"Our war against the three enemies of the soul is not a war of guns and bombs. It's not against other people at all. It's a war on lies. And the problem is less that we tell lies and more that we live them; we let false narratives about reality into our bodies, and they wreak havoc in our souls." -John Mark Comer

If you are a follower of Jesus, your soul has 3 enemies: the devil, the flesh, and the world. The Bible warns us of these enemies, and clues us in on how to fight back. In Live No Lies, Comer boils down their common tactic: lies. The devil is the "father of lies." The flesh feeds us lies about who we are and what we want. The world is a whole system of lies that has hijacked all cultures and societies. The end goal of our enemies is not for us to believe the lies, but to live them. The way we think shapes the way we live.

Here are summaries for the 3 enemies, along with practical ways to fight back:

1. The devil

In our age of science and skepticism, believing that the devil even exists can be a struggle. But make no mistake: the devil is real and he has an agenda. The accuser wants to bring death. And the way he brings death is through lies. Let's think about his very first move. In the garden, the serpent brought lies to Adam and Eve. He denied what God had already told them. When the first humans accepted the lie and chose to define good and evil on their own, death followed. 

When Satan attacked Jesus in the wilderness, he came with lies. That's his tactic. Jesus showed us how to fight back. For every lie Satan brought, Jesus responded with truth. The same truth we have access to in the Bible.

So when the devil seeks to destroy (or at least derail) Christians, his weapon is lies. But here's the incredible truth Comer reminds us of: "the devil can't make us do anything as followers of Jesus." We are free. Jesus has broken the chains of sin and death. As the enemy seeks to bring death to us, he can only present ideas that could mislead us. He can never force our hand. 

Underneath all the lies Satan uses is this assertion: God cannot be trusted. You need to listen to yourself instead of Him. He's not as smart or good or awesome as you think He is. We fight the lie by remembering God's truth. He gives promises. He brings comfort. The more we fill our minds with God's truth, the more we will have success in combatting the lies.

How to Fight Back: Quiet Praying and Scripture Intake (reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, etc.).

2. The flesh

Every disciple of Jesus has an enemy within. The "flesh" can be defined as our sinful passions (Romans 7:5). Or as Comer puts it: "the animalistic cravings of our body apart from God." Even though we have been freed by the good news of Jesus, we still live in a broken world with an unrestored body. The blood of Jesus has washed us clean. His resurrection has gained our victory. But Christians will still have to fight their sinful desires until He returns. 

In order to fight the flesh, we have to let God inform our deepest desires. Thankfully He comes and dwells inside of us! We need a foreign power to help us fight off not just the flesh, but all 3 enemies of the soul. We need the Person of the Holy Spirit. For those in Christ, the Spirit now forms our deepest desires. And we need His power because our deepest desires are not always our strongest desires. The sinful passions of the flesh can feel strong and compelling. We need supernatural help to live according to deep truth instead of according to strong desire. 

This is real freedom: having the power to choose what is good. It is not the ability to do whatever we want, living out our fleshly desires. Freedom is knowing God and His truth, and then having the power to live according to it.  

How to Fight Back: Fasting and Confessing Sin.

3. The world

In this context, the "world" is not referring to people. The non-Christians on planet Earth are not an enemy of our soul. In fact, we are called to make disciples out of them. We are called to exist for their benefit. The third enemy of the soul is the whole "system of practices and standards associated with secular society" (p. 203). Granted, all non-Christians are influenced by this system and live accordingly, but we don’t fight against them (Ephesians 6:12). We fight the lies that hold them captive in an effort to introduce them to freedom in Jesus. 

Culture is incredibly powerful. Countless Christians have been blind to the ways their surrounding society has led them astray. Praise God for His grace! We need his loving correction all the time. We need His Word. We need His presence. And we need His community. 

The Church creates a beautiful counter-culture. This is one shaped by the truth. We want to value what God values. We want to let Him define good and evil. We want to introduce people to a healthy culture – the upside-down Kingdom. 

How to Fight Back: Gathering with your Church.