Challenge Deception


Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV Strong's)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

We live in an angry, hate-filled world, full of people who seem to have lost perspective, and therefore, who have lost all significance and hope. 

Those who continually jockey for a position of power do not understand the source of power. Those who must continuously prove their value have extracted their value from that which cannot give value. Therefore, anyone who threatens their power or authority has threatened their very purpose for existence. 

We have regressed to the point where we extract our significance in life by actually believing that we are god. We want the world to be dependent upon us, we want to always be right, and we want all around us to honor us or pay the price for not doing so.

Those who act this way are emulating Satan more than God. Satan, too, seeks power and authority. He, too, seeks significance, and uses deception and manipulation to achieve his purposes. He, too, is attempting, and has attempted to take characteristics that belong exclusively to God and make them his. 

Satan is the father of lies and deception, and those who are Godless have become fluent in his manipulative language. 

If we are not grounded in the truth, we are easily swayed, and once the lies turn into deception, it is difficult to change, for deception, by definition, is just a lie that we are convinced is the truth.  

If I am being deceived today, I am not working at challenging the deception, for I believe it is true. In fact, rather than challenging it, I am probably defending it as I would defend anything that I consider truth. 

Fortunately, the Scriptures give us ways to evaluate the truth of what we believe. One of the simplest ways to evaluate whether something is true is to ask a simple question. Is what I believe consistent with the idea of living a life that loves God and people, and do I use my resources for this purpose? Secondly, I realize that those who are doing things right, as they listen to the Holy Spirit, are also enjoying the fruits of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If I am right, if I am listening to God, then my life will demonstrate it by genuinely displaying these fruits.

If I am being deceived, I will be jealous, angry, impatient, manipulative, and never really satisfied with this life, God, and other people in my life. 

The cure for deception is truth, and the truth is available to everyone who seeks it. We need not make this overly difficult. 

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