Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace, by John Mark Comer, is a great book that can help you face and fight the enemies that lie to you so your life can be more peaceful and promote a sense of wellness for you. I am going to summarize the book in this blog.

The book starts with a story that took place in 1938 when it was reported that aliens invaded America. Widespread hysteria ensued! You need to read the story for yourself, but the moral of the story is that we are at war with the dangerous lies. Lies prevail in secular society. Secular society treats lies as if they are truth, and this leads to unhappiness and sin. The lies come from the three enemies of our soul: the world, the flesh, and the devil. We must fight these lies to change our lives for the better.

The Devil

There is really a devil. The devil is a master of deception, the “Father of Lies.” The devil tricks people into believing lies about what will make them happy. The lies the devil tells deceive people and his end goal is to ruin our souls and society. For example, people might believe that getting a divorce and starting a new relationship will make them happy, but that is really a fantasy. It won’t. He also wants to isolate us so we cannot have the community support we need to resist him.

Spiritual formation is necessary to combat the devil. People need to protect themselves every day from the lies they hear by thinking critically and becoming more like Jesus. When we connect with God through spiritual acts like quiet prayer to confront false self-perceptions, having regular Bible study for personal growth, and reading Jesus’ teachings through parables to connect truth and relationships. Other spiritual disciplines, like utilizing Scripture, also set our minds before the Spirit and truth of God so we can know the truth.

The Flesh

Desire is modern slavery. The slavery of today’s “freedom” is deceptive. Society often nudges people to indulge in their selfish desires to experience happiness. This type of indulgence leads to dependency, a type of modern-day slavery. Our deepest desires to become people who are good and loving are often sabotaged by the desires of our flesh. This slavery can be addictions like alcohol, drugs, porn, phones, or whatever else masters a person.  Instead of that, we need to do the opposite and give ourselves to loving others, which is the greater good. Freedom is to choose to do the good with the help of God.

The law of returns means that every action has an effect, and these effects are often amplified. Think about a farmer sowing a seed and getting a plant, or maybe even a large harvest. If you sow to the Spirit and nurture your inner man by connecting with God and His truth, you will reap a relationship with Him.  Habits shape our destiny, and spiritual practices build our inner strength. Christian freedom involves choosing service to God and creating boundaries and purpose for our lives. This is what it means to “live by the Spirit.” Living by the Spirit enables us to fight the flesh. Fasting and confession are key practices that help us to overcome the flesh.

The World

“The world” is a system of ideals, morals, practices, social norms, and values that our culture adopts. The world is corrupted by the sins of rebellion against God and the redefining of good and evil. These ideas spread like viruses. We live in a post-Christian world that tries to hang on to some of Jesus’s vision but does not make him King. A post- Christian world requires new strategies. The key practice for fighting these lies is to gather with your church. Be in community with others and love the culture from the margins.

Action Step

The lies we live out come from three enemies of our soul: the world, the flesh, and the devil. We must fight these lies to change our lives for the better. Fight the lies by seeking clarity and truth. Engage in spiritual disciplines like prayer, Scripture, solitude, fasting, community, Sabbath, and generosity. If we will invest the time in relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and others in our church community, we will live no lies and change our life forever.

May God bless you on your wellness journey!

Joni

P.S. What experience do you have with facing lies in our society?