Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelations 20:10 (NLT)
The Bible describes satan as the greatest deceiver known to man in Revelations 20:10. The first time we met with the devil and made contact with him was at the Garden of Eden, where he deceived our fore-parents by lying to them that if they took the forbidden fruit their eyes will be opened and they will be like God, knowing both good and evil. For obvious reasons and for the consequences of that relationship, we see the devil doing the damage by deliberately lying to our fore-parents. In the New Testament, when Jesus introduced the devil, He called him a liar, which is another word for a deceiver.
The word ‘deceive‘ means to make a person believe what is not true or in more appropriate terms to mislead someone. A deceitful person, like the devil, lies and carries out a dishonest action because of his deceitful nature. It is my hope and prayer that we do not fall victim to the craftiness of the devil. We are in a warfare and satan is essentially a businessman fighting for souls, keeping souls in bondage both now and eternity. You have to know the various areas by which satan brings his deceit. You can help yourself and others by exposing them to the truth of the Word of God. Below are some areas where satan has used deceit.
Religious beliefs
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
Mark 13:22 (NLT)
This is where his deceit begins. He tells people that religion is what they need and not necessarily salvation. Millions and perhaps billions are going into an endless eternity in hell because they are clinging to religion rather than receiving the righteousness of God that is available in Christ unto them.
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
Philippians 3:8 (NLT)
By nature, some people are religious, but satan deceives people by letting them make idols of worldly things and not getting into the receiving knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. You have to know that you must be born again and be sanctified. You must accept, receive, and apply the righteousness of God before you can be a true Christian, and that is when you cannot be deceived by the devil.
Raptural denial
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (NLT)
One of the lies and deceits of the devil is tricking people into believing that the rapture has taken place. Well, the truth is that the rapture has not taken place. The rapture will stir up a global event of the great tribulation. It will not be a secret thing. If you understand this, it will be difficult for anyone to convince you that there is no rapture, or that the rapture has passed already. Each lie and deceit of the devil you can contrast by knowing what the Word of God says.
Resurrection has passed already
They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.
2 Timothy 2:18 (NLT)
Again, this is a dangerous deceit. Almost two thousand years ago, the devil had deceived some people that there isn’t going to be any resurrection again. What he is saying in deceit is that it has already passed. He is telling you that you are not going to resurrect. Whereas, the living Word of God makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ resurrected and became the first fruit of all that will resurrect. He even tells us that there are two types of resurrection. The resurrection of the wicked and the resurrection of the just. So, why will you allow the devil to deceive you by telling you that the resurrection has passed already?
Removal of guilt when you sin
But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.
Romans 7:8-11 (NLT)
This is also a deceit of the devil that will gradually cause you to start losing your heavenly focus by becoming more and more obstinate to sin. Initially, when you sin, your conscience pricks you, just like when David cut the helm of Saul’s garment in 1 Samuel 24:4-5. Had David continued to cut that dress, the conscience would not have been there and he would no longer feel guilty about what he was doing. This is why you shouldn’t continue to practice sin, because at a point sin will never look like sin again. It’ll become a regular thing that you wouldn’t care if it offends God or not. I was recently told that a pastor was in support of two people living together before marriage. Well, the Word of God says otherwise. It is not what the pastor says that matters, but what God says. At the end of the day, both the speaker and hearer are going to face the judgment seat of Christ.
The righteousness of self.
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)
This is where satan also comes in to deceive people. When someone steals a huge amount of money and then gives part of it to the poor or homeless, he will think that by doing so he has atoned for the sin of stealing. Many will also do so many things contrary to the Word of God and in violation of the scriptures and yet, will still be asking God to bless their endeavors in church every Sunday. This is a major deceit of the devil. Without being born again, you cannot be a child of God.
Rejection of spiritual truth.
This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.
2 Timothy 2:17-18 (NLT)
In these last days, the devil wants you to stop hearing the real truth because he tells you that the truth will not make you have all the riches in the world. How untrue! Actually, it is the truth that will set you free and give you the liberty to prosper, but he wouldn’t let you receive that truth. Whoever fully receives the truth of the Word of God and practices it, will be blessed, according to the scriptures. But the devil deceives you by letting you pursue only earthly goals which will never satisfy your soul.
Blazer_ Jos A. Bank
Shirt_ Brooks Brothers
BowTie was made by me @bowtie_joe7
Pants_ H&M
Loafers_ Hudson London Pierre
Reblogged this on sarahadeola's Blog.