Tag: deception
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The Devil’s Ways
2 Corinthians 11:3 “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.” The devil has been at work to deceive the human race ever since the time of Eve. Interestingly, his methods haven’t changed much in all that time. From Genesis…
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A Spiritual Defense
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” Opinions: everybody has them. One dictionary defines an “opinion” as “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based…
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Life in the Shadows
2 Corinthians 4:2 “We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” So often it is not the things that people do in public that define them, but what they do when…
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To Live a Lie
2 Peter 2:18 “. . . those who live in error.” So many times, the Bible categorizes all of humanity in simple terms. It talks of those who are lost in contrast to those who have been found. It talks of those who believe as opposed to those who do not. It speaks of those…
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Deceptive Identities
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” Identity. It’s such a critical issue and fundamental to life itself. Throughout history many people have tried…
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Are you “of the truth”?
John 18:37 “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Are you interested in what Jesus had to say? Do you read His words? Do you have ears to hear His message? If you do, there…
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To whom are you listening – and why?
John 16:4-7 “But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. . . But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.” Jesus always spoke the truth to His followers, even if the…
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Strong Delusion
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that…
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Avoiding deceptions
2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” One of the Bible’s most basic messages is that things are very often not as they seem. So many times, things that appear to be very good for us are actually very evil and destructive. We are warned that “even Satan himself masquerades as…