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Deception vs Truth
Author - Chris Campbell
God's Word is true, and we need to accept the truth deep in our hearts (Psalms 51:6). What God says is true whether we believe it is or not!
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13), and the Word of God is truth (John 17:11). We ought to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). The believer in Christ has no business deceiving others either by lying, exaggerating, telling little lies, or stretching the truth. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and he seeks to keep people in bondage through deception (Revelation 12:9; 2 Timothy 2:26), but it is the truth in Jesus that sets us free (John 8:32-36).
We will find real joy and freedom when we stop living a lie and walk openly in the truth. King David wrote, after confessing his sin, "How blessed is the man... in whose spirit there is no deceit" (Psalm 32:2).
How can we find the strength to walk in the light (1 John 1:7-9)? When we are sure that God loves and accepts us, we can be free to own up to our sin, face reality and not run or hide from painful circumstances.
Start this step by praying the following prayer out loud. Don't let any opposing thoughts, such as "This is a waste of time" or "I wish I could believe this stuff but I just can't" keep you from praying and choosing the truth. Belief is a choice. If you choose to believe what you feel, then Satan, the "father of lies," will keep you in bondage. You must choose to believe what God says, regardless of what your feelings might say. Even if you have a hard time doing so, pray the following prayer.
"Dear Heavenly Father, I know that you want me to face the truth and be honest with You. I know that choosing to believe the truth will set me free. I want to be free to love You, free to be loved by You, free to worship You and free to watch you work in my life. By faith I have received You into my life and am now your child. I acknowledge that I have the responsibility to submit to You and to resist the devil, and when I do he will flee. (James 4:7) Since You accept me just as I am in Christ, I can be free to face my sin. I ask you Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth. I ask You to "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my anxious thoughts: and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalms 139:23-24). In Jesus' name I pray, amen!"
There are many ways in which Satan, "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), seeks to deceive us. Just as he did with Eve, the devil tries to convince us to rely on ourselves and to try to get our needs met through the world around us, rather than trusting in our Father in heaven.
Ways you can be deceived by the world:
Use the following prayer of confession for each item above that you have believed. Pray through each item separately:
"Lord, I confess that I have been decieved by __________________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and I commit myself to only believing Your truth Jesus, amen."
Is it important to know that in addition to being deceived by the world, false teachers and deceiving spirits, you can also fool yourself. Now that you are alive in Christ, forgiven, and totally accepted, you don't need to live a lie or defend yourself like you used to. Christ is now your truth and defense.
Ways you can deceive yourself:
"Lord, I confess that I have deceived myself by ______________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and commit myself to believing your truth. In your name I pray Jesus, amen."
Wrong ways of defending yourself:
Use the following prayer of confession for each item above that you have participated in. Pray through each item separately.
"Lord, I confess that I have defended myself wrongly by _____________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and commit myself to trusting in You to defend and protect me. I ask this in your name Lord Jesus, amen."
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6), the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 16:13), and the Word of God is truth (John 17:11). We ought to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). The believer in Christ has no business deceiving others either by lying, exaggerating, telling little lies, or stretching the truth. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and he seeks to keep people in bondage through deception (Revelation 12:9; 2 Timothy 2:26), but it is the truth in Jesus that sets us free (John 8:32-36).
We will find real joy and freedom when we stop living a lie and walk openly in the truth. King David wrote, after confessing his sin, "How blessed is the man... in whose spirit there is no deceit" (Psalm 32:2).
How can we find the strength to walk in the light (1 John 1:7-9)? When we are sure that God loves and accepts us, we can be free to own up to our sin, face reality and not run or hide from painful circumstances.
Start this step by praying the following prayer out loud. Don't let any opposing thoughts, such as "This is a waste of time" or "I wish I could believe this stuff but I just can't" keep you from praying and choosing the truth. Belief is a choice. If you choose to believe what you feel, then Satan, the "father of lies," will keep you in bondage. You must choose to believe what God says, regardless of what your feelings might say. Even if you have a hard time doing so, pray the following prayer.
