WATCH OUT--IT'S SUBTLE

One of the prayers I constantly pray is, "Oh God, please save me from deception. Expose every tiny bit of deception in my heart and mind and lead me into all your truth." I have to continually pray this because deception is so subtle. You can be deceived even when you think you are not deceived.

Satan, who is the professional deceiver, really knows how to do it. He doesn't tempt us with blatant evil as he knows we will immediately resist it. He comes to us with that which looks "good," "desirable," and even "wise" (Genesis 3:6)! Yes, even things that look "wise" according to this world. This is how he tempted Eve and this is how he still tries to deceive us.

God told King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, and all their sheep and cattle as well. Samuel defeated the Amalekites, but he kept Agag the king alive, plus all the "best" sheep and cattle and "all that was good."And he had very good intentions, because he told Samuel the prophet that he saved the best livestock to sacrifice to the Lord. But, he was deceived. He was deceived because he did not fully obey the Lord. He only obeyed half the commandment! Read the whole story in 1 Samuel 15.

Dear precious ladies, let's guard against deception. The words God used about Saul's half obedience were "evil, rebellion, witchcraft, stubbornness, iniquity, and idolatry" (1 Samuel 15:19, 22-23).

And to be saved from deception, we have to do more than pray. We have to LIVE IN GOD'S WORD! God's Word is the only ANTEDOTE TO DECEPTION. If we don't know what God says, we don't have a plumbline to know if we are deceived or not! That's why so many Christians are deceived today. The Word does not fill their hearts. It's not knowing one Scripture about a subject, but what God says from Genesis to Revelation about that subject!

Our children are growing up with deception all around them, too. We must daily fill them with the Word of Truth so they can learn to discern what is truth and what is deception. That's why morning and evening Family Devotions are a very powerful tool in your family life.

Love from Nancy

Check out these Scriptures: Leviticus 10:10-11; 20:24, 26; Jeremiah 15:19; Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23; Joshua 1:8; Matthew 24:4, 24; John 8:31-32; 1 Corinthians 3:18-19; 2 Corinthians 6;17-18; Galatians 6:3; Ephesians 5;6; 1 Timothy 2:14-15; James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-17.