Have you played the game, “2 Truths and a Lie”?
It’s one of those icebreaker, get-to-know-you-better kind of games. Each person states 3 things about themselves – 2 are true but 1 is a lie. Everyone else has to guess which one is the lie.
If you know someone well, it’s usually a piece of cake. If you don’t, that’s when it gets complicated.
This isn’t a 21st century idea. In fact, this has been happening since the beginning…the very beginning. When Eve was in the Garden, the enemy came with 2 truths and a lie too.
Genesis 3 (ESV) 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Truth: Your eyes will be opened
Truth: You will know good and evil
Lie: You will not surely die
Adam & Eve took the bait – their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. They recognized good and evil and ended up hiding because of the shame of their sin.
They didn’t realize it then, but their decision would end their lives as they knew it. Death would be the ultimate consequence for their sin…and ours.
The enemy is “crafty”. He knows we are smart enough to know a lie when we hear it. But when he couches it with some truth, it seems more real.
Truth: You are struggling in your marriage.
Truth: You feel disconnected from your spouse.
Lie: It will always be that way – there is no hope.
Truth: You didn’t get invited to the party.
Truth: You ended up alone that evening.
Lie: No one really likes you anyway.
Truth: You are not where you want to be in your life.
Truth: You’ve been working hard but your situation hasn’t changed.
Lie: You should just give up.
Here’s the real truth: When we can stop looking down at the serpent on the ground and turn our eyes back up to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, we will finally be back in the right conversation. Then, we can fight the lies of the enemy with HIS truth.
Truth: Ephesians 3:20-21 (MSG) God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Truth: 1 John 3:1-3 (MSG) What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. 2-3 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!…
Truth: 1 Peter 1:3-5 (MSG) What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.
“And the lies I once believed, they crumble
With the weight of Your truth
And the fear that gripped my heart, is arrested
So that I can see You” *
What the enemy is saying may look like our reality but that’s not the end of the story. God’s truth ultimately wins that game.
~Anu
*Lyrics from “Prophesy Your Promise” by Bryan & Katie Torwalt
