Happen you live long enough, you’ll learn that the only reason you need to do the right thing is ’cause it’s the right thing. Don’t get no more complicated than that.”
–Ben Bridges (Montana Gunsmoke)
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
–Colossian 2:8 (NKJV)
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Deceit is very dangerous! Whether it be blatant or subtle deceit, it is one of the most dangerous things in the world. Perhaps that is why we are warned continually in the New Testament to “be alert” and to “guard the truth.” If we are compromising, complacent, and curious, we are in danger of being prey to deceit.
The ol’ serpent–Satan–is the master of deceit. That is what he used on Eve in the garden. Just a slight change of words, just a hint of something different and Eve went for it, then–WHAM!–she gave to Adam and–SMACK, WHAM!–the world was changed forever. Man lost his innocence and from that time to today man has fallen for deceit.
The powermongers, the bureaucrats, and especially the media use deceit as part of their arsenal. Sometimes there are outright lies, and the people believe them. Sometimes the lies are subtle, and the people believe them. Sometimes, the story is completely made up, and the people believe them. Is it that people are gullible? Yes, but more than that, people have forgotten and do not want to know the Truth. Bring Jesus, the Truth, into the picture and the people shudder or they yell or they smirk or they begin to shake when the Truth is before them. One thing to remember, the Holy Spirit will always cause a reaction when Jesus is presented. There will either be conviction or there will be repentance. Whenever you see a reaction of hatred you know that conviction is present and the people are doing their best to fight against it.
An old time preacher once said, “If you see a dog fight and throw a stone at them. The one you hit is the one that yelps the loudest.” Hmmm, ponder that in the light of our wonderful, enlightened bureaucrats. We are living in a day when deceit/lies are being told and those that are doing so have no feelings against lying. They do so with a straight face. Remember, those who lie, those who purposely try to deceive are of their “father.” The devil was a liar from the beginning; he is the father of lies.
I believe that this is a priming for the coming of the “man of lawlessness”–the Antichrist. A person who will be skilled in deceit. A person who knows how to promise and win over the multitudes. Listen, this might be a time to read again the Book of Revelation. The tinder is being laid, the kindling is set aside, and soon the match will be struck and the fire of deceit will be lit. Instead of promises, promises; it will be lies, lies. Hmmm, some things never change.
One more thing to ponder–deceit is not always from a person. The deceitfulness of riches is a very real snare. Man wanting, always wanting. The lack of satisfaction is apparent in our society. Just look at the deceitfulness of advertisement. Buy this…and you’ll get this; plus a big bill. There is the man who works hard, puts in more hours because he is deceived thinking that if he works harder and longer he can provide more for his family–the one that he never sees or nurtures because he is too busy. See, there are all kinds of deceit.
Snares are traps that are hidden. It takes a person of knowledge to look for and discover the snares that are along the way. We are to be aware of the snares of the devil and to do that we must have the Word of God in our minds and hearts so that the Holy Spirit can lead us and tell us where to step to avoid the snares.