Truth Vs. Deception
Author: Kay Davis
July 11, 2024
When I was doing a little research for this article on the subject of distinguishing truth from being deceived, I thought of the example of paper money. I have heard it said that to determine the genuineness of money, you need to study the genuine bill. How many counterfeit bills do you think are floating around right now?
Excuse my nerd moment, but I had to look up the stats. According to the United States Department of Treasury, an estimated $70 MILLION in counterfeit bills are in circulation, or approximately 1 note in counterfeits for every 10,000 in genuine currency, with an upper bound of $200 MILLION counterfeit, or 1 counterfeit per 4,000 genuine notes. It may not seem like much, until you see what the 1's add up to! Puts it into perspective, doesn't it?
So, how do we avoid being deceived? Same concept, study the truth! For believers, the truth is found in God's Word and in the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior. The closer we are to the truth, the easier it is for us to discern whether we are being deceived. As in the above illustration, just as millions of counterfeit notes are floating all around us, what seems to be millions of ways of deception are all around us in an attempt to keep us from discerning the truth.
So, what do we do when what we have believed to be truth, collides with what God's Word or His Spirit within us, reveals that we have been deceived? You would think it would be easy to just turn and reject the deception and turn toward the truth. It's not always that simple though, is it?
One of our previous Pastors would have the congregation stand before we read Scripture together and recite this: “I believe the bible, every Word of God is true, where the bible differs from my beliefs, my actions or my attitudes, I will change by the power of God's Holy Spirit.” Amen. Powerful, isn't it?
I believe the above statement regarding God's Word has the key to how we begin to fight this battle, which is the words “I will” which signifies a choice. Ahhh! A choice! When that collision happens...the Lord STILL extends His grace to His children to the point of allowing us the choice of whether we accept that truth or whether we reject it.
I say “collision” because that is where I believe the battle begins...God's will verses our will, right?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 states “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” If our will is not tempered with humility and a desire to seek the Lord it could very well lead to us stumbling. Pride can be very destructive. Proverbs 16:18 states: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Adam and Eve are a good illustration of this. Genesis Chapter 3 depicts the ease in which we can be deceived verses 1-6, but it also reveals the true nature of God. After Adam & Eve succumbed to the temptation by Satan in verses 6-7, it shows God's response in the following verses of Chapter 3. It's interesting in verse 8 when the word Lord is used, it is written in all caps, which signifies Him as our Covenant LORD, it also illustrates how He interacted with Adam & Eve and His consequences for them once they had sinned and eaten the apple.
Adam & Eve can be a good reminder to us all. We may allow ourselves to be deceived, BUT GOD STILL has a way out for us. It is NEVER too late and there is ALWAYS HOPE! The statement by our previous pastor tells us how...through the POWER of God's Holy Spirit. He makes a covering for us, just as He did for them, through the New Covenant through our Savior Jesus Christ.
My prayer for us all is that we seek God with our whole heart, one that is full of humility, desiring change through the power of God's Holy Spirit when prompted.
Help us remember this promise from our Savior found in John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” Freedom in Christ. Amen.
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