie and have come into a fateful deception; they have turned to lying, thinking it is the truth.

To them, truth is something foreign. Those who speak the truth are strange characters to them. Such people are not from among their own; therefore they do not receive them. To them, it seems that the Spirit in which these people speak, the Spirit of truth, is a terrible spirit. It is also a truly terrible Spirit to lies and to liars.

How thankful and blessed we can be (and are), we who love the truth and hate all the ways of lying (Ps. 119:104), we who have become and are still becoming saturated by the Spirit of truth and the word of truth, by the truth in every way, in all areas, and in all degrees; we who do the truth, who speak the truth without curtailing it, who think what is true, and who do not put on lying or false masks or facial expressions.

Yes, dear friends, let us continue as we have begun! Let us love the truth, utterly devoting ourselves to it and reckoning ourselves blessed. Imagine that we have really laid hold of the eternal and imperishable truth, of the Spirit of truth that shall continue to lead us into all truth—to the truth that will not be improved upon in eternity but which we will take with us into eternity! This is how genuine this truth is! Glory to God!

I greet all like-minded ones in everlasting brotherly love with 1 John 5:20; 2 John 1, 2, 4; and 3 John 3, 4 and 12.