Isaiah wrote: “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, each one, to his own way.” (53:6).
There’s also pretty good reason as to why the writers of the NT, as well as Jesus Himself, were warning us constantly to be on guard about being deceived. And those warnings were directed to ‘brethren’ and ‘the every elect’. We are easily deceived.
It doesn’t take much to get us going in one direction or another. Have you ever noticed how all those appealing food commercials start playing a little before dinner time? They make those hot pizzas with melted cheese and juicy burgers look soooo good. The close up visuals trigger something in us and next thing you know we are calling in our order. Crazy thing is…we might not have even been hungry prior to viewing the ad.
Or how about all those visual commercials and images that are dominated by scantly clad women or perfectly chiseled men...there simply is no avoiding them. They are everywhere…TV, magazines, billboards, internet ads, our mobile devices, etc. You know what I’m talking about. Sex appeal sells!
And dare I even mention how all it takes is some statement we read on the internet and folks just embrace it as gospel truth because…well…it was on the internet. I’m not trying to add salt to the wound here but look how many ‘believers’ were convinced after the 2020 election that some ‘mysterious things’ were about to unfold and all these incredible acts were about go down that was going to ‘blow the world away’…because people were ‘in the know’ based on what their ‘internet sources’ were telling them.
Again, I repeat…there was good reason God likened us humans as sheep. And I’ve been right there with you at various seasons of my life. …sigh…
There is a single statement made by John at the close of his first epistle/letter that we probably don’t give much thought to other than a head nod while whispering an ‘amen’. Let’s look at it:
“We know…that we are of God (speaking to true followers)…and we know the whole world (those not following Jesus) lies under the sway…(or influence and power) of the wicked one.” (5:19)
Or who about Rev. 12:9 – “The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.”
Every. Single. One. Of. Us. We were ALL ...under his influence and dominion. We were captives. And guess who Jesus came to rescue and set free?
Yeah…it just gets more and more clear when you read through this bible. Ephesians 2:1-3 explains exactly how he controlled us. First of all, Paul explains there how we were all at one time, ‘dead in our sins’ and how we ‘once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works IN the sons of disobedience’.
And you want to guess just how these demon spirits controlled us? It’s right there in this passage as well: “we ALL once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
If they were not appealing to your fleshly appetites like through the lust of the eyes or the lust of the flesh, then it was through the boastful pride of life. That is where all sin originates from. And that is exactly why scripture stresses the importance of this sinful nature being put to death. All of it. None of it gets to stay. There is no negotiating this matter. We’ve been deceived to think otherwise, trust me.
Here's a news flash for you…our enemy, the devil (1 Pet. 5:8) does not mind one bit if we are active in church and do wonderful things in the ‘Name of the Lord’ as long as we neglect this little detail about ‘dying to self’ and becoming ‘slaves of righteousness’ that Paul spends much time explaining in Romans 6-8. Satan loves to see us run around ‘with a form of godliness’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5) knowing full well what awaits us in the end. Yeah…he knows the bible as well and chuckles over that story in Matt. 7:21-23.
As long as he can keep that ‘old man’ alive, he has us. Do not be deceived…people who continue to live for this flesh nature will NOT inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-6)
And when someone truly begins to follow the Lord with all their heart, our enemy knows us well and which ‘seed’ to toss our way to lure us back. That is what temptation is all about…just ‘sowing some seed’ and suggestive thoughts that can be so subtle but he is good at what he does and knows when to plant…and when to water.
There is reason Jesus referred to him as the ‘father of lies’. (John 8:44). It all started back in the garden with Adam and Eve and he just keeps the lies coming.
Consider this…perhaps you at one point made a turn…repented and ‘asked Jesus in to your heart’. Things seemed good for awhile. But if not adequately taught what all this new walk was about, what was required and expected of you, and then thoroughly trained to ‘take up your spiritual armor’ that you might begin this walk in the spirit (which includes no longer fulfilling the lusts of that old flesh nature)…you never stood a chance.
Jesus made it clear how ‘few’ would find this ‘narrow path that leads to life’ (Matt. 7:13-14). I know…this kind of talk bothers people…kind of irritates them really. But as I’ve said before, these are ‘His words, not mine’.
So that enemy strolls along and when we get comfy in our state of spiritual sleep, (Matt. 13:25) and he starts sowing his suggestive, subtle seeds of thought into our minds. You’d be surprised how often this takes place.
It can come at the slightest opening we give. Someone didn’t respond to your text right away or as fast as you would have liked them to. Then here comes that ‘seed’ – “They really don’t think you are that important”. It hits a nerve and off to the races your thoughts go. I don’t think I need to expound on this…you know what I’m talking about.
Maybe during the day you encounter a ‘test’ that James writes about in 1:2-4 that you didn’t see coming. Maybe you got lost in some TV show or podcast or talking heads on a radio show and the ‘accuser of the brethren’ just whispered into your ear what a pitiful low-life example you were to be calling yourself a ‘Christian’ and for some reason, it just triggered an ‘emotional’ downward spiral of thoughts and feelings. You tried ‘rebuking’ the devil or quoted ‘half-heartedly’ some bible verse but failed to see what was truly happening here and you failed to ‘stand in the battle’ while ‘bringing into captivity EVERY thought to the obedience of Christ’.
I mentioned yesterday how so many get sucked back in to that prison of nursing a grudge of resentment and unforgiveness and before you know it, here come the ‘tormentors’. (Matt. 18:34-35). And who here has not sunk into that pit of despair before, literally overtaken by the darkness that Jesus warns of in John 12:35. Then…a funny thing happens…you need a ‘pick me up’ and the enemy reminds you how shopping, perhaps, used to make you feel good…and off you go…spending money on something you didn’t need nor had money for, but you did. Ever wonder why we call it ‘comfort food’ when you go binge on something that you know will make you feel even worse later on?
How many of us our vulnerable to posting or sharing something on social media…because we need our ‘pride’ built back up. I could go on and on here with examples but I think you get the idea.
A funny thing is happening in our world today and in our country especially. And among ‘believers’ as well. Why I read a story just yesterday that suggested a recent poll revealed that 1 in 3 Americans believe a time is coming shortly where we will need to ‘take up arms’ against the government.
If you are a follower of Christ…can I just tell you now that the government is not your enemy. And what a different mindset we might have these days if we were just as quick to want to ‘take up arms’ using the weapons that God gave us against the real enemy. (2 Cor. 10:3-6). Know this: Division and strife and chaos and confusion is coming and will increase all the more. With it, will come increasing ‘lawlessness/sin’ that will cause men’s hearts to grow cold and hard. There will be an uptick in deception and false gospels being preached…but those who endure to the end, will be saved. (Matt. 24)
Perhaps that is why Paul admonished us to ‘awake out of our sleep…and walk properly…putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts’. (Rom. 13:11-14)
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