And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  (2 Thessalonians 2:11 KJV)

Deception has been part of humanity since Lucifer became the devil and deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Satan has not changed this strategy since the fall of Adam and Eve. The reason why he does not change it is very simple. It works like magic on humans, almost every time! Why do we follow the flesh instead of the Spirit, knowing full well that God has our best interests and the flesh will lead us into trouble? It is because of deception. We think and believe the flesh is better for us at that instant and we are often so sure that we can stake our lives upon it.

Paul gives us a fundamental working definition of deception in the verse above. It is believing a lie or something that is false while thinking or even swearing that it is true. Deception is predicated on the incompleteness of human knowledge. We do not know everything, or the entire story about the issues of life. God cannot be deceived because His knowledge is perfect.

Deception is all around us, from our daily personal lives to our interaction with others. If the adversary can get us to believe something that is false, there is truly no hope for us except we become delivered from that lie. The Spirit of Truth is here to help us escape the snare of someone causing us to believe a lie thinking it is the truth.

MEDITATE

What is deception as described above? Have you ever believed a lie and later realized what you believed was false? How convinced were you when you believed that lie?

APPLY THE WORD

Humans have inherited deception from Satan. There is a reason God tells us not to put confidence in any human being. It is our responsibility to ensure no one deceives us to believing a lie. The only sure protection against deception is the TRUTH of the Word established in our hearts. Beware of deception and deceivers, including yourself!

PRAY

Ask the Spirit to help you become established in the truth of His Word. 

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