In this study, we begin Part 1 which is about the first enemy of our soul – the devil! The author challenges our scepticism, and shows the reality and the power of the father of lies.
Summary
The truth about lies – Comer introduces us to a 4th-century monk called Evagrius who ahead of his time expressed truths about spiritual warfare, against the thoughts in our mind. He shows that the main fight is the battle for our minds, liberating them from lies. He outlines a basic biblical theology of the devil, with John 8 as central, He shows what Jesus taught: the devil was real, he’s seeking to spread death, and his main strategy is lies. Our primary battle with the devil is one of truth over lies.
Ideas, weaponized – truth is reality and reality is what you run into when you are wrong. We all have mental maps of reality, which are the coalescing of all our ideas and assumptions about reality. Flourishing requires living by truth that corresponds with reality. Comer relates this to the example of sexuality, challenging some of the assumptions of the sexual revolution. Ideas can be weaponised and they can enslave our souls. Our societies are being ruined by ideologies that have partial truths in them but are based on ideas (lies) that do not correspond with reality. We must confront them with a knowledge of the truth and not just private ‘faith’ as if that is the opposite of knowledge.
For Reflection/Discussion:
- Read John 8 and consider what are the implications of Jesus’s words about the ‘father of lies’
- If the main strategy of the enemy is lies, what do we need to do to defend ourselves?
- What do you think are some of the distorted ideas, or lies, that are damaging our souls and our societies in our time?
Next:
In our next study we will complete Part 1 by looking at the sections, ‘Dezinformatsiya’ (easy for you to say!) and ‘And, having done all, to stand’.