Truth Twisted: How Satan Uses Half-Truths to Deceive

Satan’s Age-Old Trick of Half-Truths

Lies are spreading faster than ever, often cloaked in partial truth. To escape these lies, we must anchor ourselves deeply in Scripture and cultivate Holy Spirit discernment. As we journey through our sermon series Evil in Disguise, we’ll be confronting error that often comes dressed in truth.

Paul warned, “Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray…” (2 Cor. 11:3 NIV). Satan didn’t outrightly deny God’s Word, he distorted it and his methods haven’t changed. As you are led by the Holy Spirit to uncover deception in your own life, consider these.

Modern Times, Ancient Tricks

1. Distortion of God’s Word - “Did God really say…?” (Gen. 3:1)

2. Disguise Evil as Good - “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14)

3. Temptations Aligned with our Desire - “Each person is tempted… by their own desire.” (James 1:14)

Escaping the Vortex of Lies

1. Know the Word – “Your word is a lamp…” (Ps. 119:105)

2. Stay in Community – “Encourage one another…” (1 Thess. 5:11)

3. Test Everything – “Test the spirits…” (1 John 4:1)

Walk It Out

●      Have I accepted any beliefs or teachings that feel right but aren’t rooted in Scripture?

●      Do I regularly test what I hear - sermons, social media, podcasts, against the full context of God’s Word?

●      Is there any area where I’ve started to doubt God’s truth because of subtle distortions or cultural influence?

●      Who are the Spirit-led people I can turn to when I need help discerning truth from error?