WE ARE AT A STAGE WHERE THE WORLD IS SUBTLY AND GRADUALLY SUPPLANTING ITSELF IN THE CHURCH. WORLDLY VIEWS AND PHYLOSOPHIES ARE GRADUALLY ADULTERATIING CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES. WHILE SOME ARE AWARE OF THIS, MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS AREN'T. SHOULD BELIEVERS BE GUIDED BY THEORIES OR THE SCRIPTURE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CONTEMPORARY LIES AND FALSEHOODS WE HAVE BEEN TOLD? WHAT ARE THE HALF-TRUTHS WE MISCONSTRUE AS WHOLE TRUTH? IS THERE ANY SUCH THING AS SECONDARY VIRGINITY, OR EVEN TEST MARRIAGE?.
In the era where the secular world subtly infiltrates the sacred grounds of the Church, "LIES THAT SATAN TOLD YOU" emerges as a compelling exploration of the delicate balance between worldly philosophies and steadfast Christian principles. The exploration of concepts such as Secondary Virginity, Courtship and Marriage, Money and Mommon and the "American Dream" adds a layer of depth to the narrative, prompting readers to critically evaluate widely accepted beliefs. The authors masterfully dismantle these controversial notions, presenting a compelling case grounded in biblical truth. What sets "LIES THAT SATAN TOLD YOU" apart is its commitment to shining a light on the dichotomy between cultural norms and scriptural integrity. Through insightful analysis and biblical references, the book acts as a powerful tool for Christians seeking to anchor their beliefs firmly in the unchanging truths of the Gospel.
The following are the preview of the various topics discussed in this book.
Many people disdainfully reject the virtue of sexual abstinence. Some even attribute certain unpleasant human conditions to sexual abstinence. This book refutes such baseless assumptions and talks about the importance of sexual abstinence both spiritually and physically. Sexual relations do not end after the intercourse. Rather, there are ramifications that outlive the act of sexual intercourse. Mostly unknown to the actors, a covenant is created in the course of the sexual act (exchange of blood). Such subtle act, but with far reaching consequences allows evil forces to gain a foothold in one’s life and affect the trajectory of his or her God given destiny. The story of a particular couple whose real names were omitted are used to illustrate this fact. Pre-marital sex is still an abomination to God as it was in the time of Moses. For that matter, God still expects us to remain sexually pure until marriage.
This piece debunks the wrong perception about virginity and refutes the false hopes offered by the so-called secondary virginity. The topic brings into view the all encompassing definition of virginity as given by the scriptures and corroborated by dictionaries. Aided by vivid examples of a virgin forest and a fallow land, we make comparisons and conclusions that render the notion of secondary virginity a myth. One is a virgin only once. Virginity is a virtue that has no alternative or secondment to it. Therefore, secondary virginity is a deception and Christians should not embrace it.
Like the issue of secondary virginity, we simply debunk the idea that hymenoplasty helps a woman to recoup her virgin status. The perpetration of this deceit is robbing many young ladies of their dignity. We caution women against such procedure.
The loftiness of the expression, “Love-at-first-sight” has robbed many young believers of a major ingredient in marriage—Friendship. We warn young people that friendship with the opposite sex must never be equated to love relationship. We encourage them to take time to develop friendship with the opposite sex even before thinking of love relationship. Citing instances from our own experience, we harp on the fact that love relationship is best built on platonic friendship with the opposite sex. If in future there is any expression of interest in marriage, the friendship thus built will go a long way to grease the marriage to ease frictions. For couples to reap the best out of their marriage, they must first be complementary friends.
“Courtship” nowadays has become a recipe for fornication even among Christians. We remind our readers that courtship is just a period of study of self and one another in order to ascertain the extent of compatibility among would-be spouses. Unlike betrothal (engagement) and marriage relationships, there is no obligation in courtship so when partners decide to end their courtship we never call it divorce. It is not and should not be a problem when partners decide to end it. The problem, however, is when courting partners get sexually involved even before they could get good grasp of each other’s personality. Usually, when such courtships do not go far, partners feel used and rejected with the attendant problems of depression, resentment, bitterness, unworthiness, low self-esteem, and what have you? Christians are, and should be above such standard. In this topic also, readers are educated on how to differentiate love from its fake counterpart—infatuation. It goes on to show how one can walk the thin line between love and infatuation without cross stepping the two. The bottom line? Even in your courtship, your highest aim must be to glorify your Maker.
