SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1279

“Deceptive Words”

Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ … Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. – Jeremiah 7:4-8

I am so fed up with scammers, fake news, and spin doctored lies and half-truths by politicians. We live in a world fraught with deception. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has provided yet another tool for the evil of this world to use to deceive us and it all began in the Garden.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “… God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die”. – Genesis 3:1-4

The Word of God has much to say about deception. The bottom line is that, like Eve, we are deceived because our flesh gets all ‘goo-goo eyed’ enamored with the false promises being offered.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire; But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. – James 1:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3

The Lie of Religion instead of Relationship

Our reference Scripture from Jeremiah deals with the fact that the people of Israel placed their trust for a relationship with God on the basis of ritual works and their observances of feasts at the temple. They had the form of religion without the power of a relationship with God – A relationship that brings a heart change to worship Him in truth.

This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – Matthew 15:8; 1 John 1:8

Sadly, this deception continues in many church denominations today. The antidote is to read, study, and know the Word of God for it is the only Truth by which we can litmus test what we are taught.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8

The Lie of Salvation Other Than Through Jesus Christ

The secular, new-age world view seeks to dilute the absolute Truth of God’s Word such that there are many paths to heaven.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. – 1 John 4:1

The Lie of Self Deception

Positive self-talk is far better than ‘glass half empty’ negative thinking. We can deceive ourselves, however, when we begin to believe that we are ‘all that and a bag of chips’ with respect to our righteousness and abilities for accomplishment. We must never forget that it is by the Lord’s grace that we receive salvation, and it is by His grace that we achieve success.

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. – Galatians 6:3

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

The Lie of Deceptive Business Practices

The world says that to have a successful business you must be deceptive. The temptation is to deceive the vulnerable with lies of omission and half-truths to close the deal. The Truth of God’s Word instructs us differently.

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. – Proverbs 11:1

You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. – Leviticus 19:11

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. – Proverbs 10:9

The Lie of Social Media

Social media is simultaneously a powerful networking tool and a curse. The enemy uses deceit – lies disguised as truth in social media to entrap the vulnerable. We must be constantly on our guard against clickbait that can steal identities as well as dangerous practices that are promoted.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord…; Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices. – Proverbs 12:22; Colossians 3:9

Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. – Proverbs 24:28

No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. – Psalm 101:7

Our enemy prowls around seeking the vulnerable to devour. Deception is used to exploit our vulnerabilities. It is a spiritual battle that we fight every day against deceptive words, and we need the Sword of the Spirit – the Truth of the Word of God—in our hearts and minds to be able discern fact from fiction and truth from lies.

Let no one deceive you with empty words…; If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. – Ephesians 5:6; John 8:32