My friend Melanie recently shared this TED talk from Pamela Meyer about lying:

Pamela Meyer: How to spot a liar | Video on TED.com

One of the things that really captured my attention was when she said:

“Lying is a cooperative act.  Think about it:  a lie has no power whatsoever by its mere utterance.  Its power emerges when someone else agrees to believe the lie.  So I know it sounds like tough love, but look, if at some point you got lied to, it’s because you agreed to get lied to.”

It gets really interesting when you take that idea and place it next to Jesus’ description of Satan in John 8:44.  Jesus is having one of those recurring arguments with his kinsmen, who are vigorously missing the point (as we humans are wont to do).  He says:

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 NASB)”

I am constantly pressured to believe lies about myself, about the people around me, and about God.  These lies are from hell and are intended to destroy my relationships and ultimately to destroy me.  But they only have power when I cooperate with Satan (!why would I do that?!) by agreeing to believe them.