4 Ways to Disarm Satan’s Lies

by Katy Kauffman

The lie shot through my mind, an arrow launched by the enemy. You’re not good enough to draw close to God. You have too much sin.

I knew that wasn’t the truth—God wants His children to draw close to Him. But I was missing an essential element of believing the truth—living it out. Many of my prayer times weren’t joyful celebrations of God’s goodness, but struggles and regrets over my lack of it. Satan’s scheme was working, and I needed rescuing.  

How do you respond to Satan’s lies and schemes? Do you recognize the arrows that he launches toward your mind and heart? Arrows that make you doubt God, His love, and your relationship with Him?   

Tucked away in the chapters of Isaiah is a short but powerful prayer that disarms the lies of the enemy. Hezekiah, the king of Judah at the time, faced threats from a fierce enemy, King Sennacherib of Assyria, who planned to besiege Jerusalem. Hezekiah took a letter filled with the enemy’s threats to the temple of God, and spread the letter before Him—a perfect picture of faith and dependence on God.

In the letter, the enemy boasted that he had conquered other nations and their gods hadn’t been able to save them (Isaiah 37:8-13). Earlier he had even said that the God of the Jews had sent him to destroy their land (Isa 36:10), which was a lie. Just like Hezekiah’s enemy tried to use lies to frighten him and the people, Satan uses lies against God’s children today to make us afraid.

Read Hezekiah’s prayer below, and then see a pattern for our prayers today. Don’t listen to the voice of the enemy. Appeal to God like Hezekiah did.

 Hezekiah’s prayer in Isaiah 37:16-20 (NKJV):

16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

 17 “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

 18 “Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands,

 19 “and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hand—wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.

 20 “Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.”

When the enemy whispers lies, silence his voice and pray for victory in this way:

1. Focus on the greatness of God, and remember that He uses His majestic power to fight for us (v.16).

The God who made the heavens and the earth knows everything that is happening in them, and He cares. He who spun galaxies into place and crafted man in His image, has the power to defeat every enemy that comes against us. He fights for us (Deuteronomy 3:22, 2 Timothy 4:17).

2. Show your dependence on God by telling Him what’s going on and asking for His help (v.17).

Even though God already knows, He wants to hear from us. He wants us to come to Him as children who need their Father. We show our dependence on God when we take time to bring our concerns and burdens to Him. No one can make things better like He can.

3. Disarm the enemy’s lies with the truth (v.18-19).

Hezekiah acknowledged the enemy’s power over other lands, but he also remembered the truth—other lands didn’t have the LORD God fighting for them. We can defeat Satan’s lies by drawing from our arsenal of truth—the word of God. If a certain lie keeps stinging your mind and heart, search Scripture for the shield to protect yourself with. Write the verse on an index card, put it on your mirror, and memorize it. Disarm the enemy’s words with God’s words.

4. Ask God to save you from the enemy’s hand (v.20).

God honored Hezekiah’s prayer. He told him that Sennacherib wouldn’t besiege Jerusalem or even enter it. The enemy would leave, and God Himself would defend the city (Isa 37:33-35). God wiped out Sennacherib’s army that surrounded Jerusalem. One angel killed 185,000 enemy soldiers. God’s power outmatches any other power.

When Satan sends you thoughts of fear to weaken your strength and joy, appeal to God who is greater than any enemy. Disarm fears by remembering who God is and by appealing to Him to deliver you. God orchestrates victory when we turn to Him for help. He can defeat every spiritual enemy that comes against us.

Do you need to spread some “letters” before God this week? Take your cares and burdens to God. He sees, He hears, and He saves.