(From our church-wide devotion book at Pinedale Christian Church, "You 2.0”)

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles stepped up to a radio microphone in New York and announced that aliens had invaded New Jersey. The response was immediate! People fled their homes, armed themselves, and prepared to face the alien onslaught. With only a few spoken words and clever programming, Welles brought about great confusion and panic along the northeastern seaboard.

Although the impact of the hysteria caused by the radio broadcast on that fall evening is a subject of historical debate, the truth of what happened is clear: people acted in a certain way based ona belief about their circumstances. Of course, in this instance, the facts were mere fiction, but people believed a lie and acted as if it was true.

Before we judge these people too harshly, however, I think it is important that we all come face-to-face with one profound truth from this story: Our actions always line up with our true beliefs.

In the Christian life, this can be a scary truth to face. Why? Because it means that our sins – the ones we commit daily - represent our true beliefs. Though we seldom think this way, sin is a declaration that God is not enough for us; that the Gospel just is not good or satisfying enough for our appetites. We want more than God offers, or we know better than God what we need. When we sin, we are believing this lie and acting as if it is true.
So how do we combat this? Well, to counter the panic caused by Welles’ radio broadcast in 1938, authorities made statements to the public, which declared the falsity of the alien invasion and affirmed the truth of their safety. They countered the lie with the truth.

We all struggle with sin and endure temptation daily. All of us. There are people all around you who are struggling to make it through each day. Although they look nice and put together on the surface, there is a war waging, and they are desperate.

Even the writers of the Bible struggled. They lived the same life we do, on the same earth. The author of Psalm 119 was a flesh and blood human, who had dreams, fears, hopes, likes, and dislikes. The writer desired comfort and peace, love and joy, meaning, and community. Living a life filled with temptation and sin, the author asks a question – “How can a young man keep his way pure?” I can imagine this question being shouted out in frustration, even through tears.

Is it even possible? Is it hopeless? Do not miss the human element here. This is not an academic exercise, a procedural inquiry – it is life or death. The psalmist knows the crushing feeling of guilt and shame (v. 28), the allure of worldly attractions (v. 37), what it is like to wander from God (v. 67), and what desperation feels like (v. 81-84). In short, the author knows the feeling of temptation, what it feels like to believe a lie, to desire sin more than purity, and so asks the question. How can I ever endure temptation and remain pure?

This hits home with me. Sometimes it feels desperate and hopeless to fight against temptation; like purity is an impossible goal as I commit the same sins repeatedly. However, the psalmist knew the same thing that the authorities in 1938 knew when Welles’ radio broadcast caused panic – the only way to counter a lie is with the truth, God’s word. Not with God’s word in a phone app, Google search, Instagram post, or even a tattoo. Rather, in a heart. This speaks to intimate knowledge, the placement of God’s truth from the Bible in the very fabric of our being. Passages that are not just memorized but also internalized and utilized.

Temptation tells us that sin will bring us peace in our relationships, purpose in our lives, importance in our community, rest from the world’s activities, significance on earth, and joy that God never could. When we sin, we validate the truth of these lies and call God a liar. We may not always understand the lie we believe in the moment of temptation, but we must counter it with truth, God’s truth.

To do this, we must learn His truth and internalize it by memorizing Scripture and praying those promises to God during temptation. God will always fulfill His promises to us by providing a way for us to keep our lives pure, but only when we guard them according to His word.

God has given us a way to remain pure, to live a new version of life, one filled with the Spirit. So, will you upgrade to version 2.0 or believe the lie?
The following illustration comes from preachingtoday.com:

(Con't in my comment below)