Tag: Deception

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May your cause be true.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The voices of those who have seen, known, maybe experienced the bait, the traps, the allurement of this great prostitute are now shouting the praises of God for His judgements. Who, or what is this great prostitute? Interesting that the word, porné, for prostitute, is also the word used for an idolatrous community. That’s the true nature of porné, a person or thing that pulls us away from God. When we leave the covenant with God to turn to an idol. We find try to find fulfillment in ANOTHER. John says this porné, is the corrupter, the moral deterioration – i.e. decomposition (break-down), due to the corrupting influence of sin.

The cheer rising from the crowd is the great relief, the rejoicing of pure accountability for the one who lies, steals and kills the lives of those he has lured away. The shout is for justice and judgment to be served!

This generation aches for justice. This generation wants judgment so badly that it looks for any opportunity to rise, riot and celebrate what it deems to be worthy of violence to achieve justice. The passion is real, their hearts desire for wrongs to be made right. The difference between the many false causes that manufacture and manipulate the crowd and this gathering in heaven is God Himself.

God is the only one whose judgements are true and just. Crowds have always found their voice in violence throughout history. And crowds are easily swayed by salacious lies that appear to be based in truth, their truth, group-think, mob truth. In my mind, I can still hear the crowd screaming, begging for the death of an innocent man. The hate-filled rage that drove the lie that would lead to the torture, beating and horrendous death on a cross for Jesus. The crowd screamed, “crucify him,” and took a paradoxical pledge to prove their commitment, “may his blood be on us and our children!” Their just cause seemed real, seemed true, but it was all based on subterfuge and lies. It was but a plot from this same great prostitute to poison the truth and an attempt to silence the judge and justice over all humanity.

No wonder the crowd in heaven shouted and cheered, giving God glory. There will be no force great enough to silence these final moments of God’s judgment. It will be final and it will forever end the deceiver’s reign of terror. This will happen. The book of revelation is the book of truth of humanity’s future and the end of the war against our souls.

Prayer

Dad,
The greatest relief in knowing that you are in control and will judge rightly and rightfully are found in this book of endings. I know and I have settled the issues, questions and doubts of my youth. My course is set and I believe! You are always just, right and true. Your Word is truth, it is the light that illuminates my path. Your cause is the redemption of humans. Anything or anyone that detracts from that is of the lie, of the deceiver. I will join with that crowd that cheers for Your judgment. For all things to be laid out bare before you. Nothing hidden, nothing silenced or spun for further discussion. Even when my life, along with every life will be fully exposed and disclosed, we will all rejoice for the war to be over. Praise to You for your salvation, glory and power!

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Contrarian Hunters

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Watch out,” Paul says, for people who cause division! Well Paul, that’s been happening for a very long time. Division in the Body of Christ is the quickest, and most effective way to nullify our testimony of the gospel’s work in our lives.

Similar to using the phrase, “keep your eye out for…” Paul uses the root word, skopos: a watchman, a mark (on which to fix the eye), like a hunter intensely focusing on a target. It would seem that Paul understood, and that we should also understand, there were and are teachings contrary to what Jesus taught. Folks have always determined to cause “dichostasia,” (standing apart, dissension) divisions which wrongly separate people into pointless (groundless) factions. And, these dissensions create these “skandalon” (sticks for bait of a trap or a snare). C.A. Chase writes, “Scandal is worse-as it involves seducing another to blaspheme, in order that another might willingly choose a negative option with eschatological consequence.” These divisions and baited-trap scandals, cause others to be deceived.

The tricks are as old as Satan’s lies. The kerfuffle is as damaging as the lie itself! It is interesting that Paul advises us to mark (skopos) but not to go in for the kill. Enlisting the community of faith to rally with pitchforks and torches just gives the scandalous teachings more attention and inevitability causes the division that plays right into the enemy’s plan! Paul’s, Holy Spirit inspired advice, is just to “ekklínō” – AVOID, bow out, deliberately walk away from it. Isn’t division worse than false doctrine? Let God handle the weeds sown among the wheat! We’ve got to warn our truth-lusting brethren who hunt down heresy, don’t make the issue bigger by highlighting the scandal. Mark it, watch it and then walk away.

