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The author of Live No Lies is John Mark Comer.

Personal Development

Live No Lies Book Summary - Live No Lies Book explained in key points

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Live No Lies summary

Name: Live No Lies
Rating: 2.9 (424 reviews)
Author: John Mark Comer

John Mark Comer

Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace

2.9 (424 ratings)

23 mins

Brief summary

Live No Lies by John Mark Comer is a call to live an authentic life in a culture of lies. It challenges readers to confront the lies they believe and instead embrace the freedom of living in truth.

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Self-Help Christianity Happy

Table of Contents

Live No Lies
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Survive and thrive in a post-Christian society.

It’s a hard time to be a Christian. In Western secular society, many of the ideas that have become normalized are completely at odds with Christian beliefs. Consequently, many followers of Jesus feel worn down and alienated from the rest of society.

But John Comer, a pastor in the US, says it’s completely normal to feel this way. Christians are fighting a spiritual war. The good news is that there are simple, practical ways for Christians to approach this challenge – and they don’t have to do it alone.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

where lies come from, and why we’re so quick to believe them;
why ideas are like viruses; and
the powerful benefits of spiritual practices like fasting.

Secular society treats lies as truth, and this leads to unhappiness and sin.

Something’s wrong. Although the author has a good life, working as a pastor in Portland, Oregon, he often feels tired and worn down. He has the sensation that every day is a battle. Perhaps you sometimes feel this way too.

But while it may sound strange, it’s actually perfectly normal to feel battered and bruised, given the world we live in today. There’s a war going on – a war for the soul.

In recent years, Christians have become what feels like a minority in the US. It’s an alienating time to be a person of faith, as secular society has an increasingly hostile attitude toward Christianity.

And it’s a difficult world for non-Christians too. Society is divided, and many people are deeply unhappy.

Here’s the key message: Secular society treats lies as truth, and this leads to unhappiness and sin.

Happiness levels in the US have been in decline since the 1960s. It’s no coincidence that this was the era when core values began to change, including attitudes toward sexuality and family. Secular society argues that acceptance of things like sexual liberation and divorce makes people freer and happier – but actually, the opposite is true.

Secular society is getting so many things wrong. Take divorce as an example. Some people think that divorce represents liberation from the patriarchy – but the author believes that men benefit from divorce much more than women. Divorce also has a devastating impact on children; it affects their ability to form healthy, intimate relationships as adults.

So what’s happening? Why is there widespread tolerance or even celebration of things that are making people unhappy?

The problem is that secular society treats ideas as the truth. But positive attitudes toward divorce are just ideas – not the truth. Look at that another way, and you might as well call them lies. The Bible teaches that following the truth leads to happiness and God, while believing lies leads to unhappiness and sin. It’s no wonder so many people in the world today are unhappy.

Of course, it’s not always easy to distinguish lies from the truth, and it can be even harder to let go of these illusions. But, for a follower of Jesus, it’s absolutely essential to identify and reject lies. It’s the only way to live a good Christian life and be happy.

Luckily, help is at hand. The following blinks delve into lies – and how to combat them.

The devil tricks people into believing lies about what will make them happy.

and demons. These days, however, even many Christians are skeptical. People treat the devil as a myth or ancient nonsense.

There’s a tendency to dismiss certain past beliefs as evidence of our ancestors’ inferior intellect. But people are no more intelligent today than they were in the past. Maybe the people who believed in the devil were right after all.

To resist the devil and his lies, Christians should try to be more like Jesus.

Life is a process of spiritual formation. Every moment of every day, people change and gradually become their own unique person. For Christians, the question is: How can I become more like Jesus, and not like the devil?

People become more like the devil through isolation and lies. The opposite of a lie is the truth – that is, reality. The opposite of isolation is a relationship. So through relationships and reality, people become more like Jesus.

Secular society has misguided ideas about freedom, and many people are slaves to their desires.

Humans are driven by desire. All of us are filled with primal, animalistic instincts for self-gratification.

There’s nothing new or unnatural about desire – it’s a problem that goes right back to Adam and Eve. But society’s attitude toward desire has changed in the last century, leading to a lot of pain and confusion.

We reap what we sow, and the choices we make determine the people we become.

What goes around comes around. This is an idea shared by many people, regardless of religious belief – though it appears in the Bible too. Jesus made reference to it, and Paul explained the idea using a farming metaphor: a man reaps what he sows.

This concept is also known as the law of returns. It’s a simple but profound idea with two parts. First, every cause has an effect. And second, the effect may be disproportionate to the cause.

Spiritual practices help Christians gain control over their desires.

The process of becoming a good Christian is a kind of practice or exercise. Through adopting positive habits, a Christian can build the strength of their spirit – essentially their willpower muscle. The stronger a person’s willpower, the easier it is to overcome their primitive desires.

But sometimes, willpower alone is not enough. People have to battle with their desires for self-gratification on a daily basis. In the Bible, Paul says that Christians have to “crucify” the flesh and its desires.

Dangerous ideas and behaviors can quickly gain widespread acceptance and become normalized.

The world is a dangerous place. Christians are threatened not just by the devil’s lies and their own desires, but also by the world itself.

Again, like the desire problem, this issue is nothing new. There are plenty of warnings in the Bible about the dangers of the world. For Jesus, the world was a hostile place, full of temptation and ruled by the devil. The author defines the world as a culture corrupted by rebelling against God.

The West is now a post-Christian culture, so churches and Christians need to adapt in order to survive.

The West has become a post-Christian culture. Society still retains the scaffolding of Christian morality. But it’s attempting to move beyond Christianity and reject commitments and restraints. The West is like a rebellious teenager who fights his parents’ authority while still living at home and eating their food.

As we’ve seen, Christians living in a post-Christian society have to navigate a world where immoral ideas, desires, and behavior are normalized.

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What is Live No Lies about?

Live No Lies (2021) is a survival guide for Christians living in troubled times. It analyzes the main challenges facing Christians today, including lies from the devil and the influences of Western secular society, which are often incompatible with religious values. It also offers spiritual practices for Christians to adopt and suggests some possible ways for churches to adapt to post-Christian culture.

Live No Lies Review

Live No Lies (2022) is a thought-provoking book that challenges us to embrace a more authentic way of living in a world filled with deception. Here's why this book is worth reading:

With insightful analysis and thought-provoking ideas, it prompts us to question the lies we are told and empowers us to live in truth.
Backed by research and real-life examples, the book provides practical strategies for embracing honesty and cultivating authentic relationships.
Its engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes make it an exciting and inspiring read, ensuring that it never feels dull or monotonous.

Who should read Live No Lies?

Christians looking for practical guidance
People who feel dissatisfied with secular society – but don’t know exactly why
Anyone seeking peace and happiness through spiritual practices

About the Author

John Mark Comer is the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, and the director of the Christian nonprofit Practicing the Way. He’s the author of several books on spiritual formation in post-Christian culture, including the best seller The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.

Categories with Live No Lies

Personal Development Religion & Spirituality Mindfulness & Happiness

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