Standing Against Deception #3
We have been looking at Storms and how to stand in them.
Matt.7: 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.
This makes it clear everyone faces problems in life and the only factor separating failure from stability is doing the Word
This same principal of being a DOER of the WORD is found in another parable.
Mark 4:15 No understanding of the Word
16 Understanding and did well for a while, but become offended.
18,19 Produced Fruit for a while but become unfruitful. They BACKSLIDE
75% of the people were not DOERS OF THE WORD.
Only 25% of the people were DOERS OF THE WORD and produced FRUIT
Fear was a reason for failure
19 And the cares of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches
A defendant was on trial for murder in Oklahoma. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. In the defense’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all," the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom." He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally the lawyer said, "Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I, therefore, put it to you that there is reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty." The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty. "But how?" inquired the lawyer. "You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door." Answered the jury foreman: "Oh, we did look. But your client didn’t."
Riches are not the reason for falling but the deception of riches.
God gave us riches for our enjoyment.
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
Here the rich are reminded of a danger in where priories are placed.
Riches are only part of the deception that Satan has in mind for you.
Say these words aloud. "If Satan can’t deceive me, he can’t defeat me."
You’ve just uttered one of the most profoundly simple yet powerful truths in all of God’s universe. But it is also one that few Christians seem to understand.
The only weapon Satan has at his disposal since Jesus stripped him of all authority is deception.
Satan can’t make you sick, plunder your finances, destroy your marriage, steal your kids or ruin your life without first deceiving you.
God said in Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life...."
God is plainly telling all of us that the choice between life and death, and blessing and cursing belongs to us.
Think about it. If our God who loves us will not override our right to choose and impose blessings on us even though it would be for our own good, then He certainly won’t allow Satan to impose his will on us either.
The Devil can’t put death and cursing on you unless you permit it by choosing death and cursing by your own free will.
Who in their right mind would ever choose death and destruction? Only a person who is deceived.
Father of Lies
Satan is not called the Father of Destruction. He’s called the Father of Lies.
If Satan had the power to destroy you, he would have already done it. Proverbs 18:21, "The power of life and death are in the tongue." Specifically, yours!
Hebrews 2:14b says;...That through death he [Jesus] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more....
The Word doesn’t say that he will cause famines and sickness no more, or cause anger and hatred no more, or wars and killings no more, but rather the root cause of those things; he will deceive no more.
. What does it mean to be deceived?
Very simply, to deceive someone is to convince him of the truth or validity of something that is untrue or invalid.
No one intentionally chooses death and cursing in his life. So, the only way Satan can defeat you is to convince you that something that is untrue and invalid is true and valid.
In other words, Satan cannot put evil on you unless you choose it and you won’t choose it unless he can convince you that it’s not evil
God says your experience of life will be determined on the basis of the choices that you make.
And any choice that is contrary to God’s Word is a wrong choice.
Make no mistake about it. Satan is a liar and he is very good at it. But the Bible says we are not to be ignorant of his devices. The Word shows us how Satan comes to deceive so we can foresee evil and hide.
Common Deceptions
The one good thing you can say about Satan is that he doesn’t have any new tricks up his sleeve. Everything that we need to learn concerning how to stand against his deceit is already written down for us in the Word of God.
Did you hear about the farmer that decided to buy a chain saw?
A logging foreman sold him one that he guaranteed would cut down 15 trees in a single day.
A week later, a very unhappy farmer came back to report that the power saw must be faulty - it averaged only 3 trees a day. The foreman grabbed the saw, pulled the cord, and the saw promptly went “Bzzzzzzzz.”
“Hey” demanded the startled farmer, “what’s that noise?”
I wonder if we’re kinda like that farmer, we just don’t get it….
The most common ways people are deceived are listed for us in Ephesians 6:11-18. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles [trickery or deceit] of the devil.
The armor of God is not given to you for standing against circumstances. Rather, it is to enable you to stand against the root of all of Satan’s attacks—deception.
Each piece of armor indicates an area of your life in which Satan is going to make an effort to deceive you.
You are to put this armor on. God won’t put it on for you. You have to put it on and, I might add, keep it on for it to work for you.
Here are some more of the most common and deadly deceptions that open the door to the Devil in your life.