Prayer

Dad,
You know that I know, there is a lot of trashy theology out there. You know there is damnable doctrines, sown and seeded by Satan himself! Yet, even as we are tempted and believe the lies, grabbing and eating the fruit of shortcuts and what seems to be appealing and appetizing to our souls, you are greater than our sin. You are greater than the lies, divisions and scandals. Your grace and mercy is powerfully effective in reaching our human hearts and frailties. Help us keep our eyes fixed on you!

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How things corrode.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I understand that pure gold does not corrode. Gold in its pure .999 fine form is impervious to corrosion! Ah, but even the slightest, microscopic element can weaken its resolve.

Of course, our souls are not made of gold and are filled with imperfections, any one of which can corrupt us. Paul focuses on one particular method. The New Living Translation tries to capture this corruptive experience by identifying the two primary means: lust and deception. Paul is much more precise with his words. He writes that we deteriorate, we morally decompose when we are carried away from what he calls, “deceitful desires.” What? We are our own enemy? Yes, and no.

The slanderer (devil), apparently needs a target, a hook, a fissure, a fracture to gain a good grip on our soul. But where is that found? It can be found in our “epithumia.” Our deep, powerful desires, our passions… our lusts! Ancients have defined about seven of these core lusts called the seven deadly sins: Lust (sexual), Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride. I am sure with a little evil curiosity blended into that list, there are many sub-sins associated.

So that’s the “lust” or passion part, but Paul combines the illustration with another word, apaté: deceit, deception, deceitfulness, delusion. Isn’t it weird that the word looks and sounds a lot like APPETITE? This is where the early church fathers came up with the phrase, “disordered desires” or “disordered loves.” They we’re kind enough to discern that even though our desires, wants, needs and passions may begin innocent, we are bent on fulfilling them as quickly and cheaply as possible!

Paul may not agree. We are both deceived from within, thus willing to lie to our own soul to get what we want. Or, and most likely, we are are willing to believe an outside lie, a twist on the truth, from none other than the father of all lies. Whatever and whichever gets us the results we want – OUR OWN WAY.

This is where the battle takes place for our forward motion, our maturity, our growth in faith and obedience to Jesus! Paul is constantly reminding believers to throw off, cast off sin, decisions and behaviors that are based out of our old, dead, deceitful ways. Throw them away like a pair of faded, baggy jeans from the 90’s! I think my job is to not only monitor my distractions, but to also check for the elements in those distractions that maybe corrosive and eventually corrupt my very soul. Paul’s godly advice is to let the Spirit of God continually do a renewal sweep of my soul! This renewal will help remove the corrosive thoughts and attitudes, allowing me to set my mind and heart on Christ.

Prayer

Dad,
David’s Psalm of repentance helps me safeguard against my own deceitful desires as well as let your Holy Spirit do a mental, attitudinal cleansing and renewing of my soul. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10.

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Seduced by another love.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.” 2 John‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John, the elder, writes these letters decades after walking, talking and experiencing Christ, the son of man, son of God on earth. How interesting that he describes the Church as the eklektos: selected, elected, by implication – favorite LADY as well as her children. It explains the reason John adds this comment in verse 4. He was ecstatic to meet the children of the great lady, the Church!

One commentator put it this way, John “has reason to know that certain others of her children are not walking in truth. Through the elect lady’s too indiscriminate hospitality, some of her children have been seduced by the deceivers who have come to her bringing another doctrine than that of Christ being fully God and fully man.”

It was that word “seduced,” that caught my attention. This is the most effective tool of deception. It’s not just a lie. It’s a carefully constructed process that lures people, wanting to believe something so badly, they are carried away with it – thus seduced.

When generational transitions happen in this transfer of truth, some will believe and live it – others will not. Even with this extremely powerful word called love operating in our soul – it can happen. We can wander. We can be seduced by another. John uses the word “love” to make the point of what truth translates into… love. Then he gives a definition, “Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.” John defines an aspect of love as obedience to what God has commanded. One of those commandments came from Jesus himself – “love one another.” Love wasn’t spelled out specifically in the big 10 commandments list.

