Skip to main content

Do Not be Deceived

 About seven years ago, society began to broadcast, “It does not matter that she is lying, we need to believe her anyway.” The mindset to accept serial liars has been decades in the making. The thought is even if the truth contains the solution to advance your way of life, if it offends anyone’s senses, you are to reject it. Be honest, do you trust any form of media? If you do, is it because it conforms and supports your perspective? Is that not the purpose; to make us all question the foundation of truth?

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ” 2 Corinthians 11:3. The two words that I will concentrate on are simplicity and purity. What do they mean? Instead of telling you, I am going to put the meaning in a prayer. It is vitally important that children-of-God don’t get swept away with deceiving spirits. Let’s face it; deception works because it appeals to our fleshly desires.
Dear Heavenly Father, give your children plainness of speech and help us adhere to moral and ethical principles. May we have soundness of moral character, honesty, with the state of being whole and undiminished. Let there be not an ounce of hypocrisy in our lives. Let us have a strict observance of promises, duty, loyalty, and adherence to facts or details. Give us freedom from biases and help us to be frank and sincere in speech. We represent you, Father. Help us to finish well. In Jesus precious name, Amen



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Authority Given By God

  The other day, God reminded me of a story. When I was teaching in the old mission building, my classroom was the library. I loved the big tables that we could join together as we discussed God’s word. Then I had to move over to the men’s side of the building and teach in one of the classrooms. It was your standard room with conference tables. At the time, I felt the setup cold as I was way upfront from the ladies “teaching.” My director permitted me to join the tables together to make it more intimate. Since I was having trouble with my legs, she told me I could leave the tables joined together for the guys to put the room back together. She forgot to tell the guys. One day, a man came storming into my classroom and yelled at me. “You will put those tables back,” he demanded. I looked up and slowly said, “No.” He screamed again, “Yes, you will.” I again replied, “No, and if you have a problem with that answer, you can talk with my supervisor.” The look on his fa...

Questions about Fasting Part One

  Was fasting a foretelling of repentance and dying to self? Everything in the Old Testament Jewish faith was the "first to establish the second," meaning the religious acts were a foretelling to set up the death and resurrection of Christ. The practice of circumcision is not a sacred act anymore, nor is sacrifice. Why? Because in the New Covenant through Jesus, circumcision is now of the heart and not the flesh. The book of Romans reminds us that every religious act of the flesh has been replaced by living under grace through faith. So why are we continuing the practice of fasting for repentance or sorrow? Is that not an act of flesh? Do we not believe that if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us? Why do you have to starve yourself to get God to move or hear Him? Don't we believe that He has heard us if we ask according to His will? Do you think God is motivated more by our acts of humility or our acts of faith? Does He not kn...

Fast Part Two

  I have been mulling over the part fasting should be playing in the age of grace. For two weeks, I have questioned my friends about why they fast. Most of my friends said the same thing: to get close to God or hear God. My friends are kind and allow me to challenge their thought processes or debate them concerning their answers. Yesterday at church, God finally brought a complete response to me about fasting. Imagine yourself on a date or having an intimate dinner with someone, and they took out their phone and started scrolling. What if you were talking to a friend and they walked away from you to do something else? How would you feel if someone you loved screened their calls and refused to pick up the phone to talk with you? All three of those scenarios are how we treat God. God looks at the relationship with His people as a marriage. There is not one marriage that can survive without intimacy or that special closeness withheld for only one. When we read ve...