1.Deception: The Devil is Not Real
A quick reading of Ephesians 6:12 reveals Satan’s first deception;
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood....
You see, your problem is not your spouse, your boss, your family, or anybody or any natural thing. Your battle is not fought in this natural world. Satan’s first attempt at deception will be to try to convince you that he’s not a real personal entity.
You must understand that Satan is a very real enemy who is very interested in your destruction and you need to respect (but not fear) his ability to deceive you and lead you down the road to cursing and death.
2. Deception: You Can’t Beat Satan
Once you have acknowledged that Satan really exists and that he is your adversary and it is he you are wrestling with, he will try to push his deception into the other ditch and try to make you believe that you can’t beat him. He will try to convince you that he does have great power to bring death and destruction into your life.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober [sound minded], be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Satan will roar at you through sickness and disease. He will roar at you with financial difficulty. He will roar at you through marriage and family trouble.
Why does Satan come to you as a roaring lion? The same reason a natural lion roars at its prey. He wants to paralyze you with fear. Fear will either produce paralysis or panic. One stops you cold in your tracks and keeps you from resisting him.
The other will cause you to quickly make foolish choices. If you respond or act on that fear, the Devil may devour you.
3. Deception: The Bible is Not Literally True
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.
Your #1 safeguard against deception is simply knowing the truth!
John 8:31-32, Jesus said, "...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." When you know the truth, you are free from deception, you are free from fear, and you are free from destruction.
That’s why we need to be reading and studying our Bibles diligently. When you know what the Word says, you can immediately recognize Satan’s lies.
And of course this is where Satan will next try to deceive you. He’ll suggest that the Bible isn’t literally true. Sure, it might contain some good principles to live by, but it’s not the actual Word of God. Yet 2Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
4. Deception: You Are Not Worthy
14 "...having on the breastplate of righteousness."
Once you have a firm hold on the truth of God’s Word, Satan will try to convince you that you are not worthy to receive what the Bible says is yours.
He’ll remind you of everything you’ve ever done wrong and every bad word you’ve ever spoke
Satan wants you to think that you deserve sickness or poverty because of what you’ve done in the past.
He knows that if he can make you feel condemned and guilty.
Praise the Lord; your past doesn’t even exist in the eyes of God. God sees you only through the shed blood of Jesus and He has given you His righteousness, not because of what you’ve done but because of what Jesus did for you. of the blood and continue to hold onto the righteousness Jesus died to give you.
5. Deception: You’re Too Busy To Work For God
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
God’s plan for you in this life involves using all the resources He has entrusted to you in promoting the gospel of peace. You put on this piece of armor when you make it your determined purpose to let God use you to bring His power into someone’s life through the Gospel.
Satan will attack you in this area of your life by trying to give you other priorities other than spreading God’s Word.
6. Deception: It Doesn’t Matter What You Believe
(Ephesians 6:16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Satan knows that what you believe directly affects the decisions you make. (Proverbs 23:7) "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."
If he can get you to believe something other than God’s Word, he can cause you to choose death and cursing instead of life and blessing.
Satan also knows without faith it is impossible to please God and a double minded man will receive nothing from the Lord.
The shield of faith is designed by God to protect you from circumstances in the world that resist you, when you believe His Word. Stand behind your faith and nothing in this world will be able to affect what you believe and stop you from receiving God’s promises.
7. Deception: It Doesn’t Matter What You Think
Verse17 speaks about the helmet of salvation.
A helmet covers the mind. Your Thoughts are important.
Your imagination will produce corresponding behavior. Genesis 11:6 "...nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.". If you want your life to be the way God says it should be, then you need to think like God thinks and imagine your life the way God sees it.
Satan hopes you’ll not pay much attention to what thoughts you entertain in your mind. Don’t let Satan deceive you concerning the importance of your thoughts.
8. Deception: It Doesn’t Matter What You Speak
The final piece of armor...The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The Devil hopes to convince you to be casual about your words. Wrong thoughts will lead to wrong words.
Mark 11:23 you will have whatsoever you say.
Satan knows this principle will work for you or against you depending on what kind of words are coming out of your mouth.
Listen to your words and guard your mouth.
Plant this truth firmly in your heart.
Staying free from deception is your key to victorious living. There is no storm that can cause you to have that GREAT fall. If the Devil can’t deceive you, he can’t defeat you.