Back to truth and seduction. What happens when truth and real love is just not sexy enough to hold our attention? What if someone, something comes along and subtly suggests that God is not telling us everything, you know, keeping a few things from us? And this deceit comes along, convincing us and carrying us away with a “better” truth, somehow a more appealing kind of love. This deception is so smooth, so deep that it can even persuade the most spiritual person who for one moment takes their eyes off Jesus and turns to find out what this “real” truth, this other love looks like.

John gives us the very difficult and sad news, children of the great lady (the church) can be deceived. So John adds this, “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” John uses a very strong word to describe this word lose. It’s the word “apollumi” – to utterly destroy. People wander. They can be seduced. And, they can lose what they had worked hard to achieve. I don’t know if this refers specifically to “salvation” he speaks of losing, because it wasn’t earned or worked for. What is he referring to? Spiritual maturity? Growth in Christ? That seems more likely. The truth traded in this example is that Jesus wasn’t really a human. But, there are other truths that we wander or are seduced away from. Currently, people have been seduced by other definitions of love, life, sexuality and even gender, even to the point of twisting God’s own Word and character.

Prayer

Dad,
These deceptions and seductions are no longer just prevalent in culture, which is to be expected. They are divisively, insidiously supplanted in the “Great Lady’s” gathering – the Church. Now we are finding ourselves fighting a spiritual war over the definition of love within and without the community of faith. This is far above our ability or understanding to resolve. We need you to supernaturally intervene with your mercy, grace and power. This is my prayer. Visit us once again. Pour out your spirit on our country, our communities.

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Dumb Human Tricks of pretending Darkness is Light!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians‬ ‭5:6-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬


New Living Translation’s attempt to communicate Paul’s intent uses the word, “fooled,” but really it’s don’t be apatáō – deceived, using tactics like seduction, giving dis­torted impressions and luring into deception. And we do so with kenos: empty, worthless, of no value, words. It’s a if Paul knows how humans justify our behaviors by just word-vomiting all over each other. Ah, yes, we spin and wordsmith just the right phrases and repeat them so often that we begin to believe our own lies.

It all begins by lying to ourselves, doesn’t it? We’ve got to. We know it’s wrong. Or, at least I believe that we have a God-given conscience that tells us we’re wrong, but we want to do it anyways. What else are we going to do? Should we go around admitting we’re wrong and acting foolishly? No! We want to DO WRONG but BE RIGHT about it!

We say to ourselves and others, with as much hubris vibrato we can muster, “I am not sinning, you just misunderstand truth.”

Distraction is the core of magic, right? “Look over here, I’ll prove to you that my behaviors are not bad, they are actually good and helpful to my soul and society.” Then the inevitable, “wouldn’t you love to join me in my own version of truth?” There’s no way I’m going to change my behavior, so I will distort the truth!

Paul kinda says that’s ridiculously silly. He says that’s like calling the darkness, light (probably vice versa as well). Yep, dark is dark and light is light. So to switch them means that you’ve gone mental, or traded a truth for a lie.

So that’s why it’s so important to drag behaviors or deeds of darkness out of the shadows, out of the night and into the daylight! To prop up a good lie, a dark behavior, to force EVERYONE to unilaterally admit it’s true and good – it has to be paraded and propagated in the actual light of day.

The best way to seduce the world into accepting a wrong behavior is to drag that thing into the daytime and get a whole bunch of people to agree that it’s good and not bad, it’s truth and not a lie!

Paul says that God’s light, which is not the daylight produced by the sun, but eternal light that emanates from the Son of God himself will EXPOSE darkness and make everything and everyone see truth. Paul says to BE a believer means there is no deceptively seducing yourself or others with ridiculous, empty spinning of truth.

You stand, full on in the light of Jesus Christ and see yourself as a sinner, exposed but also saved by His grace. And as this light of Christ penetrates our soul, there is no need to lie or deny but allow Him and him alone to SEE us and forgive us.

Prayer

Dad,
Wow, we are so creative to avoid truth! Why are we so good at being bad and constantly convincing ourselves that it’s okay? Are we so determined to get away from you and be “independent” of your goodness that we will spend our lives calling lies, truth and darkness, light? I am really that sinful, aren’t I? Forgive me. Forgive us. It’s so embarrassing to know that these thoughts and behaviors exist in our “freedom” and free-will. Come quickly Lord Jesus, for our sin is great and our deception has gone viral.