I'll start with few things Christ told us in the Word in which He is the embodiment of that Word as it's author.
- He is the way, the truth, and the light, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.
- Do not be deceived, both in your own reckoning, or that by others error or manipulation.
- He is the Rock, the foundation and key stone of our salvation, and it is entirely His finished work that makes it so by His Grace and His Mercy, and our Faith alone in that.
- The path to this salvation is narrow and few find it, as the way to destruction is wide and many will take it to their ruin.
There's a certain security in the path being narrow if you think about it. The walls high on either side without much room to deviate side to side. The way forward is distinctive and clearly defined with light at the end ahead, coming from out of the darkness and gloom behind.
We can not go back. We can not live in the past or be trapped by it. We can not stay in place either, for this is no place to dwell and be complacent. The river of life is never consistently just a leisurely flow but often has torrents of flash flooding and rapids in the form of trials that have intrinsic time limits on them.
To survive, you must move forward. To reach the ultimate goal, you must move forward. To thrive, you must move forward.
To do this, we must work in His strength and not our own, for we are not capable to reach the end without Him. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He alone is our victory and our overcoming strength by our Faith in Him.
He is our focus.
Matthew 15:18
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.”
And thus we are warned about deception.
It comes in many forms and many different strengths, overt and subtle. I venture to say that subtle is the worst kind because it's error creeps in without notice almost. A white lie here, a misrepresentation there, and before you know it your caught in the trap of damaged integrity, maligned character, and questionable honor.
Those fiery darts of the enemy that only our faith can shield us from.
We know from scripture that the Holy Spirit never forces itself upon us, but gently convicts and speaks to us softly to get us to repent (change our mind to the correct choices) and move forward from there.
The adversary on the other hand, that detestable and insidious serpent of old, will not only use Fear, Obligation, and Guilt on us if we let him, but he does it in such a way that we disarm ourselves and buy into his lies and defeat our own selves. This is exactly what he desired and how he gamed his tactics.
What is the source of this defeat? Our own lack of unswerving focus and our loss of faith (belief), or rather our change of belief in his lies rather than the Truth of Christ.
Deception in ANY form or strength is unacceptable and is not a hallmark of a believer, and is certainly not from God.
And understand here that I am not talking about Salvation, as that is a gift, but about the character of a truly believing Christian in their walk and their lifelong sanctification by Christ.
Truth is not just a moral value; it is a fundamental aspect of our faith.
A lie, however small is still a lie. A half truth is still a lie. The misrepresentation of truth is a lie and a deception. Truth and lie do not fellowship, can not mingle.
There is no room in a believers life for deception as a tool. You can not use the enemies weapons and reach a victory.
And if you have to fake it to prove it, then it wasn't ever real to begin with.
Ephesians 4:14
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.
Make no mistake. Deception is a poison seed that should be exposed and not ignored, at every instance, before it grows into a toxic weed in the hearts of men.
Throughout Scripture, we see that deceit is not just an act of dishonesty; it is an affront to God’s nature. Our God is a God of truth, and when we practice deceit, we distance ourselves from Him. Deceit and Deception are not compatible with Righteousness, ever.
The Word illustrates God’s perspective on deceit, emphasizing that He values truth, and so should we. As we navigate our faith, let’s remember that honesty is a reflection of our relationship with God and each other.
The Word calls us to pursue truth (Righteousness), recognizing that it builds strong relationships and connects us closer to God.
2 Timothy 2:22
Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
The biblical narrative consistently underscores the seriousness of deception, calling believers to a life of truth and integrity.
The way forward requires us to do so. And once again this is a choice on our part in our focus and our faith.
What is our tolerance, if any, to deception and deceit?
The answer should be NONE!
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon us all in these evil days.