"Dear Heavenly Father, I know that you want me to face the truth and be honest with You. I know that choosing to believe the truth will set me free. I want to be free to love You, free to be loved by You, free to worship You and free to watch you work in my life. By faith I have received You into my life and am now your child. I acknowledge that I have the responsibility to submit to You and to resist the devil, and when I do he will flee. (James 4:7) Since You accept me just as I am in Christ, I can be free to face my sin. I ask you Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth. I ask You to "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my anxious thoughts: and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way" (Psalms 139:23-24). In Jesus' name I pray, amen!"
There are many ways in which Satan, "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4), seeks to deceive us. Just as he did with Eve, the devil tries to convince us to rely on ourselves and to try to get our needs met through the world around us, rather than trusting in our Father in heaven.
Ways you can be deceived by the world:
- Believing that accumulating money and possessions will bring happiness (Matthew 13:22; 1 Timothy 6:10).
- Believing that eating food and drinking alcohol without restraint will make me happy (Proverbs 20:1; 23:19-21).
- Believing that a sexy, attractive body and personality will get what I want or need (Proverbs 31:10; 1 Peter 3:3-4).
- Believing that gratifying sexual lust will bring true fulfillment (Ephesians 4:22; 1 Peter 2:11).
- Believing that I can sin and get away with it and not have it affect my heart and character (Hebrews 3:12-13).
- Believing that my needs cannot be totally taken care of by God (2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 13-15).
- Believing that I am important and strong and I can do whatever I want and no one can touch me (Obadiah 1:3; 1 Peter 5:5; Proverbs 16:18).
- Believing that smoking weed and other drugs aren't a sin (Galatians 5:19-21).
Use the following prayer of confession for each item above that you have believed. Pray through each item separately:
"Lord, I confess that I have been decieved by __________________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and I commit myself to only believing Your truth Jesus, amen."
Is it important to know that in addition to being deceived by the world, false teachers and deceiving spirits, you can also fool yourself. Now that you are alive in Christ, forgiven, and totally accepted, you don't need to live a lie or defend yourself like you used to. Christ is now your truth and defense.
Ways you can deceive yourself:
- Hearing God's Word but not always doing it (James 1:22; James 4:7).
- Saying I have no sin (1 John 1:8).
- Thinking I am something I'm not (Galatians 6:3).
- Thinking I am wise in the things of the world (1 Corinthians 3:18-19).
- Thinking I can hang out with bad people and they won't have any bad influence on me (1 Corinthians 15:33).
- Thinking I can be a good Christian and still hurt others by what I say (James 1:22).
- Thinking my secret sin will only hurt me but will not hurt others (such as pornography, voyeurism, hatred) (Exodus 20:4-5).
- Thinking that ungodly people who live lives of sin will share in God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
"Lord, I confess that I have deceived myself by ______________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and commit myself to believing your truth. In your name I pray Jesus, amen."
Wrong ways of defending yourself:
- Refusing to face the bad things that have happened to you (denial of reality).
- Escaping from the real world by daydreaming, TV, movies, computer or video games, music, etc. (fantasy).
- Withdrawing from people to avoid rejection (emotional insulation).
- Reverting (going back) to a less threatening time of life (regression).
- Taking out frustrations on others (displaced anger).
- Blaming others for your problems (projection).
- Making excuses for poor behavior (rationalization).
Use the following prayer of confession for each item above that you have participated in. Pray through each item separately.
"Lord, I confess that I have defended myself wrongly by _____________. I thank You for Your forgiveness and commit myself to trusting in You to defend and protect me. I ask this in your name Lord Jesus, amen."
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| Home | Ticket To Heaven | Site Updates | Christian Links |
| Daily Devotional Thought | Challenge of the Month | Articles |
| The Store | My Testimony | Short Inspirational Stories |
To contact me for any reason please email me at:
[email protected]