Deception

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

- Matthew 24:4-14, NKJV

Let us not be deceived by what is laid before us, but rather look towards the promises of God to discern the truth about our situations. While many things will be written, asserted, proclaimed, and displayed the truth only lies in God and His Word - Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32, NKJV). Many will come from the pulpit with proclamations and many more will report of this and that, but God is seeking out the faithful…those who will abide in Him (no in fleshly/self gratifying words) until the very end, never wavering in faith and steadfastly devoting themselves to an abundant life in and through Him. So we must all take heed to the devil’s deception that has “lies” written all over it - You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it (John 8:44, NKJV). Individually and collectively we must resist the temptation to “give-in” or “surrender” to the convictions of a carnal world; rather, trust in He who is willing and able to save all. We must believe in His Word and It shall come to pass no matter how long It takes or what “today” looks like. We must stop settling for cheap knock offs when the real thing has already been purchased and given to us freely. Let us move away from the lies and deceit, and begin to glory in the truth as His love sets us free. Today let’s be mindful of our surroundings, knowing the devil seeks to deceive us at every opportunity, and let us embrace the glory of God’s Word so that we will no longer be deceived, but rather walk in His light.

BE BLESSED!