The Art of Deception

I've been thinking quite a bit about truth lately. It all started when Jordan and I started listening to one of Odyssey's newest adventures: an album entitled "The Green Ring Conspiracy" (again: I highly recommend). The four-CD adventure tells of a counterfeiting operation taking place in Odyssey. In one of the episodes, when Eugene and young Emily Parker first discover that the backpack Emily found in the woods is full of counterfeit money, Emily comments how real the counterfeit looks. Eugene explains to her that deceptions are difficult to detect because they are often made as close to the truth as possible.

As close to the truth as possible. Isn't that one of the frustrating things about Satan? He "disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). But it doesn't stop there, does it? "Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness" (11:15).

All around us, lies are masquerading as the truth. And Satan loves having us believe his lies . . . lies that seem so close to the truth, we hardly even think to question them. Those lies often come through smooth talking, believable persons. People that sound good, seem smart, and are respected by a large number of people. People that we would never think to doubt or question.

So, my question to us is this: how well do we know the Truth? Do we know and study the Word of God for ourselves so that we cannot be taken in by the lies? Do we take everything we hear from the pulpit, on a podcast, or on the radio and compare it with Scripture? I think as we get closer to the return of Christ, the lies are only going to look better; more and more like the truth. I pray that we would each be so intimately acquainted with the Word and so dedicated to challenging what we hear that we are not taken captive by empty, hollow, false teaching.

"So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" - John 8:31-32