Samuel Paty was a 47-year-old French History and Geography teacher who was brutally beheaded by a jihadist on October 16, 2020. The attack was a result of a fierce online smear campaign started by a 13-year-old Muslim student. She claimed that the teacher had, during the class on free speech, asked all Muslim students to leave the classroom to enable him show controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed. She invented the story to provide an alibi for her suspension the previous day due to absences. It was not until 2024 during police investigation that she confessed that all was a ruse and apologized to Samuel Paty’s family for destroying their lives.

Invariably, behind every conflict is some measure of deceit… The only way to escape the lie of the devil and the tragic consequences it brings is to be grounded in the truth which is encapsulated in the word of God. 

In our text, Jesus described Satan not just as a liar but the father of it. It should be no stress to admit that all who are his will make lies their stock in trade. The Bible speaks of a thousand years of uninterrupted peace on earth. Coincidentally, it is during that same period that Satan will be bound and unable to deceive people. Invariably, behind every conflict is some measure of deceit. If a family is in disarray, one or more members are subscribing to lies of the devil. That the devil is going about to cause havoc is an open secret. What many people have not come to terms with is how he is executing his war with so much effectiveness. Apostle Peter portrays him as a lion seeking who he might devour (1 Peter 5:8). Knowing his modus operandi is critical for our escape. The principal way by which the devil preys on people is deception. He goes about lying to people. The only way to escape the lie of the devil and the tragic consequences it brings is to be grounded in the truth which is encapsulated in the word of God.