Watching for Deception

John 10:10a
The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy.

Jesus tells us that the thief, Satan, came to:
Kill
Steal
Destroy

Satan does the killing and the stealing and the destroying primarily through deception.

Paul outlines some of the specifics of Satan’s deceptions in 2 Timothy 3:6-9. He says, “For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burden with sins and lead astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.”

Deception is made up of:

Creeping or Worming into Your Life.

John 10:2
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Truth enters through the front door. It doesn’t try creeping or worming its way in in some unseen or undetected way. Deceit will look for ways to enter your life in such a way that you are unaware of it until it is too late and you have bought into it and began living your life based on a lie.

Capture

Deception captures you. It comes into your life looking good and godly and then kidnaps you and separates you from God.

Genesis 3:24
And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Deception captures you heart, your mind, your will and puts you in a pit. The pit is empty and messy. And you feel like there is no hope, no way of escape.

Paul felt that way. In Romans 7:24 he says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

Sounds Hopeless!

But then Romans 7:25 says, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Jesus rescues us from the pit that deception leads us into.

Burdened With Sins

The enemy uses guilt to deceive us.

Matthew 27:3-5
Then when Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Judas could have been forgiven, but in his guilt he listened to a lie, was deceived and killed himself.

Guilt not dealt with or dealt with based on a human-focused method will lead to death and destruction.

Guilt dealt with by repentance will lead to life.

Various Passions

The enemy uses lust to kill, steal, and destroy.

There are two kinds of passions that scripture talks about.

One kind is found in John 2:17. It says, “Then His disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume me.’”

It is a passion for God and to do God’s will.

Another is found in 2 Peter 2:10. It says, “And especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.”

It is a lustful passion. A passion for things associated with this world, not Jesus. Lust is a passion for something that is not rightfully yours or that you don’t and never will have a right to.

The enemy tries to convince us that anything but Jesus will full the hole in our hearts. When the truth is that only Jesus fills the hole.

Always Learning and Never Able to Arrive at a Knowledge of the Truth

The enemy will let us study and study and study the Bible as long as we don’t ever reach the truth. Some of the most ungodly people I have ever met knew what the Bible said in great detail.

Knowledge is not salvation.

JESUS IS SALVATION!

The enemy doesn’t want you to reach the truth. Truth is Jesus. He doesn’t want you to reach Jesus and abide in Him and His Word. The enemy doesn’t care if your mind is full of biblical knowledge as long as that knowledge doesn’t bring you to the point of surrendering your life to Jesus as your supreme authority.

Many are deceived into thinking that because they know certain facts and believe in God then everything is fine.

It is not about knowing.
It is not about believing.
It is not about having said a prayer.
It is not about going to church.

It is about surrender.

The knowing and believing and praying and going to church can lead you to the surrender. But it is about the radical, illogical, irrational surrender of your life to Jesus as your Master.

In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, “If you abide in My word you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Deception fills you with knowledge.
Jesus sets you free.

Corrupted in Mind

The word corrupted can also mean depraved.

Deprave means to make something immoral or wicked.

Deception leads us to be corrupted or depraved which leads us to immorality and wickedness.

Romans 1:28
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

Wrong or corrupt or depraved thinking will lead to wrong or corrupt or depraved living.

If you want to live right, let Jesus transform your thinking, your mind.

Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

If Jesus doesn’t transform your mind then it will be deceived. Only a mind transformed by Jesus can discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Disqualified Regarding the Faith

Deception leads to a counterfeit faith.

In Matthew 22:23-33 Jesus is asked a question about a situation concerning marriage and the resurrection. It was asked to trap Jesus into making a mistake that the religious leaders could use against Him.

In verse 29 Jesus says, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

The religious leaders were religious but their faith was counterfeit.

Deception leads us to believe that all faiths are equal. That all religions are of equal value. It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

There are not may ways to God; there is one - Jesus.

In John 14:6 Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Deception says there are many roads to God; pick the one you like.

Jesus says I AM the road, come to Me.

Paul says in verse 10 that all this deception will not get far. God will bring everything into the Light.

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls IS NOT about deception, guilt, lust, mere knowledge, corruption, or counterfeit faith.

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls IS about truth, freedom, purity, salvation, transformation, and real faith in The Real God.

I saw this past week a glimpse of the CHURCH. It was awesome. I saw people who had been broken by the world being healed and restored by the reality of Jesus in their lives. I want the Truth of God’s Word and the reality of Jesus’ Presence to make us who God created us to be.

Without Deception Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls
                                         Joe