He had weathered many turbulent storms, but none had threatened to drive him to an early grave.

He had fled from his incensed elder twin after robbing him of his birthright, so much for his gutsiness.

He had survived the horror of getting duped by his uncle Laban, forced to toil seven more years for the woman he loved.

He had wrestled with God and broken a hip socket.

He had braved a precarious reunion with his estranged twin brother, still wary of his fury.

He had been through life’s wringer and survived.

Everything that could go wrong had already gone belly up.

Or so he thought.

---

“Could this be your son’s tunic?” One of his sons had blithely asked.

“Your son,” not “Our brother”

He was used to the undisguised contempt for his pet, the son of his old age

With trembling hands, he inspected the familiar tunic. The dazzling colours he had carefully picked were now stained.

He gagged at the earthy metallic smell it exuded before crumbling to a heap on the ground.

He ripped off his clothes and donned sackcloth.

His skies had grayed; he would mourn his son for days on end.

“Without a doubt, a wild beast has devoured him!” he whimpered with quivering lips (Gen 37:33)

Without a doubt.

Only that Jacob was dead wrong.

Because things are not always what they seem.

The only kid dead was a young goat.

His son was alive, tucked away in Egypt, swapped for twenty shekels of silver.

Jacob would peg the rest of his life on the “bloody” lie until his miraculous reunion with Egypt’s Prime Minister – Joseph.

Grief weaved through every meal he nibbled on.

It leaked into every conversation.

The master deceiver could not catch a whiff of the deceit served him.

In Egypt, God’s plan was taking shape,

Joseph was getting propelled to power, one hardship at a time.

Detect the Lies

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

---

Even if someone (definitely not you) took the devil, flipped him upside down, and wrung out all his devilish contents, there’s not an ounce of truth that would be traced.

Not even a drop.

It would be much easier to empty an ocean with a thimble.

His native language is lies, and he winds up as the patriarch in the “Lie-ology” department.

When he schemes against the children of God, he relishes using lies.

• He lied to Moses that God’s word couldn’t penetrate the slur on his tongue
• He lied to Job that God had turned his back on him
• He lied to Elijah that Jezebel could obliterate his anointing
• He lied that sleeping Lazarus was dead
• What’s more, he lied to himself that Jesus’ death was the end!

---

But that’s not all, perhaps he’s been lying to you a lot lately,

It could be through a medical report or a strained relationship with your spouse.

Maybe you are dealing with an errant child or are smack dab in a financial rut.

If he could lie to our esteemed Fathers of Faith, you bet he will throw darts at you as well.

But are you going to succumb?

Wouldn’t you want to flesh the lies out like you would a thorn stuck in your foot?

Will you confuse goat’s blood for human blood?

Yours is to stack up the lies against the truth nestled in God’s word.

When he presents sickness, call out the lie and clutch onto the promise for divine health.

When he whispers that your financial spine will never straighten, hold on to the promise of abundance.

Take up the shield of faith and quench those false fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16).

Fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:12).

That’s what Jesus did, brandishing the scriptures to shoo the lying devil away.

He neutered each lie with the truth by proclaiming: “It is written!”

Get to know what’s written about your health, marriage, education, career, finances, children, and every area of your life.

Back to Jacob

Jacob had a hunch that Joseph was different from his other sons.

He loved and favored him above them.

Being happy-go-lucky and overly chatty, Joseph freely spat out his dreams.

In one of them, his whole family, including his parents, was bowing before him.

Although appalled at the thought, Jacob couldn’t shake off the matter.

Joseph’s words roamed freely in his mind (Gen 37:11).

The matter poked him incessantly.

He pondered and mulled on it constantly.

He had a hunch that Joseph was no ordinary kid.

But when the blood-drenched tunic was laid at his feet, he let go of all hope.

Aren’t you and I also guilty of discarding hope when distress checks in?

Tossing away all the promises our hearts have previously nursed from God’s word?

When trouble checks in, let’s quarry the truth from God’s word.

Let’s find out first what God’s infallible word says about our circumstances.

Let’s not confuse goat’s blood for human blood.

Reflection

In which areas of your life is the devil having a field day?

In which areas has he blinded you with lies?

Take time in prayer and study of the word, and claim God’s promises.

Don’t allow your life to be steered by a faulty, broken, good-for-nothing compass.