This is a half truth which ensnares many young people into hurried love relationships that turn out to be quite illusive. Marriage is far more than just our definition of love. Taking inspiration from Dr Myles Munroe’s quote “Love does not make marriage work,” we attempt to parse love (as toward a spouse) into two components: Commitment and Fascination. We liken commitment to a concrete foundation while fascination is cloud-like. We observe that many lovebirds see love only in its fascinating form thus making them vulnerable to marriage hiccups. There has to be commitment first and that commitment must be unconditional to guarantee success in marriage.
The above topic is probably the most misapplied statement in almost every language. The primary meaning of love has no sexual connotation but we have somehow substituted sexual intercourse with the word ‘love’. We try to explain love the biblical way and expose the deception in camouflaging sexual immorality as love. More often, people mean lust when they say love. We caution our readers to be discerning enough to figure out what people actually mean when they say or propose love. We also bring into perspective the costly dimension of love which is nothing pleasant to our ears, eyes, and feelings yet it is embedded in the true definition of love.
There is a potentially dangerous argument making the waves into which some Christians have been bought. It goes like this in reference to pre-marital relationships: “If you don’t test a ride, how do you know the smoothness of it?” We advise our readers to beware of such philosophies because applying human philosophies to spiritual truths is very dangerous. Even such a philosophy flies in the face of logic when it comes to trade-ins and repossessions of cars. How fairly can you apply these concepts to marriage? Humans are quite different from cars and marriage is a divine institution. There is nothing like experimental marriage or marriage on test. Marriage is a commitment, more so unconditional. What God says about us is truly what we are. It has got nothing to do with the smoothness of a ride. No one must reduce him- or herself to the level of a machine. As Christians, our primary obligation is to glorify God in our lives. Everything else is a secondary matter and must be treated as such.
Under this topic, we examine the issue of hypocrisy by Christians at the altar. It flows from sexual involvement when courting. What does it really mean to have a holy matrimony? What symbolism does the unveiling of the bride in holy matrimony convey? This topic tries to address these issues putting them in their correct, biblical, and logical perspectives. This truth will save many lovebirds from the guilty conscience that may haunt them after marriage. We admonish our readers, as best option, to keep their sexual purity all the way to the altar and remain ever faithful to their spouses thereafter.
The Scripture admonishes believers to live by faith not by sight. However, are we able to always resist the conviction of sight as against the abstract foundation of faith? In this piece, we examine how sometimes sight prevents us from walking by faith. We discuss our road to marriage as a typical case study of such a challenge.
Under this topic, we explore the benefits of consistency in our worship. We warn against wanton application of the concept of variety in our walk with God. We advocate consistency which is a vital raw material for faithfulness. Faithfulness in worship does not allow for arbitrary changes. If God’s love endures forever, then, He has been very consistent with us. How can we do otherwise? The element of consistency in faithfulness allows God to smoothly roll out His plans for us without having to reschedule or delay them. It is for our own benefit. We remind our readers of the fact that faithfulness to God is the building block of faithfulness to our spouses. We cite our own experiences to buttress this point. We caution couples and would-be couples of the concept of variety in marriage. After one’s choice of a spouse, all alternatives must consciously be put beyond the pale.
This piece is closely related to the above topic. We encourage our readers not to treat love relationships like a visit to the restaurant—You order your meal alright, but when you see another man’s plate, you wish you had ordered that meal instead—We warn couples or would-be couples of the danger of entertaining alternatives to their spouses. We try to encourage couples to develop a strong sense of discipline and commitment to each other. Once the marriage choice is made, couples should consciously switch all possible alternatives into inactive mode. This is the gist of the topic.
