2 Corinthians 11:1-3
Will you put up with a little
foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me
so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God
burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented
you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I’m afraid that exactly as
the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away
from the simple purity of your love for Christ.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Have
you received a telephone call from “the IRS” declaring that you are
about to be slapped with a lawsuit and insisting that you call a certain
number and provide personal information? Of course, it’s a scam. The
IRS would never call and tell you such a thing. But it sounds so official, doesn’t it?!
When
I was probably about 10, I got a new bicycle. A boy who lived several
blocks away from us came along one day and asked if he could ride the
bike. I told him he could…and he took off down the street! My dad
caught up with him on the other side of town…the bike was returned…and I
was told that I was not to allow anyone to ride my bike except my
siblings or our closest neighbor friends.
We’ve all seen the
stories on television of lonely people who were duped by an online love
interest who bilked them out of their life savings…and this
“boyfriend/girlfriend” turned out to be some con artist in Nigeria or
somewhere who stole the identity of a real person and impersonated
him/her to elicit the money.
My point in sharing these three
illustrations is that there is something in all of us that wants to
always believe the best in people. And yes, many of us can be gullible
at times…myself included. But what we often fail to realize is that
Satan uses these situations to get us into trouble. Not only could we
lose our life savings, our property…or our identity…we could become so
discouraged that we would turn away from God…or begin to behave in an
ungodly manner.
If we are not careful, we could get swept up into
a frenzy of falsehoods, rumors and innuendos…and we could become
accomplices who engage others to join in these dishonest activities. We
could easily stoop to Satan’s level…and essentially never know what hit
us!
So we must stay awake and alert. We must focus on God and
the things that please Him. We must be kind to others…but we must also
pray for wisdom and discernment, so that we do not fall prey to the
wiles of evil or deceptive people and circumstances. We must encourage
others not to engage in divisive behaviors or illicit activities…but
rather, to seek God and demonstrate what Jesus taught us - love, grace,
mercy, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and unity.
Do not be
mistaken…the devil is incredibly crafty and clever. He has skills! He
can worm his way into our hearts and minds faster than you can say
“Bob’s your uncle!” He will try to convince you that Jesus wants you to
do these things – that He has ordained them! Don’t grow complacent and
think this can’t happen to you. Don’t drop your guard! Stay close to
God…listen for His voice…pray always…and use your head! Stop and ask,
“What would Jesus do?” or “What would He have me do in this situation?”
And if you have been drawn into something you know is not sanctioned by
God, get out…now…and ask Him to forgive you and set you on the right
path again.
The Apostle Paul had it right…we have been washed
spotless by the blood of Jesus and become part of His church – His
“bride.” We cannot risk staining our “wedding garments” now! Wouldn’t
you agree?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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