DECEIVER

Ephesians 6.10-12 Especially, "schemes of the devil..."

Here Paul explains the realities of evil in this world. How different this is from popular ideas about evil. There is a comical view of evil -- the character who wears a red suit and carries a pitch fork. Then there is the Hollywood view of evil as we see in the Star Wars movies: Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and (for the serious Star Wars fans...) Darth Sidious. You can picture these figures dressed in black with haunting faces and piercing eyes. But is that a realistic picture of evil?

It is not. Evil is more likely to be found in comedians, actors, singers, politicians, or even pastors. St. Paul said, "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11.14). Evil is found wherever we are led away from God.

Paul also speaks about the "schemes of the devil." The Greek word is "methodia" or the "methods" of the devil. What are these? Probably the most important is that of deception. The word

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