Many would-be couples mistake wedding for marriage. Therefore, they focus more attention on the events leading to marriage rather than the marriage itself in which they are the actors. Soon after the fanfare, newlyweds come to grips with the realities and challenges of conjugal life. Many falter and succumb to divorce because they hardly considered life after marriage. We try to address this myopic view of marriage by encouraging would-be couples to focus their energies and discussions more on what life could be after marriage—possibilities, challenges, responsibilities, choices, unity of purpose etc.
Here, we caution believers in dire situations where we sometimes feel that God abandons us. God will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). We encourage readers with the example of Joseph when he was sentenced to prison. He was preserving himself for God but God never intervened to exonerate him. It was because God had designed it that way in order to help Joseph unearth the gift God had planted in Him. This was also the way he would eventually come out to save Egypt and the entire world from famine. We also cite our ‘wilderness’ experiences to emphasize this point. We encourage our readers to still trust God in all situations—good or bad—for He who has promised us is faithful to bring it to pass in our lives, regardless.
This topic seeks to address issues where Christians prefer to sit in their comfort zones instead of venturing out. And if we decide to heed the call to the harvest, when and how shall we respond? Sometimes our individual pursuits may land us in other circumstances we have not thought of. Could it be God fulfilling His will against our original thoughts? We go further in this topic to outline from the Scriptures how man’s thinking sometimes contrasts with God’s purpose for our lives. By opening up still, even in our surest pursuits, we allow God to have His way in us, the topic concludes.
We miss a whole lot of opportunities to be thankful to God when we focus entirely on our failures and misfortunes. We rather become disgruntled and complain. In the midst of all the tribulations, might there just possibly be a piece of news for which we could be grateful to God? This piece encourages us to count our blessings even in our gravest ‘misfortunes.’
In this age of social media fad, keeping a secret seems to be outmoded and of no value. Mostly, people lie or embellish the facts to make their case look more like what they envisage it to be. This piece elaborates on the importance of maintaining and respecting some secrets. The topic draws on the call of Abraham and other biblical events to explain the importance of secrets. We also emphasize the fact that secrets are time bound. Revealing them prematurely could spell trouble. Doing so late may not help either. Correct timing is everything. We rely on events immediately after the transfiguration to elicit this fact. It is, therefore, important for us, as Christians, to exercise decorum in handling intelligence information that comes to our knowledge, both spiritually and physically.
This topic debunks the notion perpetrated in some Christian circles that all will be well when one gives his or her life to Christ. Indeed, all will be well but not in the sense that unbelievers may interpret it. In this piece, we examine the real cost of discipleship as Jesus commanded. We also discuss the hope that drives discipleship in spite of the cost.
Mammon is always referred to as money among Christian circles. In this piece however, we draw inspiration from the teachings of Derek Prince to split the two, reveal what each really is, and the relationship between the two. One will realize why they have become synonymous with each other. We acknowledge money as a blessed thing to have but we caution against allowing the spirit of Mammon (Pride) to factor into the equation.
Is it true that the social, economic and political systems make success possible for every individual? When these systems suffer glitches, what happens to individuals who pin their hopes and trust in them? This sets the stage for honest and in-depth discussion of the “American Dream” as we are made to believe. The procedure for the prosperity we chase after in the American Dream has long been spelled out by God in His Word, long before the birth of America. Surprisingly, the performance of the economy is not the primary determinant of prosperity in God’s description. Even for those who achieve the so-called American Dream, the struggle continues unabated. How elusive is that? This piece tries to discourage readers from building their lives on materialism. Everybody is encouraged to rely on God for prosperity rather than the arm of flesh. As Christians, our successes should be attributed more to God’s blessing than our own knowledge and efforts. What is refreshing is that the reader is not left in limbo. A better option is suggested. Obviously, a solid promise is better than a sweet dream. With illustrations from Paul and his life on earth, we elaborate on what this alternative is. The conclusion? Any dream, the achievement of which does not put man beyond the fear of death is an incomplete dream. Only the promise of God covers the last mile. Everything else is uncertain.