Bible Study Father Of Lies

[WalterandDebbie]

Monday 5-2-22 2nd. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Abib/Nisan 30, 5782 44th. Spring Day

WEEK 3 ― TIFERET ― HARMONY, COMPASSION

During the third week of Counting the Omer, we examine the emotional attribute of Tiferet or compassion. Tiferet blends and harmonizes the free outpouring love of Chesed with the discipline of Gevurah.

Tiferet possesses this power by introducing a third dimension ― the dimension of truth, which is neither love nor discipline and therefore can integrate the two.

Truth is accessed through selflessness: rising above your ego and your predispositions, enabling you to realize truth. Truth gives you a clear and objective picture of yours and others' needs. This quality gives Tiferet its name, which means beauty: it blends the differing colors of love and discipline, and this harmony makes it beautiful.

Day 15 ― Chesed of Tiferet: Loving-kindness in Compassion

Examine the love aspect of compassion. Ask yourself: Is my compassion tender and loving or does it come across as pity? Is my sympathy condescending and patronizing?

Even if my intention is otherwise, do others perceive it as such? Does my compassion overflow with love and warmth; is it expressed with enthusiasm, or is it static and lifeless?

Exercise for the day: When helping someone extend yourself in the fullest way; offer a smile or a loving gesture.

Father of Lies

Read: John 8:39–47 | Bible in a Year: 1 Kings 12–13; Luke 22:1–20
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When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

Victor slowly became addicted to pornography. Many of his friends looked at porn, and he fell into it too. But now he understands how wrong it was—he sinned against God—and it crushed his wife. He’s vowed to put safeguards in his life so he’ll never look at it again. Yet he fears it’s too late. Can his marriage be saved? Will he ever be free and fully forgiven?

Our enemy, the devil, presents temptation as if it’s no big deal. Everyone’s doing it. What’s the harm? But the moment we catch on to his scheme, he switches gears. It’s too late! You’ve gone too far! You’re hopeless now!

The enemy will say whatever it takes to destroy us as we engage in spiritual warfare. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

If the devil is a liar, then we should never listen to him. Not when he says our sin is no big deal, and not when he says we’re beyond hope. May Jesus help us dismiss the evil one’s words and listen to Him instead. We rest our hearts on His promise: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (vv. 31–32).

What sin has you feeling hopeless? Do you think this despair comes from Satan or from Jesus? What promise from the Bible might you claim today?

Jesus, You died and rose again to free me from the bondage of sin. Please help me to live in that liberty today!

Read Walking Free: Overcoming What Keeps Us from Jesus.

INSIGHT
In both the Old and New Testaments, the idea of being a son or daughter implied more than DNA and legal paternity. It also alluded to the ways children possess the characteristics and likeness of their parents.

This implication comes into play in the conversation in John 8 where voices in a crowd first claimed to be children of Abraham and then later children of God (vv. 39, 41). Jesus, however, challenged their claims and suggested that by their lies they were actually reflecting the likeness of their father Satan.

On the other hand, He suggested that the self-evident truths He spoke and the miracles He performed were evidence that He was not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God (vv. 27–28, 36).

By Mike Wittmer|May 2nd, 2022

Love Walter and Debbie