2 Corinthians 11:13-14 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

The world can be a dangerous place! In this present time, the devil and those who serve him run rampant, doing all they can to deceive, just as Jesus warned us. (Matthew 24:24) Sadly, many are indeed taken in by their lies, and can be deeply hurt in consequence. However, that’s not to say we are to live in fear. Rather, we are to keep our hearts fixed on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) knowing that in Him we have the victory, whatever is going on around us in the flesh. (Romans 8:37) That said, for our own sake and for the sake of those around us, we are to be careful not to be deceived. That means becoming so familiar with the Bible that anything that contradicts it is immediately obvious, and seeking and allowing the Holy Spirit to be our teacher and the interpreter of what we read and hear. In this Information Age we are bombarded with messages of all sorts. Some are uplifting and point us to Christ, but many are calculated to generate fear, grabbing our attention and seeking to control us. Those things might be religious or they might not. The devil doesn’t much care what he distracts us with, just so long as he distracts us from Christ. This might be as religious as deceptive visions or as secular as cries of climate change; the devil doesn’t care, so long as he grabs our attention and keeps us from fellowship with Christ by His Spirit.

I have seen quite a gamut of deceptions, and some of them were very persuasive. However, God is faithful, and He has protected me. That’s not to say I have everything right; I still agree with C. S. Lewis that when we get to heaven, we will all discover we were wrong somewhere. It is to say that I am deeply grateful for the firm foundation I was given by my parents’ faith and devotion to God and His Word. I once had a minister tell me my problem was I was “too balanced.” In his view, you needed to be a little unbalanced in order to keep moving! It is true that I haven’t been one to jump on the latest enthusiasm in Christian circles, but that is in keeping with my Teacher gifting. I don’t want to hold back from anything in which the Lord is directing me, but I know that my success is entirely because of Him, and not from any program or technique of man. I think my father’s adherence to Absolute Honesty helped me greatly, because it has made deceptions of all sorts much more obvious to me. I want to be absolutely faithful to my Lord, who is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed be a true apostle, sent and controlled by You and Your Spirit and no other, so that others may be delivered from the deceptions of the enemy to walk in Your light and life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!