A “Lying Spirit” Manifests Itself in the Presidential Debates

A “Lying Spirit” Manifests Itself in the Presidential Debates
By Flip Benham
10-8-2004

The Presidential and Vice Presidential debates have been quite intriguing in this 2004 Presidential election year. In case you haven't noticed, something diabolical is going on. Yes, Kerry and Edwards seem to be on top of their game while President Bush and Vice President Cheney appear tired, frustrated, and exasperated beyond recovery. What is happening?

One needs to look beyond Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards to find the murderous spirit that is both motivating and speaking through them. I am not talking about James Carville and his minions. It's far worse than that. I am talking about a “lying spirit” brought to the fore by Satan himself.

Unfortunately, neither Bush nor Cheney see the battle they fight for what it really is. They are being worn out and trampled to the ground by the continual barrage of lies, invectives, and accusations that flow from the mouths of Kerry and Edwards. This is a very visible manifestation of a “lying spirit.”

It was this same “lying spirit” that manifested itself through William Jefferson Clinton, when he told his wife, his daughter, his closest advisors, his Cabinet, and the entire nation, “I did not have sex with that woman...” The unfortunate thing for Mr. Clinton was that he sincerely believed his own lie.

Psychologists call such behavior psychopathic. A person can lie, cheat, steal, or kill with no sense of remorse, guilt, or responsibility. God calls it something else, “…They perish because they refused to love the truth…For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11. Mr. Clinton's aversion to the truth opened him up to a “lying spirit” and God Himself turned him over to it. It reduced him to fumbling over the parsing of the word “is” in front of special prosecutors.

His friend and co-conspirator Al Gore (the inventor of the internet?) lied even when he didn't need to. He lied even when he knew he would be found out. He couldn't help himself. He was and is enslaved by a “lying spirit.” It reduced him to a quivering piece of lying flesh.

It is this “lying spirit” that Bush and Cheney have encountered in the debates. It is the same “lying spirit” that inhabited the shells of Pharaoh, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Islamic terrorists, ad nauseam. This spirit first manifested itself on this earth through the person of Satan who “…leads the whole world astray…” Rev 12:9, and has wrought untold devastation upon this planet ever since. To this, the bloody pages of history and the Bible attest.

Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney are involved in a cosmic battle of epic proportions and they know it not. If they could see beyond the thin veneer of this world and into the spiritual battle being played out before the very eyes of the world, they would fight with weapons that would bring victory. The “lying spirit,” however, has been around for millennia and eats guys like Bush and Cheney for a snack. They are no match for him.

Satan is out to annihilate anything or anyone that would get in the way of him becoming king. He hates mankind. His fury is unleashed upon those who stand upon the Word of God. He lusts for the blood of innocent children in the womb. This sacrifice is most satisfying to him for it involves so many people in the sin of murder. He is a liar and the father of all lies, and he is spewing his lies through the very articulate mouths of Kerry and Edwards.

Have you ever run into this “lying spirit?” If you have, you know this battle requires that you fight to the death. It can manifest itself in one of your teenage children. You catch them in whatever sin and you confront them with it. Immediately, if you are dealing with a “lying spirit,” you become the target of every invective and accusation imaginable. All hell breaks loose in the home. You are the one who is on trial. You are the one always picking on them. You are a self-righteous, judgmental, mean-spirited bigot. Sound familiar?

It's all you can do to weather the storm. You find yourself worn-out, befuddled, tired, and totally spent. The whole family gets slammed to the ground and anxiety and despair become the fare of the day. It makes you not want to confront that “spirit” again. Therein lies the danger.

This is where Bush and Cheney find themselves. They know that if they confront this spirit, all hell is going to break loose. There is a tendency to roll over and “just let the facts speak for themselves.” But facts alone are never able to “speak for themselves” if others are to come to the correct conclusion. They need help from the truth. Facts can and do lead us astray. Truth never will. To get to the truth, however, we must call on the Author of truth.

Kerry and Edwards are liars. Truth is their enemy. Therefore they must attack it at every juncture. Kerry opened himself up to the “lying spirit” right out of Vietnam and hasn't missed a lick since. No matter how in control these guys appear to be, both have been turned over to a “lying spirit” by God Himself. They are liars and they believe their lies.

When a “lying spirit” is being confronted with truth or being exposed for what it really is, you had better believe that this spirit will find every skeleton in your closet. This is precisely what happened when Mr. Clinton was impeached by the Republican House and Senate, yet they could not manage to convict the President even though he blatantly violated his oath of office. Why not? Just ask Henry Hyde or Bob Livingston. The extramarital affairs of both were exposed. These had been well kept secrets for years, but when the “lying spirit” living in the shell of Bill Clinton was confronted, it immediately attacked. It deflected scrutiny from itself by exposing the secrets carefully closeted and hidden by Hyde and Livingstone. A “lying spirit” will do anything to divert attention from itself.

When one confronts a “lying spirit,” he must first make sure he has removed the log from his own eye or else he will find himself fried in the fat of his own sin.

In a gunfight who would win - the wicked man or the righteous man? You Decide.

“A wicked man puts up a bold front, but the righteous man gives thought to his ways.” Proverbs 21:29. Wicked men always put up a bold front. There is no time for self examination, only time to press on to “get what I want when I want it.” Lying is no problem for the wicked man. He has one thing in mind. If he has to lie to get it - so what! The ends justify the means in his world. Character (truth) is out the window and pragmatism and utilitarianism is in.

The righteous man is not like this. When some flaw is pointed out in him, he considers it as it relates to the Law of God. Truth in the inward man is essential for him. He has one thing in mind - pleasing God. The means to an end are far more important than the end itself, for the means he uses exhibit his faith in God. Therefore character (truth) is in, and pragmatism and utilitarianism are out.

So who would win the gunfight? The wicked man will win almost every time. He gives no thought to anything but his own life. He will kill whoever gets in his way. It doesn't matter to him if he has to lie and cheat to win. His primordial concern is self-preservation.

The righteous man, on the other hand, will lose almost every time. He will give thought to his ways and hope the other man will not draw his gun. He doesn't want to take another's life. This puts him at a distinct disadvantage that is difficult to overcome.

This is where we find ourselves in the presidential debates. Kerry and Edwards will do and say anything to win. They are inhabited by a “lying spirit.” This spirit is articulate and clever and does not want to be exposed. It is a murderer, and is exasperating Bush and Cheney with its unbroken chain of lies, accusations, and vilifications.

The wicked man will always win the gunfight unless the righteous man realizes that he is not “…warring against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 5:12.

This is my prayer for the President. He needs eyes that can perceive this battle and a desire birthed in his heart to fight and win it. Mr. President: “If you could truly see the battle that you are presently engaged in, you would draw this enemy no quarter. You would expose this “lying spirit” for who and what he really is and crush his murderous head with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do not let him go because if he lives, he will kill. You must not deal with Kerry and Edwards with logic and reason alone. It is not enough. You are not smart enough and your advisors are not slick enough to overcome an enemy that has been in the lying business for centuries. He has devoured nations and kings and he will devour you. Remember who it is you are fighting.

The only way you will overcome the” father of all lies” is to call upon the “Father and Author of all Truth.” He has a specific name, Mr. President. That name is Jesus. He is the one who overcame the devil on the cross and He is the only one who can overcome this “lying spirit” now.

Its time for you to pick up your cross and follow Jesus!